John Muir Trail – Completing the Full Journey - Day 13

9/13 JMT D13 | JMT Progress: 171.1 mi Woods Creek - Rae Lakes Time: 7:36 - 13:40 Distance: 16.82 km Elevation Gain/Loss: 734 m / 496 m No cell service 📵 🔹 Another humid day. With a pass to climb, I set off early again. Running low on muscle relief patches, I decided to go without to see how my leg really felt. 🔹 Entered the Rae Lakes Loop area—lots of large campsites with bear boxes, plus a famous suspension bridge! 🌉 🔹 Above 10,000 ft, the trail was empty—until suddenly, one large and two small bears appeared on the path! 🐻 Though at a distance, the mama definitely saw me. Black bears aren’t usually aggressive, but with cubs? Better safe than sorry. 🔹 Waited a few minutes for them to move along, then tapped my trekking poles on the ground to avoid surprising them. But soon, they were back on the trail ahead. After waiting again, I continued cautiously. Some hikers coming the other way said they hadn’t seen any bears—but not long after, the bears reappeared, even closer this time. I didn’t dare go further. 🔹 Finally, two more hikers showed up. We teamed up and slowly followed the bears from a distance. They seemed to prefer the smooth trail over rough terrain. The bears led us all the way to Dollar Lake—mama even took a quick swim 🏞️, while one brown and one black cub played wildly. My trailmates caught up, and we watched them for a long time before they finally disappeared into the wilderness. 🔹 Lunch break at Rae Lakes—so stunning, it made us all lazy! 🥪💤 We talked about the plan and decided to save the pass for the next day. Since we were ahead of schedule, we took a half-day off and camped early. Got the best spot with epic views! Dried our wet gear, washed some clothes, and tried to mentally prepare for a lake dip… but chickened out because the water was FREEZING 🥶. 🔹 Our bear canisters are looking lighter—looks like we’ve been eating a bit too much these past few days. Food is running low, so we’ll have smaller meals until we climb the pass. 🔹 It’s been over a week with no contact with the outside world. I’ve gotten used to being a wilderness wanderer… but watching the sunset from my tent, I still wish I could listen to some music 🎶. Have you ever encountered wildlife while hiking? What would you do in a bear situation? Share your thoughts or trail stories below! 👇🥾 #TravelUSA #JMT #Backpacking #HikingCommunity #California #Hiking #Camping #MountainClimbing #SierraNevada #USNationalParks #WildernessTales #BearAware #OutdoorAdventure