Permitory

Oh how things can change overnight. I mentioned that a permit is required to hike the JMT, which is applied for in a lottery by fax. 

Due to overuse and increased human impact along the John Muir Trail corridor in Yosemite, Yosemite National Park just dropped a bomb on us, and everyone else planning to hike the Muir Trail this year and in the foreseeable future. Besides the limited number of permits available at the traditional trailhead at Happy Isles, we are now subject to an "exit quota."

This will limit the number of human beings who can be on the JMT and take Donohue Pass out of Yosemite, which is on our docket for day 4. It becomes effective tomorrow, February 2, 2015, and all permits applied for from then on will be subject to the exit quota. No use in divulging the details, but it should suffice to say our chances may be even more limited than before.

The quota is a great idea. It will prevent fly-by-nighters from deciding to hike the JMT on a whim and going to get a walk up permit. It also prevents people from using alternate trail heads to link up with the JMT. Really, it forces anyone who's interested to plan in advance and apply like my brother and I are doing for the traditional starting place, and allows the Yosemite Conservancy to begin the long work of restoring these areas of the trail. Only 20 JMT thru-hikers per day may go over the pass.

Whether it actually affects our chances or not, we immediately pivoted (see "panicked") and began applying on Thursday night after we got word of the press release. Both of our first applications were denied.

To make matters worse, neither of us were able to send our application for July 19, 2015 within the time window prescribed by the permit office. I've spent more time than I ever want to at a FedEx Kinkos, and after typing it hundreds of times I will never forget the freaking fax number for the Yosemite Conservancy Wilderness Permit Office!

My nemesis!

We're trying to stay positive after exposure to what seems like a new major obstacle to our goal. This whole application process is incredibly stressful and frustrating, especially in light of all of our planning and preparation. But we won't give up, and we're just going to keep faxing them in until we get a permit. Wish us luck!