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Yosemite: Glacier Pt to Red Peak Pass to Lake Merced


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Home Forums Campfire Photo Gallery Yosemite: Glacier Pt to Red Peak Pass to Lake Merced

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  • #1229462
    Tony Wong
    BPL Member

    @valshar

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    4 Days and 50 Miles July 2007
    Tom Harrison Maps: Yosemite High Trail Map

    Panorma Trail Trailhead

    Panorama Trail Trail Head at Yosemite's Glacier Point 7214 ft

    Glacier Point and Half Dome

    Glacier Point & Half Dome

    Illilouette Creek 2

    Following the Illilouette Creek
    Easy single track trail, well marked.
    After 1.5 miles from Glacier Point dramatically fewer people on the trail. Most of the people we met were returning from Lower Ottoway Lake as a point in and out trip.

    Mt. Starr King

    Mt. Starr King NE of the Trail

    Last Push Up to Upper Merced Pass Lake

    Last Push Up to Upper Merced Pass Lake.
    Dry year with no water on the push up. Merced Pass Lake was our only hope for water.
    This frankly kicked my butt…I was bonking out due to being out of shape.

    13 Miles In from Glacier Point

    13 Miles In From Glacier Point at Upper Merced Pass Lake
    Henry Shire Squall 2 Tarp Tent in the Background. Tarp tents worked very well. Little wind and condensation to deal with. Water very close by. No bugs. Behind us was Lower Merced Pass Lake, which is considerably bigger. We briefly looked for it, but never found it. Obscured by the terrain.

    Breakfast at Upper Merced Pass Lake

    Breakfast at Upper Merced Pass Lake 8920 ft
    Temperatures that night were warm, high 30's degrees F to mid 40's degrees F. My 15 degree Marmot Helium EQ was too warm.

    Lower Ottoway Lake

    Lower Ottoway Lake 1

    Lower Ottoway Lake 9563 ft
    We saw a few groups camping here, well hidden from each other. We passed two teenage boys carrying good sized fish that they had caught from the lake to their campsite.

    Jeremy Tanking up on Cool Waters

    Jeremy Tanking up on Cool Waters
    Daytime temps were warm, 80 to 85 degrees F. Dunking our hats into the cool waters was a welcome relief and gave us a chance to tank up before going up.

    Circling Lower Ottoway Lake

    Circling Lower Ottoway Lake

    A Bit of Rock & Water

    A Bit of Rock & Water

    Jeremy Above Lower Ottoway Lake

    Jeremy Above Lower Ottoway Lake
    Trail here started out with plenty of snow melt water flowing down and across the trail. A little mucky, but quickly the elevation gain came and water was gone.

    Upper Ottoway Lake

    Upper Ottoway Lake
    Very windy, but beautiful location. Would not attempt to camp at this barren and exposed location.

    Switch Backs of Red Peak Pass

    Switch Backs of Red Peak Pass
    The thin air, lack of breeze, and ever present sun slowed me down to a crawl. Meeting two young and attractive women who were descending from top, I only could muster a fair smile and hello. Jeremy was in much better physical shape than I was and seemed unaffected by the altitude.

    Sky & Rock

    Sky & Rock

    Top of the Pass

    Tony Top of the Pass SE View
    Elevation 11,075 ft.

    Thru the Pass

    Jeremy at Red Peak Pass NE View
    Very Narrow Pass, not much wider than a small living room.

    Thru the Pass 2

    Tony Happy to be at the Top

    What is on the Map

    Just Below Red Peak Pass Checking the Map

    Snow at 11,075 ft

    Snow at 11,075 ft

    Red Rock Trail

    Red Rock Trail

    One of Many Unnamed Lakes

    One of Many Unnamed Lakes on the Decent

    Trail of Snow Water Lakes

    Trail of Snow Water Lakes

    Red Devil Lake

    Red Devil Lake
    Elevation 9,744 ft.

    Clear Water & Red Peaks

    Clear Water & Red Peaks

    Back to the Tree Line

    Back to the Tree Line

    Slice of Heaven

    A Perfect Slice of Heaven

    Down to Triple Peak Fork

    Down to Triple Peak Fork

    Trail Crew Campsite

    Trail Crew Campsite at Triple Peak Fork
    Elevation 9,100 ft.

    View

    View from Campsite along the Triple Peak Fork Trail looking back at Red Peak Pass

    Dinner

    Dinner by a Stream after a 15 Mile Day

    Well Deserved Meal

    A Well Deserved Meal

    Squall 2 and Contrail

    Tarptent Morning

    Squall 2 and Contrail
    Tarptents did a good job giving us shelter from a few bugs
    We experienced some condensation that night with a beautiful full moon to keep us up at night

    Where the Triple Peak Fork & Merced River Meet

    Tony at the Merge

    Where the Triple Peak Fork & Merced River Meet

    Cools Waters of the Merced River

    Cool Waters of the Merced River

    Shore of Washburn Lake

    Washburn Lake
    My First Time Swimming in a Lake on a Backpacking Trip
    So nice to be clean and refreshed
    Elevation 7,605 ft.

