A stunning route you've never heard of | Yosemite High Route

[@AMorgan57]

I know how jam-packed the valley is with visitors, million+ plus per year. And yet climb up out of there and you have this whole enormous, sweeping, amazing world entirely to yourself.

[@HuskyMike]

That looked like quite the adventure! I hope people realize how demanding- both physically and mentally- it is to hike on a "trail" like that. Well done.

[@HikingNerd]

Thank you! I've *elevated* my backpacking for sure. I do have some reservations though about posting this video and promoting/popularizing this route, especially if it puts people in danger who should not be out there. I like to think that the lack of clear navigational cues/direction would be a natural filter - but I could be wrong.

[@jtg2525]

@@HikingNerd All they have to do is actually watch your video, and judge if it's in their skillset or not. You did not obscure any of the challenges in the video. Well done

[@tucsonwilly]

Have never seen a video like this before. It takes a lot of skill and guts to do something like this by yourself. Amazing!!

[@steelheadranger]

Great adventure. Thanks for sharing. I have both editions of Steve Roper's guide on his High Sierra Route. It offers an incredible HIgh Sierra adventure without the traffic jams on the PCT and JMT. As an aging mountaineer who is used to "off trail" travel and who is backing off climbing more each year, completion of a major portion of it is on my bucket list before retiring and leaving California. Thanks for the reminder that I need to "get her done".

[@HikingNerd]

The Sierra is a magnificent playground! SHR is on my list too - though I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s busier than expected.

[@dmbeaster]

I love cross country travel. Its much more challenging, but a unique experience. It takes skills in understanding terrain and route finding. You are contantly making your route based on what you see. You cannot rely on a preplanned idea, as it will change once you see it. Trails are great for making distance, and they make it easy, which is also great.

[@kibashisiyoto6771]

We were out Oct 2-7 going TM-Vogelsang-Merced Lake-LYV-Half Dome-HI. We didn't have the problem of water freezing - but we had two people in our tent. I was surprised how tough the Lewis Creek trail was from Vogelsang to Merced Lake - it beat the crap out of our legs. Hard to imagine going off trail for as much as you did. Well done.

[@mitchellmysliwiecphotography]

Fantastic adventure! I'm working up to something like that in the future. Great inspiration

[@taylerbuffington5755]

Love your videos! Thanks for all of the care you put into them

[@HikingNerd]

Thank you!

[@liljoe23la]

You are brave my friend. Keep up the great work and inspire others! btw nice garmin watch. I use the topo map feature on my hikes!

[@HikingNerd]

liljoe23la It’s a useful watch! I’ve had it for years and it has still been relevant. Screen is too small for me to do any real navigation with it though, but the built-in compass is handy for a rough direction check. Thanks for your support!

[@michaelb41]

I admire your resilience to the harsh conditions. You are a man among men and greater than your average bear. I wish you the very best!

[@HikingNerd]

You're too kind! I'm just a hiking nerd :)

[@michaelb1761]

The most satisfying part of my hike this past September was when I reached an easy off trail pass between Davis Lakes and 1000 Island Lake. I had no guide, but it looked easy on a topo map. It went, and the views were a great reward, even more so because I wasn't on a trail. There's something more satisfying about off trail hiking. Thanks for showing me more of the Sierra that I must explore.

[@dmbeaster]

Try the classic off trail route from Thousand Island lake all the way to Minaret Lake. You cross the ridge on the west side of the lakes. You bump into a trail for a little bit from Ediza to Iceberg, and it slowly disappears as you approach Cecille. You can go either way. Start at Agnew or Reds Meadow, and come out at other meadow. Take the Postpile shuttle to get back to your start

[@michaelb1761]

@@dmbeaster That was part of my planned route on that hike, but the ice/snow field at Iceberg lake was still covering over half of the route around the lake, even at the beginning of September. Without crampons and an ice axe, I decided it wasn't worth risking death. Some might say that I'm overstating the risk, but a hiker actually did die there a week before when he slid down the ice and into some rocks along the lakeshore. I ended up hiking 20+ miles that day and hiking into Reds Meadow the next morning, buying some food and beer from the store, and continuing south on the rest of my planned hike without going to Cecil and Minaret Lakes.

[@colinhughes9709]

Thank you for sharing this, very inspiring. You, sir, are a bad-ass.

