What you need to know

The High Sierra Trail follows an arduous, improbable and unfailingly spectacular route across the southern Sierra Nevada in California. It is 72 miles (116 miles) long with around 4200 metres (13,779 feet) of ascent and descent. It should only be attempted by people with a high level of hiking fitness and experience of backpacking in remote country.

The High Sierra Trail takes between five and 10 days to complete. For most hikers, around seven to eight days is a good balance of challenge and enjoyment. We completed it in six, but it did feel like something of an endurance trial. Sequoia National Park is an assiduously preserved ‘wilderness’, so along the route there is no phone signal, no options for resupply, and no escape route except back the way you came or push ahead to the end. All food, shelter and equipment must be carried with you.

The National Park is currently closed due to coronavirus, and being able to walk the High Sierra Trail this year is extremely unlikely. In ‘ordinary’ times, between late

May and late September only 40 permits a day are issued for the trail. Outside of these times, a permit is still required, though the quota system is not in place. Three-quarters of the available daily permits can be reserved from 1 March each year at nps.gov/seki; the rest are issued on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Early booking is recommended. Carrying a bear canister is also necessary.

Zebulon Wallace’s book, Plan & Go: High Sierra Trail (Sandiburg Press, £9.95), is a really useful and comprehensive guide.