Campground Review: Marie Lake, John Muir Trail
Marie Lake is nestled 99 miles into the 220 mile John Muir Trail, JMT, if you're heading Southbound. It sits at a thin 10,600 feet and what it lacks in Oxygen it makes up for in pure beauty. A unique setting surrounded by mountains it has plenty of little islands and peninsulas to spend a few days exploring. What makes it even more ideal is it's just a couple hundred feet below Selden Pass so you start your day with a quick climb and then a steady descent for 8 miles to below 8000 feet. The lake is littered with possible campsites. There are plenty of flat gravely areas to pitch a tent or tarp. No trees at this elevation so no hammock camping. Also no fires above 10,000 feet so be prepared with your backpacking stoves if you need to boil fire. We stayed at Marie Lake in early August and experienced clear skies and temp from the 70's to the low 40's. A cool morning instantly warmed when the sun peaked over the mountains. The trail passes directly beside Marie Lake so if you desire privacy you'll need to explore around the lake on the north side. The water temperatures were quite tolerable once you took the plunge and a quick float on your inflatable sleeping mat brought you to one of many islands for a siesta. The are is fairly open so privacy for the "loo" was found up the hillside behind large boulders. Not for they shy. I would not be out of line to say Marie Lake is one of, if not the, most beautiful camp spot on the John Muir Trail. I'd even recommend planning your entire trip around staying at this spot during your hike. Titanium by AfterShokz
Product Review: TREKZ Titanium by AfterShokz
The TREKZ Titanium wireless Bluetooth headphones are the future of headphones. Using some crazy thing called Bone Conduction the headphones sit outside your ears so you are able to hear your music (but others don't) and hear your surroundings. Great when you're backpacking in the backcountry and don't want any surprises from the "locals" aka black bears, cougars, even those tenacious Marmots. I enjoyed the quiet of nature most of the time but some of the passes we climbed on the John Muir Trail lasted hours. Hours of climbing without relief and I needed a major distraction. Having my super lightweight wireless TREKZ made it easy for me to bring along and throw on whenever my brain was going into "what the fork are you doing???" mode. They easily connected to my Bluetooth in my phone and lasted for about 6 hours before needing a recharge. I enjoyed not having anything in my ears i.e. nothing falling out of my sweaty ears, and being able to hear my fellow hikers when they spoke to me. I also used my TREKZ on the airplane and shuttle bus and used the provided ear plugs to zone out all other sound. They felt effortless to wear but were very secure and didn't fall off or bounce around. I do wish they would have had a bit of adjustment available as they stuck out a little in back but really not to a disadvantage just slightly noticeable in some motions, like looking at 200 foot tall trees. Overall I highly recommend! https://aftershokz.com/products/trekz-titanium
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