[@thewanderingfalcon]

Man.. you're really livin it and doing the things you want it seems. Really happy for you, and sooo glad you're taking the time to share it. :)

[@HikingNerd]

Thank you!

[@peacedove9513]

Thanks for sharing. I live just outside the south gate of Yosemite to old to do that now. The fact that it was 18° was exciting

[@pa_hyker7715]

Yosemite is such an amazing place. Great video. Its nice to get off the beaten path once in a while.

[@greatthings4US]

Wow. Awesome Jimmy! What a great video and trip of course. All alone too..... Jimmy at his best.... Hey Jimmy, what's the chance of your Brother doing another hike with you? I would have loved to come along with you on this one. I love backpacking the Sierra's. Thanks again for all your hard work.

[@HikingNerd]

greatthings4US My brother hates the cold so probably when it’s warmer :)

[@greatthings4US]

@@HikingNerd ha ha ha..... Yup. I understand. It was great watching you and your brother do the JMT in "11 days"!

[@Sheety33]

No invite?! Just kidding. Beautiful scenery!! That is a very challenging hike you accomplished - congrats!

[@HikingNerd]

I couldn’t in good conscience invite someone else when I wasn’t sure I’d make it 😅 It’s hard enough to keep this idiot alive sometimes.

[@YongsungKim]

@@HikingNerd Great job Jimmy. Next time you are not sure, please invite me. I like that kind of adventure. :)

[@HikingNerd]

Maybe the three of us should tackle the North Loop!

[@YongsungKim]

@@HikingNerd I am in.

[@Sheety33]

Hiking Nerd ha! The route looked sketchy to be honest!

[@RockoYourSocksoff]

I was near there on the 28th-30th. It was insanely cold those nights.

[@HikingNerd]

Cool! It was cold and it didn't get better hah.

[@BeaglesBackcountryAdventures]

That route was sick! Totally beautiful and love the solitude. Yeah, route finding can be a challenge but you did great.

[@Bayplaces]

Some brutal honesty here. Good video

[@chongyang7653]

Amazing!!!!!! Beautiful site, really enjoy this video, glad I found your channel...

[@davidfantle6721]

Looks like an awesome route! I hope to do that one some day. Totally agree about the freedom and feeling of accomplishment with off-trail traveling.

[@LiboltAdventures]

That view at 5:30 is something else. Great video, thanks for sharing! New sub!

[@ryanrubel6380]

I'm impressed! You're badass for doing this on your own

[@chocolatedumdum2]

“Route you’ve never heard of” unless you follow Andrew Skurka! Nice video. Fortunate journey!

[@HikingNerd]

Clickbaited!

[@Ezrabastian]

good job! Enjoyed watching.

[@slicedbread622]

Great video brother! next time show us some of your food, along with some of your insights into the wilderness way of life and what you've learned along the way. The scene of you covering your footbox with your raincoat, for example, was excellent.

[@trailkrum]

Great stuff! I'm looking to do Skurka's WRHR northbound and linking it to Thorofare creek next August in Wyoming. Hoping that I'm not chewing more than I can bite :)

[@HikingNerd]

Lots of talus on the WRHR I hear :)

[@fernandom41]

Props to you my friend great video

[@walkingtwobytwo7122]

The scenery is just gorgeous. How amazing is that. Thank you for sharing loved watching 👏🏼

[@forestkan459]

Great work! That's pretty bold to go that late in the season but you pulled it off pretty fast. My group (the big Chungi) went from TM to the valley in early September. You might have seen us in the Quartzite summit register.

[@HikingNerd]

I did see you in the register and benefitted from your IG posts too! Loved the note about missing the half dome cables lol. Thank you!

[@vancamjr]

Nicely done

[@JediMaddy94]

You had me spooked there, but glad you made it out ok.

[@dorkcork579]

Invest in a Hilleberg Akto if you can afford it , it has significant condensation problems but is a very warm tent , with a gortex covering like you use then there is no problem. With a Akto shoulder season walking becomes nicer , think Washington state about now...

[@MerrellOutside]

Awesome hike, thanks for sharing!

[@Arthur-Silva]

This is looking great, I’m gonna stop and finish watching it on my laptop.

[@HikingNerd]

4K all the way! :)

[@brianmccombs2386]

That was awesome. Who would give this video a thumbs down?

[@toddi2367]

Awesome hike, your a'yite. Hey how do you overcome your fears of being alone, off trail so far out? bet it makes for the best experiances... Love the videos.....