    High Sierra Camp & Mess Hall

    Center of Camp

    Merced Lake High Sierra Camp
    Elevation 7,320 ft.

    Western Shore of Merced Lake

    Western Shore of Merced Lake
    Elevation 7,212 ft.

    Unexpected Site

    An Unexpected Site

    Sculpted Landscape of Water, Rock, & Sky

    Crossing the Merced River

    Bunnell Point & Cascade

    Bunnell Point & Cascade
    A few miles from this point the trail opens up to Little Yosemite Valley, which was loaded with backpackers and day hikers heading up to Half Dome.
    Both of us finished the day with big blisters on our feet.
    My right heel had a blister the size of a Silver Dollar, which was the result of wearing traditional thick hiking socks with trail runners.

    View of the Valley from Panorama Cliff Trail

    View of the Valley from Panorama Cliff Trail

    Last View Heading up to Glacier Point

    Half Dome, Nevada Falls, & Vernal Falls

    Full Circle

    Full Circle's End at Glacier Point

    Full Circle to Glacier Point

    Happiest Moment

    Jeremy's Happiest Part of the Trip

    IF YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOS FROM TRIPS THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN IN THIS AREA, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST THEM UP ON THIS THREAD…THEY ARE MUCH APPRECIATED!

    #1437541
    Sam Haraldson
    BPL Member

    @sharalds

    Locale: Gallatin Range

    Lovely captures, Tony. Thanks!

    #1437545
    t.darrah
    BPL Member

    @thomdarrah

    Locale: Southern Oregon

    Great pictures, I look forward to seeing more. How about including your gear list? Thanks again.

    #1437577
    Tom Clark
    BPL Member

    @tomclark

    Locale: East Coast

    Tony,
    Great photos, can't wait for the rest. Also would like to hear some commentary on the trail, hiking conditions, how gear worked, etc.
    Tom

    #1437582
    George Matthews
    BPL Member

    @gmatthews

    Nice pics! Thanks for sharing. What were the temps during day and night?

    #1437737
    Tony Wong
    BPL Member

    @valshar

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    Thom, Thomas, and George,

    Thanks for the positive feed back.

    I have added comments to the photos to try to give you a sense of the conditions on the trip.

    Temps in July were warm…I probably could have gotten away with a summer 40 degree F bag, though there was one night on the 2nd night where it was cool enough for me to appreciate my 15 degree bag.

    Night time may have been as low as the high 30's to high 40's, but I sleep cold and am not a great judge of these things.

    Daytime temps were in the 80's for sure.

    As for posting a gear list, I would hesitate to post up my list as I am relatively new at this.

    Highlights of my gear list:

    Gregory Z55 Backpack…very comfortable and no sweaty back

    Marmot Helium EQ 15 Down Bag…silky smooth interior fabric

    Henry Shire Contrail Tarptent…perfect bug refugee

    Thermarest Prolite 4…heavy, but comfortable and warm

    Sawyer Inline Water Filter/Gravity Filter…light & easy

    MSR Titan Kettle…versatile mug, bowl, wash basin

    MSR Pocket Rocket

    Bear Vault, large size. Evil, bulky, heavy, but required

    This was my longest trip to date when I did this.

    The longest trip I had previously done was the Ohlone Trail in the Bay Area, which was 20 miles in 2 days.

    Jeremy is a slave driver and sets a good pace to push me. :)

    -Tony

    #1437759
    Tom Clark
    BPL Member

    @tomclark

    Locale: East Coast

    Tony,
    I know I requested some commentary, but I wasn't actually expecting a dicussion of Jeremy's chest hairs. Guess I gotta take the good with the bad.

    I must have skipped over the Red Rock photos, but wow! Those red rocks framing that alpine lake really look great.

    Tom

    #1439565
    Tony Wong
    BPL Member

    @valshar

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    As much as I enjoy posting these pictures, it a slow pain in the butt to get them sorted, uploaded, and captioned.

    Enjoy!

    -Tony

    #1439599
    Christopher Holden
    BPL Member

    @back2basics

    Locale: Southeast USA

    Tony,
    It may be a pain, but it's nice for others to see these photos when we don't get to see those shots where we live. I've spent most of my life in the SE US and I think the only time I was ever above tree line was when I was in an airplane.
    Thanks!
    Chris

    #1439723
    Tony Wong
    BPL Member

    @valshar

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    Chris,

    I am glad that you liked the pictures.

    I have to admit that I do enjoy the feed back.

    I have some Yosemite Winter Photos that I will start posting up and a few other trips that are around the Bay Area.

    Thanks again.

    -Tony

    #1439730
    t.darrah
    BPL Member

    @thomdarrah

    Locale: Southern Oregon

    Tony,
    Thanks for adding the additional pictures and your list of gear. You've set the bar high for other members posting trip reports – good job.

