September 4, 2016

Tuolumne Meadows (mile 941.7) to Miller Lake (mile 959.7)

Miles: 18

Our total miles: 2318.4

When we woke up it was still dark. We had agreed to aim to leave at 6:30am to beat the crowds in Yosemite. 

We were on the road by 6:45 and watched the golden morning sunlight spread across the high desert plains around Mono Lake. 

We found a parking spot at the Lembert Dome/Glen Aulin trailhead and sat in the RV eating breakfast. It was cold outside, the car temperature gauge read 37 degrees, and it was much more comfortable eating inside the cozy van than outside. We take advantage of these comforts when we have access to them.

Our socks weren’t fully dry from yesterday’s washing so we draped them over our backpacks in the sun while we ate.

Laurie’s socks were still damp when we walked out of the parking lot at 9 am. There was a chill in the air and Laurie placed Andy’s fleece around her arms and chest.

We stopped at Soda Springs and watched the carbonated water bubble out of the ground. Sue pointed out where she had camped as a child, back before Yosemite required permits for backpacking.

The trail was flat initially. We walked through dusty sand, following the horse prints toward Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp.

Neither of us have hiked north of Tuolumne Meadows and were excited to see new terrain. 

We walked past large slabs of granite, meandering streams over granite or sandy banks and large yellow meadows. It is beginning to look like fall.

We walked on rocks assembled like cobblestones and used our poles to keep from slipping.

We crossed beautiful bridges and stopped for lunch at Tuolumne Falls. We hugged goodbye with Sue, grateful that we will see each other again in less than a month.

We continued on toward Glen Aulin camp and Sue returned to her van.

The trail dropped down to a river which we crossed via a large steel bridge. The water below us cut through the slabs of granite and fell off into the valley below. 

The trail gradually gained in elevation as we walked through a quiet forest. Clouds of dust were generated by Laurie’s steps and Andy patiently walked through them all afternoon.

We strolled through large meadows and met a number of hikers, including Cakes whom we first met outside of Chester, then again at Timberline Lodge and now going southbound to finish her hike. It is fun to see familiar faces and smiles.

We ascended our final climb up to Miller Lake. Laurie was feeling sluggish most of the day but once plugged into an episode of a ‘Dear Sugar’ podcast she steadily climbed to our destination. 

We set up our tent on a little dome above the lake to avoid condensation and to enjoy every last bit of sunshine.

We went to the lake with the intention of cleaning off but the sun dipped behind the horizon and it got cold immediately. 

Laurie sat on a log picking out dried cherries from our trail mix and talking with another hiker as Andy got water.

We retreated back to our tent, which still had sunlight, and went about our nightly routine.

It was cold by the time we got out of the tent to brush our teeth at 8:15pm. Laurie ambivalently requested we put on the fly. 

We both love seeing the stars, but the nights have been cold lately. We stay warm in our 20 degree bags with silk liners and hats but lately Laurie also sleeps in her fleece. We figured we should put up the fly and sleep warmer. 

Tonight we are grateful for the warmth of the sun and hard boiled eggs for breakfast.

September 3, 2016

Lyell Fork (mile 931.3) to Tuolumne Meadows  (mile 941.7)

Miles: 10.4

Our total miles: 2300.4

Dawn breaks later as autumn draws nearer, making it that much harder to wake up every morning.

Perhaps that’s just an excuse. Our bodies are tired and it’s hard to motivate to get up before 6am.

We’re tired but that’s just an excuse too. Getting up early is a mental challenge. If we had to hike 23 – 27 miles you bet we’d wake up early. But as of late we’ve been hiking less than 20 miles per day.

Today was no different. Although we were meeting Laurie’s mom Sue at Tuolumne Meadows, we weren’t in a rush because we told her we’d be there between 10 and 11am.

The morning air was cool but not very cold. As we descended into Lyell Canyon however, it got colder. 

Cool air settles into this beautiful meadow and it can be downright bone chilling cold.

We passed many hikers camped in various places along Lyell Canyon as we descended the rocky steps and dusty trail.

No matter how many times we visit this place, the beauty never ceases.

Belding ground squirells darted in and out of their holes as we walked by. We stopped and smiled as one stuck it’s head out, saw us and retreated inside. These little rodents were so cute!

Just after 10am we recognized a woman with curly hair wearing a blue jacket standing next to the trail. It was Sue!

Laurie loves bumping into her mama on the trail. It brings a smile to both of their faces. 

The three of us walked almost 5 miles to a beautiful meadow where the Lyell Fork once again intersects the trail. This is one of Laurie’s favorite places. In fact, she has talked about wanting to get married there! 

As we soaked our feet in the cold water we noticed dark clouds gathered above. There have been signs of a low pressure system approaching the last few days (Andy’s had his eye on the clouds) but there was no rain in the forecast.

We laced up our shoes and braced ourselves for what was to come. Labor Day weekend is probably the busiest weekend for many places – including Yosemite. 

