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Silent Hiking the John Muir Trail for 21 days

3.1M views · Feb 23, 2024 · Travel & Events

Harmen Hoek

491K subscribers

Comments · 2K

@HarmenHoek · 2 years ago · pinned
► Want to join me on trail? Join the 2024 group trip! <a href="https://harmenhoek.com/grouphike/">https://harmenhoek.com/grouphike/</a> ► Do you want to support these films or learn more about behind-the-scenes? <a href="https://patreon.com/harmenhoek">https://patreon.com/harmenhoek</a> ► Interested in doing this trek: <a href="https://www.thatch.co/guide/pn4dewuv7ygg/view">https://www.thatch.co/guide/pn4dewuv7ygg/view</a> Hope you all enjoyed this film! This was the longest and most remote hike I've done so far. It was a beast to edit, taking me several weeks to complete. Before going on this hike, I never had a clear answer when people asked me 'what is your favorite hike?'. But after completing the JMT, I can say that the JMT is my favorite hike in the world. It has all the elements of a good trek - beautiful nature, remoteness, solitude and wilderness. What amazes me is that you can hike over 350 kilometer through the Sierras without crossing a single road or passing a single building. Especially if you realize that within a 350-kilometer radius over 40 million people live! That's conservation! Here are some random facts and more chapter markers I thought you might enjoy: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=56">0:56</a> Day 1 - Yosemite Valley & Half Dome <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=128">2:08</a> It's rare to see the cables without people! The secret: go just before sunset. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=207">3:27</a> <a href="http://rightontrek.com/">RightOnTrek.com</a> was so nice to provide me with a bunch of meals for this trip! However, I mistakenly assumed I could eat them out of the bag, they are best enjoyed and ready faster after cooking in a pot. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=220">3:40</a> Day 2 - Sunrise Meadows & Cathedral Lakes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=309">5:09</a> Compare this shot, to to this one: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqkMiisWdEg&t=420">https://youtu.be/rqkMiisWdEg?si=MJOUbM_0iKcwHm2d&t=420</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=322">5:22</a> Compare this campsite, to this one: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqkMiisWdEg&t=669">https://youtu.be/rqkMiisWdEg?si=mcHKPqufOq09_LGV&t=669</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=388">6:28</a> Day 3 - Tuolumne Meadows & Lyell Canyon <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=438">7:18</a> This is a Belding Ground Squirrel. In late summer you only see the young adults under 2 years of age. The aldults are already in their wintersleep by then. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=589">9:49</a> Day 4 - Donohue Pass & 1000 Island Lake <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=776">12:56</a> Day 5 - Alpine lakes & rain <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=886">14:46</a> I honestly enjoyed the rain, especially from a filmmaking standpoint: blue skies for 4 days is not very cinematic. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=991">16:31</a> Day 6 - Devil's Postpile & Mammoth Lakes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1116">18:36</a> Day 7 - John Muir Wilderness <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1118">18:38</a> This is officially not the JMT, but a (more beautiful) detour via Duck Pass merging with the JMT at Duck Lake. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1172">19:32</a> Day 8 - Duck Pass, Lake Virginia & Tully Hole <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1383">23:03</a> Day 9 - Silver Pass & Bear Ridge <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1478">24:38</a> This was one of my favorite campsites on the JMT. I spotted it just down the trail when taking a short brake in the afternoon. When I saw it, I couldn't keep going, so I decided to make it a very short day and enjoy the beauty of this campsite. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1601">26:41</a> Day 10 - Marie Lake, Seldon Pass, Muir Trail Ranch & Blaney Hot Springs <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1844">30:44</a> Day 11 - Sequoia National Park <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1912">31:52</a> This is Scott, a good friend of mine and the 'Sierra Expert'. Check out his work on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Sheety33">https://www.youtube.com/@Sheety33</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=1965">32:45</a> Day 12 - Goddard Canyon, Evolution Valley & Wanda Lake <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2123">35:23</a> This is Wanda Lake just below Muir's pass, named after John Muir's daughter. The lake on the other side of the pass (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2290">38:10</a>) is named after his other daughter: Helen. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2193">36:33</a> Day 13 - Muir Pass, Le Conte Valley, Bishop Pass & Bishop <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2244">37:24</a> The Muir Hut on Muir Pass is the only pass hut on the JMT. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2488">41:28</a> Day 15 - Bishop Lake & snow <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2566">42:46</a> I'm layering 2 quilts together here. A synethic quilt below with a down quilt on top. The best way to stay warm at -7ºC (19ºF). <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2652">44:12</a> Day 16 - Bishop Pass, Golden Staircase & Palaside Lakes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2715">45:15</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/teamshorts">#TeamShorts</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2793">46:33</a> Compare this shot with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2361">39:21</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2841">47:21</a> This is the Golden Staircase — a marvel of trail engineering characterized by its steep switchbacks through narrow canyons. This segment stands as the last part of the JMT to be completed, a full 22 years after the trail officially opened. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2887">48:07</a> I'm packing up my tent again. While pitching my tent the wind started picking up to the point where my tent started collapsing. With only rocks to secure my tent and an exposed spot, I decided to move my tent to a more sheltered spot. