20070727 - CA, Yosemite

Photos: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailsh...61/t_=38054161


Monday 7/23:
I had a class to teach in California, so I added on some extra vacation time to play. I was going to meet some friends, Brian and Becky, who are from Colorado but were out in California for vacation as well. They ended up changing their plans to have dinner with relatives, so I didn't get to meet up with them; but got to play around a little near San Francisco. Went over to the Marin Headlands, and saw some of the great overlooks for the Golden Gate bridge. Hiked up a few peaks there, and then went down to the beach and watched the surfers for a few. Also went and visited a couple of the WWII batteries along the coastline. Wild construction.

I went and checked out Brian and Becky's campsite at Kirby Cove. Wow, cool spot. Could be bad if the fog rolls in as the bridge's horns will go off all night, but it's a great little camp spot tucked away in a cove near the Golden Gate bridge with awesome views. Played around until 9pm, and then headed back to Pleasanton where I was staying.


Tuesday 7/24 - Friday 7/27:
Worked.


Friday 7/27:
After work, headed out towards the usual stomping ground; Yosemite. Nasty traffic didn't put me there until late at night. Gave me plenty of time to think about what I wanted to do while I was out there. Brian and Becky had invited me to join them, but they had plans for a day or two here and there; with lots of driving in between. I didn't feel like spending that much time in the car; so I decided to stick around Yosemite. I'd start hiking from Hetch Hetchy; it was one of the few places I hadn't started hiking from yet in Yosemite. I was going to try to cover the last bit of trail that I hadn't done in the park. (Had done pretty much all the trails there, and lots of off trail stuff. Great park.) Since I got there late, I just drove off on one of the forest roads and threw my thermarest and sleeping pad on the ground. It was a nice night; a little warm though. Didn't want to zip up the sleeping bag, but the bugs were a little bad.


Saturday 7/28:
I wanted to get an early start on the day, as it was supposed to be in the high 100's down in Yosemite Valley. Since it was so hot, I figured I'd head up 120 towards the North side of the Park to where the elevation was higher like Tuolomne. I didn't look close enough, and found out at the gate that the starting elevation at Hetch Hetchy is 3800; lower than the valley. The forecast called for temperatures above 110F for all of the days I was there! Even more unfortunate was the fact that the road to Hetch Hetchy doesn't open until 7am and then there is a bit of a drive to the resevoir, so I didn't even get to start hiking until 9am when it was already over 90F. Ugh. You first hike over the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which is pretty impressive. The water looked SO inviting; but there is no swimming near the dam. Saw a huge rattlesnake not long after starting the hike. The first part of the trip was all uphill too. Very hot.

Gained about 5000 feet; quite a workout, especially in the heat. There were sections of the trail that were pretty thick and overgrown. Not a lot of people hike out from the Hetch Hetchy area, so it's a little more remote than other areas of the park (which is one reason I chose it this time.) Falls creek and closer to Andrews Peak had some water; which was nice. Kept on soaking my hat and a bandana to drape over my neck to keep me as cool as possible. I got to a great camp spot near Andrews Peak around 6pm (approx 18 miles, 5500 gain.) Had plenty of light left, so dropped my gear and climbed up Andrews Peak for some spectacular views. Came back down, made a lipton side meal for dinner, and got some sleep. Was a little cooler since I was now above 9000 feet, but still around 80 at night. Too warm for me. (19 miles, 6500 gain, 1000 loss.)


Sunday 7/29:
Woke up with the sun, and was moving before 7:30am. Had more elevation to gain, and wanted to head up while it was still a little cooler. Got to Wilmer Lake around 8:30am. Came across an awesome bathtub-like pothole just before a beautiful waterfall. Contemplated just camping out here for the rest of the weekend, and soaking in the bathtub with the nice cool water running past me and over the waterfall, rather than doing the insane hike I had planned. Decided to go for the big loop though. This would cover all the rest of the trail that I hadn't seen in Yosemite.

I continued up Jack Main canyon and over to Tilden Lake. Tilden Lake was beautiful with some spectacular views. ("20070729D1-77 Clear Tilden Lake and Views" is my computer wallpaper now...) I had a quick bite to eat, and left Tilden Lake around 11:30am. Even at the higher elevations (Tilden Lake is around 9000 ft elevation) it was still above 90F. Would hate to be down in the valley or at the lower elevations now; it was hot enough up here. Headed down into the canyon and over the ridge to Stubblefield canyon. Then over the ridge and into Kerrick Canyon then up to Seavey Pass. The canyons still had water I could filter, which was nice; as well as soaking my hat and bandana again to try to keep as cool as possible. Made it to Seavey pass around 7pm. Descended and made it to Benson Lake just as the last light was fleeting around 8:45pm. Made another Lipton Side meal for dinner, and got some sleep. (27 Miles, 5000 gain, 6000 loss.)


Monday 7/30:
Woke up to the bright moon around 5am. Wanted to get an early start on the day, as it was going to be another big day. I first attempted to find a path around Benson Lake, and was going to try to take a shortcut down towards Irwin Bright Lake. Ran into a pretty serious cliffline. Found a small shelf to traverse and a way I could likely climb down, but didn't know what else I would run into. Since I was around 30 miles away from Hetch Hetchy, and I had a flight to catch tomorrow, I decided I would play it safe and just hike the trails rather than do the exploration and bushwhack.

I went back and made the climb toward Volunteer Peak, over and down into Pleasant Valley around 3:30pm. Pleasant Valley was an awesome little place, with a wonderful waterfall and refreshingly clear pool. Would have to come back here again. Still had a lot of ground to cover today though, so filtered some water for the climb, dipped my head in the cool water, and headed up Rancheria Mountain. On the long and very hot ascent, I was able to scout out the initial bushwhack route from Benson Lake, and it looked like it might be possible to do; another time. Then came the long descent down to Rancheria Falls. Passed a horse train taking supplies to a trail crew, which was just the third encounter with people all weekend. Pretty wild considering the distance that I had covered so far. Ran out of water on the descent, and was quite thirsty when I reached the falls. Filtered some water, found a campspot just after dark around 10pm, and made some dinner. You guessed it; another Lipton Side meal. Took a quick dip in the water under Rancheria Falls, and washed all of my clothes and shoes in the refreshing water. Headed to bed nice, clean and cooled off around midnight; definitely a good way to end the day. (26 Miles, 3500 gain, 6500 loss.)


Tuesday 7/31:
I was now camping below 5000 feet, so it was warm even before waking up. Didn't even zip the bag; just had it laying over me lightly to help thwart some bugs. Woke up at 5:30am again to get an early jump on the day since I still had a decent hike out, then the long drive back and flight home. Had a granola bar for breakfast, packed up, and finished up the remaining 7 miles with 1000 gain and 2500 loss. The flies next to the resevoir were horrible. Had to keep swatting with my hat while hiking. Miserable. Really detracted from the beautiful scenery and waterfalls on this last leg. Got back to my car around 9:30am, drove back and flew home. (7 Miles, 1000 gain, 2500 loss.)

Overall, it was a lot of miles and gain/loss; especially for the high daytime temperatures. It was great to finish up the trails though, and there was definitely some wonderful scenery along the way. (78 Miles, 16000 gain, 16000 loss total.)



Photos: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailsh...61/t_=38054161
Group Room (multiple albums): http://ajoutdoors.snapfish.com/snapfish