Where to go?

[Mike Spain]

For my 40 th birthday (yesterday), my wife gave me a pass to go on a multi-day backpacking trip. It has a few stipulations: needs to be guided, and need to try and keep it under $800. I wanted to travel some place epic. I'm from the east coast and mostly Ga. Hiking. i desperately want to go to Yosemite. But a guided trip there gets expensive, depending on the time of year. Other suggestions were Yellowstone or I was thinking maybe Zion. I was also hoping to squeeze in a day of fly fishing. I am trying to work out details for my hiking buddy to go. But he is a HS teacher with a family who is pursuing his masters, so his time is limited. Here is where you guys come in. Can you give me some suggestions where to make this happen? Time frame would be for me mid-April on. If my buddy can go, it would be June – mid July. Then I would probably be solo again in the fall.

Thank you

[Mike Spain]

Started pricing things. Looking to try mid-June. Yosemite is actually reasonable. With the 2 of us on a well marked trail, she has relaxed the need for a guide. I am hoping to do a 4-5 day backpacking trip to Yosemite 3rd week of June. I am hoping to see some of the highlights: Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Valley, Glacier Point, but would also like to see some of the not so popular areas. Can you recommend an itenerary that would do the most in the least amount of time. Oh, and I also would like to squeeze in a little trout fishing too. I realize the possibility of now still exists, and I am willing to accept that. Any suggeations would be great.

[Bean]

How many miles a day of hiking would you be shooting for? Do you want to hike in and stay put for a few days, or hike a loop? How important is actually catching a fish at a size you'd want to eat? Would 2 miles of switch backs up from the Valley floor likely cripple you for a day or two?

When I got friends in town that want to backpack in Yosemite for a night or two, I usually take them up on Tioga Road (Highway 120). Then hike downhill to the rim above Snowy Creek Falls and camp across the valley from Half Dome (good views of it), then if we have time, backpack along the rim of the valley. Where it is then possible to hike down to the valley floor right next to Yosemite Falls. I wouldn't think the fishing is very good in that area, but I have seen fish in the creeks.

I do this trip mainly because the views of Half Dome as you come to your first campsite it gives you that feeling you get as a kid when you first go into a major league baseball stadium. It is only like 8 miles or so from the road, and the camping elevation is low enough that most people won't suffer altitude sickness. Also, the permits aren't hard to get.

If you don't have it, install Google Earth on your computer and turn on the US National Parks/trails layer. That could help you get a better idea of how things are laid out and what trails would make sense for a trip.

http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2006/09/us_national_parks_la.html

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