[@HikingNerd]

Hah thanks. I’ve done solo hikes before so I’ve been able to ease into the feeling of being out there alone. I find it helpful to rationalize my situation: I carry a personal locator beacon if I need external help, and I think my partner would mostly help out with moral support. If I slip and hit my head, that’s a situation where having someone else to call for help would be useful, so I was very careful to try and avoid that scenario.

[@toddi2367]

@Joe Weber well put!!! That actually should be a hikers standard.....

[@theeternalconversationspod1422]

So it was that cold in late September?? I usually go in mid-july, and in the eastern sierras it has not been that cold for me. I was thinking of doing this trail in mid July but maybe I should do it in September. I was there in 2019 and it was a heavy snowfall year. I just can't believe it was so cold that your water bottle froze in your tent at late September, wooowwww

[@larryrundle6370]

That trail you crossed at the end was the PCT

[@AlanDampog]

so awesome!!!

[@HikeRx]

I plan on buying a backpack for hiking in the Sierra with the common requirement of carrying a bear canister. If you had to do it all over again would you still purchase the same backpack? are there other backpacks that you think would carry a bear canister as well and still have reasonably lightweight and good functionality? Or would you pick the Flex Capacitor backpack still?

[@HikingNerd]

Many years later, I still think the Flex Capacitor is the right backpack for a 40L+ loadout. For this trip, 40L was more than I needed so I could’ve done with a smaller pack - we’ll see what the smaller version of the Flex Capacitor looks like next year and whether it will hold its own against other UL packs in the sub-40L category.

[@HikeRx]

@@HikingNerd ...thank you

[@HikeRx]

@@HikingNerd...I saw that the manufacturer is now going to have 2 shoulder water bottle holders AND a way to use the water bladder holder as an outside the pack mesh pocket for drying out wet gear....that is ingenious and just the additional improvements that push my buying decision over the edge. Is the material going to be different/lighter? I see the colors are different.

[@joshheiller2710]

Was that the 2018 or 2019 SMD tent that you used? Sounds like you wouldn't highly recommend it based on the leaking?

[@HikingNerd]

2019 model. There were some things I liked about it and some things I didn't like about it. Ultimately, I think it's best as a fair weather tent where the only thing you're concerned about are bugs.

[@tomsalter3570]

Very interesting video! Thanks for sharing it! Been in and around Yosemite many times. But never on the "High Route." Some beautiful scenery! Q: Do you ever try to FISH some of those back-country lakes?

[@HikingNerd]

I usually spend my days hiking so there isn't too much time left over to fish. Maybe I should take it easy on the hiking!

[@JediMaddy94]

I want to go here just for the endless geologic wonderland

[@HikeRx]

What are those floaties in your water bottle?

[@HikingNerd]

I was wondering the same! I think it came from my Gu hydration tablets, although that doesn’t ordinarily happen. I switched over to Nuun tablets the next day.

[@HikeRx]

Great video!👍

[@puffygang]

Great video! Coming down from Russell Pass, do you wrap around the knob on its left (away from the glacier) or its right (towards the glacier)?

[@HikingNerd]

Thanks Kevin. I stayed left from the notch where it was the least steep descent.

[@puffygang]

@@HikingNerd Thanks for the info! What was the most nervous part on the trip for you in terms of steepness, besides heading up the wrong pass?

[@HikingNerd]

@@puffygang I got used to the steepness fairly quickly and realized that I could always find a way down on talus (with ledges/cliffs, you might get stuck and need to backtrack or do class 4/5 maneuvers). The only thing that had me a bit nervous was knowing that no one would find my body until summer given how remote and late in the season it was. New snow would've been a problem - I went in with an extra day of food given that travel would slow/stop if I got precip.

[@puffygang]

@@HikingNerd Thanks for sharing! I added a 4oz PLB to my kit recently just in case, something you might be interested in as well in case you sprain an ankle on talus. One button and SAR comes, funded by tax + NPS entrance fees.

[@HikingNerd]

@@puffygang I've got one too. My full gear list is in the video description.

[@1800marwin]

what's your camera gear? Great videos.

[@HikingNerd]

Thanks. I used an iPhone X and GoPro Hero8

[@hikesteepfishhigh]

from adair lake and sue pass do you go around peak 11,371 on the east or west side??

[@LukesHomeTube]

Looked really spectacular. Although, some of those climbs looked really sketchy. Thanks for another wonderful video! What camera do you use btw? I only saw an iPhone on your gear list.