Tuolumne Meadows and the few miles of the JMT near it were busy with day hikers, backpackers and people out to get a moment of fresh air.

In the parking lot Andy felt like he was back in college. Whenever someone came off the trail motorists asked them if they were leaving in hopes of snagging a spot.

Needless to say we got outta there quickly.

Sue had secured a campsite near Virginia Lakes 20 minutes north of Yosemite. But before we went there we stopped at the Mobil gas station in Lee Vining to meet with Laurie’s friend Colleen, eat and do laundry.

Colleen was in Lee Vining on her way to Mammoth for a 3 day backpacking trip. We hadn’t planned it but happened to be in the same area at the same time. 

We really couldn’t have planned it any better! Colleen is a very sweet, thoughtful and generous person. It was nice catching up over lunch.

After saying goodbye we drove to the campground. Sue and Laurie went for a ‘short hike’ which turned into a 2.5 hour adventure. 

In the meantime Andy got to relax at camp, set up home, do his resupply, listen to music and chat with people camped nearby. 

After the sun set behind the jagged peaks it got cold. We all piled into Sue’s van, drank hot water and ate dinner. The packaged saag paneer with chicken was good but we were both looking forward to the salad.

Salad!!

Oh how we miss the taste (and crunch) of fresh greens with avocado, sprouts and other veggies.

After dinner we relaxed, looked at maps and drank more hot water.

We were in bed before 10pm, determined to leave camp by 6:30 the next morning to get to Yosemite early enough to get a parking spot at the trailhead.

It’s going to be cold tonight, especially without the fly on, but we’ll be cozy because we are sleeping in cotton tshirts and sweatshirts. Oh the luxury! 

Tonight we are grateful for impromptu rendezvous with good friends and time with family. 

September 2, 2016

Iceberg Lake to Lyell Fork (mile 931.3)

Miles: 17.8 (15.4 PCT/JMT miles)

Our total miles: 2290

Laurie was up past 10pm fiddeling with the star mode on her camera. With a clear sky and no moon, it was the perfect time to play. 

Unfortunately she was too stubborn to watch a video we had downloaded on how to use the star features on the camera; she preferred trial and error.

Tonight, error was victorious. At least initially. 

Laurie went to bed discouraged. We were both tossing and turning and Andy suggested Laurie try again.

It was 3:30am but the stars were bright and Laurie was wide awake. She put on all of her layers and ventured out into the windy, stary night. Learning from her mistakes earlier in the night, she played around and got some fun shots.

Laurie napped for an hour between 5 and 6 but once the morning light hit the Minarets she was wide awake again with camera in hand.

We drank hot water and ate breakfast staring at the Minarets. We watched as orange light washed over the top of the peaks and then faded.

We packed up our belongings and were walking by 8 am. We hiked down through an alpine meadow and dropped into the southern side of Lake Ediza.

We continued to descend, past the Lake Ediza outlet and followed the Shadow Creek trail back to the JMT. This is one of the few places where the JMT and PCT are not the same trail (Mt Whitney and Yosemite Valley are the others).

Once back on the JMT we climbed up toward Garnet Lake. The sun was warm and the trail quite dusty. 

Garnet Lake is exceptionally beautiful. It is a large, clear lake with Mt Ritter and Mt Banner towering above. Laurie took Andy to a rocky outcropping with a wonderful view. 

This was one of her favorite campsites during her JMT hike. Here we ate lunch and Laurie fell fast asleep. 

It was noon before we were moving again. We walked around Garnet Lake and climbed again toward Thousand Island Lake. This lake was similarly spectacular. Little granite islands popped out of sparkley blue water.

We stopped again, this time for Laurie to go swimming. After a quick dip we climbed up to Island Pass.

We walked through large granite boulders mixed amongst yellow grasses and occasional puddles of water. Island Pass doesn’t feel like a true pass but it is a high point between Thousand Island Lake and Davis creek.

The descent to Davis Creek felt long. We were both hot and tired and knew that we still had to go up and over Donahue Pass. 

We got water from Davis Creek and Laurie sat for 2 minutes psyching herself up for the final push of the day. We both prefer climbing to descending and once we start moving we are fine, but that first step is sometimes very difficult.

The climb up Donahue was gradual but long. We made our way up large steps, crossed dry stream beds and wound our way through large granite boulder fields. 

It was nice to be back in the land of granite but our feet felt the difference. Both of our feet ached at the end of the day. Rocks are much less forgiving than dirt!

We had planned for a cheese break at the top of the pass but changed our minds as the wind had picked up. We were tired, Laurie had a headache and was getting grumpy and we just wanted to get to camp.

We dropped down to Lyell Fork and found a nice spot in the trees. We ate our remaining cheese while enjoying the last bit of sunshine. 

As soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains the temperature dropped and we quickly erected the tent and Laurie climbed inside.

We ate dinner and were asleep by 9. 

Tonight we are grateful for afternoon naps and plentiful sunshine.