A ranger in Yosemite said my trip plan was 'a rescue waiting to write itself' and I swallowed my pride

Michael Anderson · 2026-09-15T15:30:03.847462+00:00

Two summers back I mapped out a 4 day loop in the Ansel Adams Wilderness with 22 mile days and 3,800 feet of climbing each day, and I was pretty proud of it. A backcountry ranger at the permit desk looked it over and told me flat out that the last leg over Isberg Pass would put me at camp after dark with a tired body, and that most folks who get hurt out there are the ones with big daily mileage goals. I argued with her for a bit, but she pulled out a map and showed me two spots where a wrong turn on a poorly marked use trail turns a 6 hour day into 10. I dropped my trip to 14 mile days and added a zero day at a lake halfway through, which felt like admitting defeat at the time. Turns out the slower plan let me actually fish, filter water without rushing, and handle a rolled ankle on day 3 without it turning into a real problem. Now I build every route with a bailout point every 8 miles and I plan around daylight left, not miles logged. How many of you plan your days by hours of walking instead of total distance?

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A ranger in Yosemite said my trip plan was 'a rescue waiting to write itself' and I swallowed my pride | Backpacking Routes - Hub Chatter