Sonoman to hike John Muir Trail
Avid backpacker and wilderness advocate Teri Shore of Sonoma will hike the 211-mile John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.
Shore plans to make the solo backpack trek in July and raise funds for wilderness protection in California. She will start in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite and go all the way to Mount Whitney in about three weeks.
“This is longest and most challenging backpacking adventure I’ve ever attempted,” said Shore. “It’s a personal challenge and a way to help protect wild lands.”
Shore has lived in Sonoma for 25 years. She is an avid backpacker and wilderness advocate who has led Sierra Club backpack trips for the San Francisco Bay Chapter Backpack Section since 1996. She adores Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada and Trinity Alps. She has climbed Mt. Shasta and Mt. Whitney and many non-technical Sierra peaks over 9,000 feet including Mt. Conness, Mt. Dana, and Mt. Hoffman.
The John Muir Trail extends from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney — the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. It is named after naturalist John Muir, founding member and original president of the Sierra Club.
The Wilderness Act is the landmark conservation bill passed in 1964 that created a way for Americans to protect their most pristine public wild lands for future generations. California has 149 wilderness areas totaling nearly 15 million acres, including parts of Point Reyes National Seashore, Cache Creek Wilderness in Lake County and Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe.
Shore is seeking support for her John Muir Trail Challenge to cover trip costs and support wilderness protection in California. Generous sponsors so far include Krave Jerky in Sonoma, which helping to fill her bear canister with healthy food for the 21-days on the trail.
After the trip, Shore will give talks and share her John Muir Adventure with all. A presentation at the Sonoma library is planned, with a date to be confirmed.
She said she plans to split all donations 50/50 between trip costs and wilderness protection, specifically to help pass a new federal bill recently introduced by Rep. Lois Capps to expand wilderness areas in the Central Coast of California.
Total expenses for the trip is about $1,200 which includes gas, food, equipment, resupply costs along the trail. She hopes to raise $3,000 — half for the trip and half for wilderness. Donors can contribute now or after the trip until September 1, 2014.
“My first major donor to the John Muir Trail Challenge contributed $1 per mile ($211),” said Shore.
“Even 10 cents a mile would be appreciated ($21), or anything in between,”
Contact Shore at 707 938 3469 or [email protected]. Send donations to 515 Hopkins St., Sonoma, CA 95476 or via Paypal (account is [email protected]) or Fundrazr (search for Teri Shore’s John Muir Trail Challenge).
