Ep 055. John Muir Trail Day 21 (Trail Series). Safe in Yosemite, Donahue Pass, and a Real Rest Day

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

After three early wakeups and back-to-back big-mileage days to outrun another forest closure, we finally made it to Yosemite—and slowed down for the first time in a while.

We climbed Donahue Pass in the soft morning light, soaking in alpine glow and still reflections in the high-elevation ponds. It was stunning, peaceful, and (finally) wind-free.

On the other side of the pass, we reunited with Twiggy for a few final miles together before parting ways again. Then we set up camp early—at 2pm!—and embraced an actual, honest-to-goodness rest day. Michael fished. Allison napped. And we both finally opened our Kindles.

In this episode:

• Crossing safely into Yosemite after a stressful few days
• Glowing alpine reflections and photo stops at Donahue Pass
• Reuniting with Twiggy and hiking into Lyell Canyon together
• Our first early stop and real rest day
• Fishing with a broken rod, naps, and reading time
• The strange joy of doing nothing on trail
• The magic of warm-feeling creek water (maybe a hot spring?)

🎧 Tune in to hear how slowing down gave our feet (and minds) a chance to recover—and why Donahue might be our favorite pass of the whole JMT.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

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