The adventuring party consisted of Danny and myself. We left Friday night, around 7:30. There was a traffic jam out by Manteca due to people slowing to watch a collision. As a result, we didn't get to Yosemite until 1am. Once there, we drove to the White Wolf campsite, where we took what I think was the last available spot. We set up camp and went to sleep.
Around 4am, I woke to hear the neighbors talking loudly about something. It sounded like they were trying to scare away an animal. I ignored them and went back to sleep. Sadly, it turned out that I missed my chance to see a young bear which had been wandering through the campsites recently. Their site was a mess, so it was not surprising that it was attracted to them. They apparently scared it off without incident.
In the morning, we had breakfast (oatmeal, bananas, and hot chocolate with dipped chocolate donettes, yum!), packed up camp, and drove to the Sunset Trailhead near Tenaya Lake (around 8200 feet). The lot was full there, so we parked along the road. We started hiking at 9:45. The weather was sunny and nice, maybe 65 degrees. After a short walk, we came to a fork, and one of the signs was missing, so it was unclear which way to go. Another group was there trying to figure it out. We tried one way, and they tried the other. Our choice was incorrect, but it did take us to the shore of the very pretty Tenaya Lake.
We turned around and went the correct direction. The inital part of the hike was easy, passing by a stream and a large meadow. After a mile or two though, it started getting steeper. The ascent was gradual at first, but as we approached the hill, got very steep. At times going up, the trail changed into a flight of granite steps. It was tiring work, as we climbed about 800 vertical feet in about a half mile. When we reached the crest of the hill, we encountered several other groups of hikers, most heading for Sunset Lakes, a half mile to the east. After a rest, we continued south.
The trail descended the back side of the hill, although thankfully not nearly as far down, and meandered fairly flatly through a wide valley. We saw a couple of ponds, a woodchuck, some neat dead trees, and a few creeks. After about a mile and a half, the trail started climbing again. Some short parts were steep, but overall, it was not too tough. We even had the energy to race up a short hill. Later, of course, we regretted it. Well, mostly Danny did, since he kept running up the hills. After climbing about 500 feet in a mile and a quarter, we reached the top of a dusty ridge, and could see our destination. Instead of approaching it directly, we followed the ridge trail to the side and up.
As we ascended to the peak, the ridge narrowed until it was just a single set of flat boulders. Walking on it, you could see a 3000+ foot drop on your right down a slick granite face, and an almost equally impressive forested drop on your left. At the peak, there were several small groups of people chatting and eating lunch. A chipmunk scurried around, looking for bits of dropped food. We'd arrived at about 1pm.
The view of Yosemite Valley was spectacular. We were about 1000 feet above Half Dome, and could see it well, along with the valley floor. With my monocular, we could make out a line of people climbing the Half Dome cables, like a column of ants on a trail of sticky syrup. Behind us were many mountains. After taking some pictures, we headed down to find some shade for lunch. In the sun and out of the wind, it was nice and warm. On the peak though, it was windy and chilly with no jacket.
Lunch was hoagies, fruit snacks and Kool-aid. The sandwiches were impressively large, and too much to eat at one sitting. After resting a while, we packed up the remains of our massive sandwiches to be used as dinner later, and headed down. Down and down and across the valley again. Then back up the first hill. At this point, we were getting tired, so it was a bit of a struggle to climb that hill again. After resting at the top again, we headed for Sunset Lakes. Initally I had planned to travel to the farthest, supposedly nicest, lake. But the agony of our wounded legs forced us to stop at the first one, which looked nice enough.
The lake was very clear, with a greenish tint, and we sat down on a large bare granite slope. Nearby, a swarm of small blue dragonflies circled about. We were hot, and it was only about 3:45 and still sunny, so we were able to withstand a quick dip in the chilly lake. After that, we streched out of the granite shore to dry off in the sun while some boys fished nearby. After a while, we geared up and walked back along the ridge to the hilltop. There we began our final descent.
It seemed to go on forever. Normally the way back passes quickly. But we were tired, and travelling slower than normal, so it felt much longer than it probably was. After reaching the car, we wondered how difficult it would be to walk again after sitting down. On the way back, we stopped at Olmstead Point, where we could see how far and how high we had climbed.
Driving home, we stopped at the Crane Flat gas station for ice cream goodies and drinks. I keep forgetting that Gatorade doesn't seem to be allowed inside Yosemite. The drive back along Tioga road was very pretty, and it was nice to be able to see it in the daylight. We returned home without any problems, getting in about 10pm or so. Our first Sierra peak expedition was a success!
--Ryan
Total distance: 15 miles
Total elevation gain: 5000 feet
Maximum elevation: 9926 feet (Cloud's Rest)
Other trips