    #1439753
    Steven Nelson
    BPL Member

    @slnsf

    Locale: Northern California

    Great report and pics!

    We did the High Passes Loop last year, spending one night at upper Ottoway and crossing over Red Peak Pass and heading out in a loop through the Ansel Adams Wilderness. That pass is something, no? We had a traffic jam at the top, with a trail crew (shovels in hand) plus several groups of hikers congregating in that living-room sized space.

    Stunningly beautiful, either way – thanks again for sharing your experiences.

    #1439767
    Jeremy Pendrey
    BPL Member

    @pendrey

    Locale: California

    Tony: Thanks for posting the pics. Sorry I complain on every trip about you taking too many pictures (gotta keep moving, another picture? . . .). You don't listen to me anyway. I do appreciate having them available online. Good picture of my beer.
    -Jeremy.

    #1449298
    Peter Atkinson
    BPL Member

    @peterbob

    Locale: Yorkshire, England

    Looks like an ace ace trip = some lovely photos; I like the final beer one best!

    #1449321
    Martin Rye
    BPL Member

    @rye1966

    Locale: UK

    Tony,

    Hi again and "wow" again. It seems you have a knack for good weather and finding mind blowing views to look at on your trips. As always it is appreciated.

    #1449408
    Diplomatic Mike
    Member

    @mikefaedundee

    Locale: Under a bush in Scotland

    Great pictures! I'm gonna have to organise a hiking trip to the US!

    #1449461
    Martin Rye
    BPL Member

    @rye1966

    Locale: UK

    But where Mike, they are lost for choice. I have a few US maps I got a while back as I am planning to go sometime. The deciding where is the bit I am working on. It sure is an amazing place.

    #1450372
    Tom Clark
    BPL Member

    @tomclark

    Locale: East Coast

    Tony,
    I see you added more photos and commetns since I last checked in. I know it always takes more time than expected, but we appreciate it. I'm still diggin' that Red Rock Trail. During a trip to Vogelsang I had planned to go down to Merced High Sierra camp, but had a change of plans due to the weather, so it's nice to see it.
    Tom

    #1450396
    Tony Wong
    BPL Member

    @valshar

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    Tom,

    Thanks again.

    There are so many photos that it takes me a few days to weeks to get them all uploaded.

    Work, family, and life gets in the way of me just uploading 50 photos at a time. :)

    Did you check you my "High Sierra Trail to Mt .Whitney 2007" photos?

    That one took me a week or two to get uploaded.

    I am currently sorting and cleaning up Yosemite Photos of Lake Vernon from May, which I hope to start uploading this upcoming week.

    Then I have s bunch of photos from August North of Yosemite from the Immigrant Wilderness.

    Plenty of photos to keep me busy between trips.

    Anyway, to everyone…thank you for taking the time to view my photos and to post your appreciative comments.

    Motivates me to get off my lazy butt and get some more photos done. :)

    -Tony

    #1450410
    Tom Clark
    BPL Member

    @tomclark

    Locale: East Coast

    Tony,
    Yeah, I saw those photos and for a second thought this group was the same trip. I think that's great country that you two went through, and would love to get out there more. I understand about the time thing…I shold on my way to work right now, but haven't gotten my blinders on yet.

    You might want to post your next report in the "Trip Report" section since you have obviously put more into this than just posting a few pics.

    The trip reports and techniques section are really what I most enjoy in the forums.

    Tom

    #1475484
    Cayenne Redmonk
    BPL Member

    @redmonk

    Locale: Greater California Ecosystem

    Another excellent trip report / photo diary Tony.
    I was out there in the fall season this year, here are a few pictures, under different lighting.

    good morning half dome !
    Half Dome in morning light

    stormy day 1
    Freezing rain reduced my enthusiam to push on …
    lake at merced pass
    I back tracked to the lake near merced pass, grabbed water, and found a spot to camp.

    this will clear up
    I think this will blow through and clear up

    nice weather to my left
    Climbing into the pass

    almost there
    Where did the sun go ?

    this storm system is bigger than I thought
    The weather report was 2% chance of rain, and I see all 2% heading right at me

    view from the pass
    A killer view from the pass

    the storm lets loose
    This is when I decided to pack the camera up and get a move on. Snow, freezing rain, painfully large hail.

    #1475529
    Jay Wilkerson
    BPL Member

    @creachen

    Locale: East Bay

    Great pictures Cameron! You said Fall- What month of the year were you there?

    -INTPP7310061P7310064

    #1475542
    Cayenne Redmonk
    BPL Member

    @redmonk

    Locale: Greater California Ecosystem

    I was out the last three days of September.

    #1475580
    Ken Helwig
    BPL Member

    @kennyhel77

    Locale: Scotts Valley CA via San Jose, CA

    Guys, nice photos. I have been wanting to go there for sometime now. Maybe this summer!

    #1475801
    Jay Wilkerson
    BPL Member

    @creachen

    Locale: East Bay

    P3070143P3080149

    Last MarchP3070142P3080151

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