If you start from Edison or Florence Lakes at the end of hwy 168 I garauntee you'll be far away from crowds.
Here I have to differ. Vermillion Resort on Edison Lake is a common resupply point on the JMT/PCT and a ferry goes to very near the trail. The give through hikers a free beer and have excellent food. As a consequence it is a popular stopover point for thru hikers.
Similarly Muir Trail Ranch is a resupply point and is the last one between Vermillion and Whitney Portal. It is accessed from Florence Lake and every thru hiker stops there due to the hiker boxes and nearby hot springs. No camping is allowed there except by guests and no public bathroom. As a consequence the nearby campsites are crowded and nasty.
The two are the most crowded choke points on the trail. Thru hiking is about 10 times as popular now as it was a few years ago.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
I work at MTR and run the ferry boat at Florence Lake, and your right, if you are on the PCT or JMT it's very crowded. But there's are sooo many other spots from those Trailheads you can go to that get no use. Bear Lakes Basin gets less than 10 visitors a year, Chamberlain Lake and the Hooper Diversion area get even less than that. I did a 10 day trip leaving from the MTR over Mosquito Pass last summer and didn't see 1 person the whole trip. If you avoid the JMT/ PCT you'll avoid the crowds.
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