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A ranger in Yosemite told me to skip the Mist Trail in July and I thought he was nuts
I was at the Happy Isles trailhead with a permit for the JMT and this ranger looked at my 45 pound pack and told me to take the John Muir Trail up instead of the Mist Trail because the stairs would wreck my knees on day one. I blew him off, took the Mist Trail anyway, and by the top of Vernal Fall my right knee was done, which turned a 4 day trip into 2 days of limping back to the valley. Has anyone else gotten trail advice from a ranger that sounded lazy at the time but turned out to be dead on?
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taylor.jessica12d ago
That ranger telling you the stairs would wreck your knees on day one was speaking from watching a hundred people do exactly what you did. Wet granite steps plus a heavy pack means every step down is your knee absorbing all that weight, and going up is no picnic either when the steps are tall and slick. Next time take the JMT up and save the Mist Trail for a day hike with a light pack, your knees will thank you and you still get the views from the top.
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