[@HikingNerd]

Thanks Luke! I only had the iPhone X on this trip :)

[@LukesHomeTube]

Hard to believe. The footage was very smooth and beautiful. I couldn’t believe the zoom of the deer was that good too. You did a great job with it!

[@ronaldquint]

Amazing! What camera did you video with on your trip? Also, did you use a gimbal for those steady shots?

[@HikingNerd]

I used an iPhone X, handheld no gimbal for quick access and weight savings. I included a gear list in the video description if you’re interested in all the details.

[@PerfDayToday]

Are those cat tracks at 7:17?

[@dude2666]

MORE !

[@sicsempertyrannis9024]

Great video as always! This trip is going on my bucket list for sure. Is this high route marked with blazes, etc along the way? Wasn't Skurka the guy who was associated with Go Lite and hiked/created the Great Western Loop? Thanks again for sharing your adventures with us.

[@HikingNerd]

Thanks! Nope no blazes, this high route requires off-trail navigation (micro and macro) as there is nothing indicating the right way to go. I like to think of it as a state of constantly "being lost". There are some general route labels provided in Andrew's guide that tell you which passes to go through and some coarse notes but otherwise it's up to you to figure it out.

[@nathanielsousa6278]

Hope you didn't answer this elsewhere, but how did the Uberlite perform in conditions in the 20's? Did you feel cold coming through the pad? I got one recently and am curious what I should expect. Awesome vid btw. I did half of the Sierra High Route 3 years ago and it was amazing.

[@HikingNerd]

Ground temperature and composition are important here, though I was able to take it down to 15F air temp and not feel like there was too much heat loss into the ground. It was the limit of what I found comfortable though. FYI - I have some notes in the gear list doc listed in the video description.

[@toomanyjstoomanyrs1705]

Bravo!!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@JC-fk4xp]

hello , what did you put into that water?

[@HikingNerd]

Gu hydration tablets (pink with weird white bits) on day 1 and then switched over to Nuun tablets

[@sethshaffer8592]

Otherworldly.

[@gokucrazy22]

How do you navigate routes like this?

[@HikingNerd]

Since there's no GPX track (and I hope no one ever publishes their exact track), you pretty much determine from a few miles out where you need to be next (using big landmarks) and then find the best way there. Andrew's mapset contains these big route markers so you're not just meandering aimlessly.

[@MidsierramusingBlogspot]

Thanks.

[@JheyVbee]

Great adventure bro👊🏼🙂❤️

[@tofuyam7361]

What kinda drink mix are you using?

[@HikingNerd]

Started with Gu electrolyte tablets but switched to Nuun ones after all that residue appeared in my bottle

[@JediMaddy94]

The shot at 7:15 if so pretty, spring peaking out of winter

[@howtomountaingoat]

You and @geekclimber need to team up and do something in the middle of your interests like the Whitney Mountaineers route or something

[@XBOXNationTVHD]

Sierra High Route next?

[@HikingNerd]

Maybe!

[@HikingNerd]

Starting it next week!

[@norman9274]

What sleeping bag are you using?

[@HikingNerd]

Full gear list is in the video description! I used the Sierra Designs Cloud 800 20 degree.

[@slush714]

Awesome video! Would love to hear your thoughts on your gear list. How did the SD Cloud do in those temps? Did you only have the Uberlight or did you have foam supplementing it? Did you wish you had microspikes/ice axe at all?

[@HikingNerd]

Thanks for the comment. I was a bit delayed compared to usual in adding my gear list to the video description, but it's there now. The Uberlite was borderline too cold for those temps and I would've preferred my XTherm there. I could've also brought my 10F EE Revelation quilt instead of the SD Cloud for a bit more warmth. Without microspikes, I just detoured around snow patches when they were too icy. This is pretty late season and I didn't expect to be held up by any snow travel so I did not bring the spikes.

[@SirJohnny9999]

Wish you would have brought the fly rod.

[@OntarioHikingTrails]

What is floating in your water bottle LOL.

[@1Deejay7]

First!!! I'd like to thank the academy, my family, friends, God I would have never accomplished this mankind changing feat without their help.

[@johoover209]

Savage bruh

[@professorsogol5824]

You shouldn't tell. But if you must, please show less of your face and more of the space; less of your shoe laces and more of the wild spaces.

[@ronchrisman]

Very nice except going off trail. Not cool.