Skip to main content

Day 157 - JMT Yosemite Tuolumne Meadows

Wildfire smoke would be the antagonist for our trip. I learned this on day 1 of our 200-mile hike while on the bus to Yosemite. A father and daughter had to leave their journey halfway through because dense smoke from the 55,000 acre Rough Fire in Kings Canyon was pouring east over the high mountains, making the air poisonous and ruining the views:(

But we knew the first few days would be clear.  A half hour into the four-hour bus ride the smoke shrouded the mountains and the towns. It cleared eventually as we turn up a steep hill to the eastern pass of Yosemite. My first views of Yosemite were as lovely as they had been in my dreams. 

We picked up our wilderness permit, lying about the extra food outside our bear cans (having too much food--heavy food- was another hike antagonist).  Then we were off. A stroll through the woods, past streams and quiet bird calls led us to a long meadow- Tuolumne. I remembered hearing about Tuolumne Meadows while researching the Pacific Crest Trail and here we were. It felt awesome!!

We immediately felt the weight of our packs-- mine around 45 pounds and Bob's maybe 60 pounds. I had invested in ultralight hiking gear but the bear canister, 7+ days of food and extra water added heft. Bob had heavier gear but also an Alaskan toughness to carry him on. The mountain range containing Donahue Pass, tomorrow's exit from Yosemite, neared as we trotted onward. 

And closer, the green gave way to grey. Alpine awaited. 

We climbed halfway up, maybe 1000 feet in elevation and stopped at a wooded stream crossing.  We found a secluded campsite by a waterfall, setup our camping gear (tarp plus bivy sacks) and jumped in the ice cold swimming hole near the falls. Hello Sierra!  We cooked our first meal, Couscius with mixed veggies, nuts and raisins and learned our first lesson--too many veggies. Very full, supremely content and more excited than ever, we camped beneath the stars, awaiting the next wild day. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 57 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I decided to go west for my big trip, I had dreamed of high mountain lakes with snowy peaks arching in every direction, with chilly air making every moment crisp, and with clear skies bringing all into perfect focus-- pure bliss.  Today was the first of many great mountain lake days to come.  Hiking here was far easier here than in the San Juans because the snow was packed down on the trail, but I brought my mini crampons for the downhill. I made it safely past a narrow ridge with narly black peaks across the gorge (pic 1), then up to Mills Lake (pic 2) then Jewel Lake then the Loch (pic 3) then down before the afternoon rain started falling.  I hiked around some lower, more accessible lakes but the sky was now overcast and pictures no good.  I drove up the open portion of the Ridge road amid a very light dusting of snow before heading back to camp for dinner and bedtime. I did manage to capture some fine Elk grazing in a meadows on the return trip and a g...
3 comments
Read more

Day 93 - Calgary to Banff

After a very pleasant morning at Dave's house spent photocopying trail and scramble guide routes, enjoying a great breakfast and coffee, meeting some of Dave's extremely kind family members and chatting more about adventures, I set out for downtown Calgary.  I thought a walk around a museum would be a nice change of pace, so I toured the Glenbow Museum. Two highlights were a Blackfoot Indian describing the meaning of their Tipi decorations and the Gun Scupture. The history of Alberta section was also quite interesting: fur trappers then cowboys then railroad builders then oil drillers.  I then walked down to a nearby waterfront park, along a pedestrian only shopping street where a Christian pride rally was taking place, and then down quiet side streets to the park. Seeing people out jogging and playing on this Sunday afternoon reminded me of the real life I must one day return to. But not yet! Hungry and ready for mountains, I walked back to my van and left Calgary heading wes...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 43 - Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef, a national park centered around a 90 mile ancient seabed reef was next on my list. A sensationally scenic three hour drive from Bryce, back through Escalante, and then through a national forest led me to the park.  A stop by the visitor center to get the lay of the land and insider info on local free BLM campsites complete, I set out on Chimney Rock trail up the the top of the first reef to get a view.  Yes sir!! The weather was ideal for hiking and the views completely blissful, but I was frankly tired today. I set out along the scenic road down the west side of the reef and remember wanting to take a nap-- but still having a sense of urgency to complete the desert portion of my trip-- I pushed on and set out to hike down the Capitol Gorge and Grand Wash canyons. The Capitol Gorge had a "Pioneer Wall" with inscriptions from the early 1900s and the Grand Wash had a nice narrow section with towering canyon cliffs all around. I took a photo of the surrounding reef...
1 comment
Read more