Feet in my Shoes – Yosemite – Aug 19-23
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“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose!” – Dr. Seuss
Some people might debate the first part, but I definitely have feet in my shoes, and I chose to steer myself into Yosemite’s high country. We picked up our permit in Tuolumne Meadows, set up at the backpacker’s campground, and enjoyed our burgers at the grill. The general store just happened to carry one of my favorite beers, Kern River Brewing’s “Just Outstanding IPA”, so we took some back to the campground, strictly to top off our calories before the trip. I tell Ryan I bet that we could fit a six pack on ice in my BV450. He says, “In my BV500 you could fit more like 19 if you stack them 2 high, plus 3 on top laying on their side”. And that’s why he’s my friend. We played a game of camp bocce ball, and listened to a fascinating ranger’s presentation on rock climbing in Yosemite, around a big camp fire. The ranger had been climbing Yosemite for years, and it sounded like she was living history of the movie “Valley Uprising” (which I highly recommend). Tuolumne Meadows has to be up there as far as pre-backpacking camps goes.
The one and only
Myth: Confirmed! Two rows of 8, plus 3 on top.
The next morning, we got some breakfast at the grill and headed to the Murphy Creek Trailhead by Tenaya Lake. The Ferguson fire had been threatening our trip for the weeks leading up to it, but they re-opened the valley the week of our trip, and the conditions were great by the time we got there. It was already warm when we started hiking, but we made short work of the trek up, enjoying bluebird views of Mt Conness (which we should be on top of in 2 days) as well as the Cathedral Range.
Mt Conness is the taller one on the left
We set up camp at May Lake, took a power nap, then headed out to conquer Mt Hoffman and walk all over its face. The trail leading up to it was a little steeper and more scrambly than what we’d been on, and whether it was due to the elevation, dry air, or dehydration from topping off on too many calories the night before, I didn’t feel like I was conquering anything at all. A sooty grouse and some pesky marmots where there to cheer me on, and before I knew it, we were on top of Mt Hoffman. The views from there were never ending! And I haven’t verified this yet, but I’m pretty sure this was a first ascent… maybe… ok, probably not… ok, definitely not, there’s a radio tower up there. After a quick descent, we went for a swim in the serene May Lake, and went back to camp for dinner and sleep.
On top of Mt Hoffman, with Clouds Rest and Half Dome in the background
May Lake, from our camp
The next morning, we downed some food and set off after Young Lakes, which would be our base camp before climbing Mt Conness the next day. I figured that we should bag some peaks, since this is Yosemite and all. And by “bag” I mean “hike-up”, because I don’t know anything about real rock climbing.
After passing the turnoff for Glen Aulin, the trail meandered next to the Tuolumne River, which was my favorite area of the trip so far. And then I began to wonder why we weren’t just camping right here. This place was incredible, and we were just walking right past it. There have been so many times I’ve gone past spectacular spots, just because I’m trying to get to a specific place, because I like to make plans, and stick to plans. But this was my brain, and my feet dammit, so I talked it over with Ryan, and we agreed that this is where we needed to stay tonight. And we made the right decision.
Tuolumne must be Miwok for “awesome swimming holes”
We checked the map, and realized the entire area along the river is what Yosemite refers to as a “no-camping zone”, so we backtracked to Glen Aulin and set up camp. There were many people at the High Sierra Camp, understandably hanging out next to the White Cascade. We decided to hike downstream a little further, and found an even better swimming hole to kill the afternoon. It was literally a few hundred yards away from the camp, so we couldn’t understand why nobody else was there. Once we were done, we hung out with the High Sierra Campers until dinnertime. “Feels good to mingle with these laid back country folk, don’t it, Har?”
White Cascade at Glen Aulin
Staying at the camp didn’t feel very remote, but it made up for it with some guided star gazing by a Yosemite park employee, in effort to start more educational programs in the park. Despite the nearly full moon, there were stars everywhere. He pointed out the constellations, went over history, and interesting facts, like how in ancient times, they would use the big dipper for an eye test. The second star from the end of the handle actually has two stars in it, Mizar and Alcor, and if you can perceive the separation between them, your eyes are functional! Mars was out, and we could even see Jupiter, which I didn’t realize was possible without a telescope. Definitely worth staying up for if you’re a nerd like me.
In the morning we took a hike downstream to Whaterwheel falls, and concluded that anyone that doesn’t visit this part of the park is missing out. Since we were almost out of food, we had to leave Mt Conness for another trip, and pick up our resupply packages at the Tuolumne Meadows post office. I know… a resupply package for a 5 day trip? Yes! It’s completely unnecessary, but #1 – it dropped my starting pack weight by 45 ounces, and #2 – it made us feel a little bit like thru-hikers for a brief second.