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=2906">48:26</a> Day 17 - Mather Pass (3,396m, 11,138ft) & Pinchot Pass (3,422m, 11,226ft) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3144">52:24</a> Day 18 - Rae Lakes & Glenn Pass <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3260">54:20</a> Seeing a helicopter in the Sierras is rare. They only fly for search and rescue operations, to drop supplies at ranger stations once a year and pick up trash from ranger stations once a year. The latter was the case here. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3444">57:24</a> Day 19 - Forester Pass (4,009m, 13,153ft) & Bighorn Plateau <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3509">58:29</a> This is a pika. One of the only animals in the Sierras that doesn't hibernate. Instead, they collect grass and flowers during the summer (you see them often with a flower in their mouth - so cute) that they store under talus (large boulder fields). All winter they live under the talus with several meters of snow above them. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3603">1:00:03</a> The descent from Forester Pass is quite an engineering marvel. The trail is blasted out of the granite and makes an almost impossible gentle way down to the valley floor. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3640">1:00:40</a> This is a (dead) Foxtail Pine. A rare pine at only grow in California in Sequioa Kings Canyon National Parks and surrounding forests. On the JMT it's only seen south of Forester Pass. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3760">1:02:40</a> Day 20 - Mount Whitney <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=3930">1:05:30</a> You might recognize the last 2 songs from this film, they are identical as the last 2 songs from my Yosemite film. It was in Sierra Mountains where my backpacking adventures started, and that place holds a special place in my heart. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=4066">1:07:46</a> It was freezing cold. Just after sunset all the mosture on my quilts turned into ice crystals almost instantly (flash freezing). Temperatures dropped far below zero that night, but it was so worth being up there. Once in bed I stared at the night sky for over an hour before even attempting to sleep. There was a perfect silence, not a single breeze out there. And since I was alone, I can say I was the highest person in the contiguous USA that night (and most likely also in the all of North America). (; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=4091">1:08:11</a> Day 21 - Sunrise on Mount Whitney <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZOWDF8lqQ&t=4191">1:09:51</a> What followed was a long 2,200m descent down to Whitney Portal via hundreds of switchbacks. A beautiful section, but I didn't film any of it. Mount Whitney is the official end of the JMT, so I wanted the film to end there, not at an anti-climaxal trailhead.
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@RamblingRuth · 2 years ago
Hi Harman. I’m currently battling a rare and aggressive blood cancer in hospital and it’s been truly awful. Your films are helping me to relax and escape. You have no idea how much they are keeping me sane. Thank you!
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@glennl70 · 11 months ago
I'm a 70 yr. old retired video producer / videographer.  I appreciate the effort you put into this.  This was very enjoyable.   It has motivated me to consider one more backpacking adventure.  Life is built on dreams, right ? Thanks for sparking an urge !
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@casey-mac · 2 years ago
Silent hiking videos are all over the place on YouTube these days, but yours rise well above the rest. It feels like every single sequence has been thought out and has a distinct purpose - rather than just "camera on tripod, walk through the frame." The dedication to capture some of your wide shots and walk several hundred meters away does not go unnoticed. And, somehow each video keeps getting better. You're inspiring me to want to attempt my own silent videos. Well done, mate, and congratulations on your success.
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@enrovira · 4 days ago
incredible...simply... the best I've ever seen.
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@garybarr1045 · 2 years ago
I'm 80 and I spent most of my younger hiking years in Sierra Nevada range around Mt. Whitney. I estimate I've been on Mt. Whitney Peak a min of 40 times. It is a piece of me. Thank you for the "no words" production. It said more than all the words could offer. It brought back many memories. I loved it.
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@erichshuler3167 · 2 months ago
Possibly the best thing I've ever seen on YouTube. Just fantastic.
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@alexander.starbuck · 2 years ago
Harmen deserves an academy award for cinematography (and another prize for his physical efforts to obtain these shots), even though this is not a narrative film. Hats off to you Sir! 🥲
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@icejunki · 2 years ago (edited)
There needs to be award ceremonies for this class of film.  This is absolutely, just incredibly outstanding. I've been weighed down by the burdens of work, kids, marriage and life's responsibilities. My body has been crying for my next backpacking trip. I took a few minutes during this stressful time to immerse myself in this video and my heart was immediately put at ease. This is just what I needed. Thank you, thank you for every single moment you took to piece this together on the trail and at a desk. I honor your work.
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@josiahambrose924 · 2 years ago
I hiked the JMT with friends in 2001. The quality of this video in terms of capturing the experience is just amazing. Thank you for allowing me to revisit one of the best experiences of my life. Not only are you having amazing outdoor adventures, but you are sharing some of the most beautiful places on the planet with the rest of the world. This is like a public service. Hat's off to you sir.
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@danderson101 · 1 year ago
One of the most beautiful films I've ever watched.
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@lightwalker4558 · 2 years ago
Its not the number of breathes that define your life. Its the number of moments that take your breath away. This video has a lot of them. Thanks and God bless you. ❤
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