Another thing that would’ve made me feel like a thru-hiker is a sweet trail name. After all of this time backpacking, I still didn’t have one. All of the PCT blogs I read had people with great trail names. My good friend Spicy #1 got his so naturally, after we picked up Thai food before the High Sierra Trail, and the spicy #2 pad thai made him sweat profusely. “Lobo” is a good one for me, but it’s really just my last name in Spanish – is that original enough? Maybe Ryan and I should go for a team name, like Thunder and Lightning, since we always backpack together? I wear a cowboy hat backpacking, but I don’t hike in reverse, so that one wouldn’t work!
Well, you’ll be happy to know that we came up with some trail names for each other. Ryan started making fun of me ‘cause I usually get cold at night. It’s a very strange thing that happens to me, when it gets cold outside. So when I was buying a new puffy jacket, I skipped the ubiquitous Mountain Hardware Hooded Ghost Whiperer and scored the much warmer, and slightly heavier, Arc’teryx Cerium LT Hoody. I love this jacket, even if it means my new trail name is StayPuffed.
Ryan decided to take one for the team, and pack in a carbonator. The #3 benefit of resupplying is replacing food weight with some luxury items. With this 8 oz contraption (which he’s planning to recreate into a single aluminum piece), and a CO2 cartridge, he can carbonate fresh water. Add some fresh lime juice and bourbon, and he was whipping up Kentucky Mules every night at camp. Hence his new trail name, Kentucky Mule! Any reader suggestions that are better than these names will be taken under consideration.
Needs vs wants
We continued on to Sunrise Lakes. This stretch had the most people that we’d seen throughout the trip, due to it being along the popular JMT. Is it OK to judge passersby based on their gear selections? I thought so, giving each one grades, and probabilities of JMT completion inside my head.
We camped at the lowest Sunrise Lake, and continued our ritual of swimming, followed by Kentucky Mules. As soon as we went to bed, the neighboring backpackers walked over, asking if anyone had anything that could cut a fishhook out of someone’s hand. What!?! Well, sure enough, Kentucky Mule had brought a multi-tool, and was also responsible for our first aid kit. So he stood up with his hand raised and confidently said “I volunteer”.
The guy (John) had finally caught a fish, and when he was releasing it, ended up getting hooked right in the palm, between his thumb and pointer finger. After the 2nd and 3rd hooks were cut off of the treble hook, he tried to push it through his hand, but the area it had landed in was too thick for that. John started trying to cut it out, which made his friend holding the flashlight nearly pass out. He couldn’t look and kept shining the flashlight away from the action! C’mon man, you have one job to do! After a little cutting, John ripped the hook out like the tough SOB that he is, and Ryan bandaged him up. I had guessed that John was a BPLer, with his HMG pack and Triplex, so it makes total sense, ‘cause we’re all tough SOBs. We caught up with him the next morning to see how he was, and he felt great. He said he slept like a baby. Ryan chuckled “yeah, the Tylenol I gave you had codeine in it”! We’ve never had to break out the FAK for anything more than blisters, but I’m glad I travel with a guy carrying codeine.
We packed up camp, and bagged Cloud’s Rest – another place with stunning views, this time of Half Dome, and Yosmite Valley. This trip had no shortage of scenery. After taking it all in, we debated our original plan of hiking down to the valley, and taking the shuttle back to Lake Tenaya the next day, versus just hiking out to Lake Tenaya and driving home a day early. Since I missed my wife and kids, we decided on the latter. Rumors of my inability to care for others are unsubstantiated.
Cloud’s Rest
We stopped by the infamous Whoa Nellie Deli on the way out. I was in heaven after ordering the Tioga taquitos. Who knew gas station food could be this good?! It was the first time either of us had been there, and definitely won’t be the last. On the drive south, we talked about how this trip was a bit different than one of our normal trips, with some day hikers hiking the trails with us, and a lack of the remoteness that we usually seek, but we wouldn’t change a thing.
Whoa Nellie!
Here’s a link to what we actually ended up doing, which turned into a loop with some out and backs. For the gram weenies, I started out with a base weight of 15.9 lbs (new personal record), and total weight of 22.7 lbs at the start. Ryan started around 27 lbs with his luxury items and lack of cuben/DCF. I didn’t bring any new gear to report on, but since I had holes in my zapatos, I picked up a new pair of the Lone Peak 4.0s, which were great.
It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose
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