6/6–6/13/21

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Lower Lee Vining Campground

With legs still sore from the previous day’s 31 miles in Ansel Adams Wilderness, I sat at a campground just outside of the small town of Lee Vining, CA, checking the speed of my phone’s data connection.

A man pulled up in a truck. “Are you camping here?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I replied. “I need to check my reception to see if I can work here for the week.”

“Work?” he asked, with an eyebrow raised.

“I work remotely.”

“Ah… Okay.” He was obviously still confused. “Well I’m the campground host. If you do decide to stay here, you need to make sure you store your food properly in those bear boxes.” He pointed to a steel storage locker painted brown. “We get a couple that come through the campsites every night.”

“Every night?” I questioned.

“That’s right. They come and make their rounds. So make sure you store your food in the box.” Then he drove off.

Out of the 51 sites at this campground, I imagined it likely that at least someone would accidentally leave food out. The bears must get something every night, reinforcing their association of humans with food. Between that knowledge and the spottiness of my cell signal, I decided to leave. I knew I could return to the dispersed camping area from the week previous, though it was a bit farther from this week’s destination in Yosemite. I find it interesting that I was actually safer from bear interactions at a free dispersed campsite than at a paid designated site.

Cathedral Lakes (8 mi, +1,620’ / -1,620’)

From Lee Vining I drove to the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park. I had made plans to meet up with a friend, Amanda, for a hike to Cathedral Lakes. Amanda and I had met back in Canyonlands National Park in April, while I was on my first backpacking trip of this entire adventure. It just so happened we were both heading for Druid Arch at the same pace, so we got to talking. And it turned out she would be in Yosemite for the summer, so we agreed to get in touch when I made it there.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and it turned out to be a nice 8-mile walk to both Upper and Lower Cathedral Lakes and back. But what really amazed me was Amanda’s ability to identify birds and wildflowers. She pointed out many and by the end of the hike I had downloaded Merlin (a bird identification app) and Central California Wildflowers (an app for… well… identifying wildflowers in Central California). Up to this point I had focused mostly on sweeping vistas and impressive mountains, so this got me excited about rounding out my backpacking experience with more of “the little things.”

After parting ways with Amanda, I returned to the dispersed camping area near Mammoth Lakes where I had stayed the week previous. Though this time I spent a while driving around to find a site with a combination of good cell service and an open south-facing area for consistent solar input (unlike the week previous). It took at least an hour exploring bumpy and rutted dirt roads, but I eventually found such a spot.

Despite being in the same area as the week before, the next few days ended up being much colder, even complete with a snow flurry one night. What a change from being in Phoenix and SoCal less than two weeks ago!

Yosemite National Park

As previously mentioned, this week’s backpacking destination was Yosemite National Park. My goal was to see as many of the highlights in Yosemite Valley as possible in one long loop. So I ended up with this route which included Tenaya Lake, Clouds Rest, and Half Dome. Though unfortunately I was unable to add a Half Dome summit to my backcountry permit, as it’s incredibly competitive.

Day One: Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking to Switchbacks below Mt Watkins (5.7 mi, +3,253’ / -144’)

Before heading out, as a last-ditch effort, I applied for the Half-Dome daily lottery, despite knowing my chances were slim. In 2020, the success rate for the daily lottery on a weekend was 4.3%. (For those interested in statistics, you can see more here: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermitsapps.htm.)

I got a very late start on this day due to packing up camp, trying to finish out a blog post, and having to stop at the Yosemite backcountry office for orientation and permit pick-up. I don’t think I started walking until after 5pm. At that point I decided that trying to keep up with the posts while I was traveling was just too much; I needed to prioritize living in the moment and enjoying the trip.

Miraculously, just as I pulled out my phone to put it in airplane mode, with one slim bar of service, I got an email saying that I had gotten my Half Dome permit! Elated, I made my way to the trailhead.

Knowing I only had a few hours left of daylight, I had to push myself to get within my permitted camping area before dark. And of course I was tackling a whopping 570 feet of vertical gain per mile, on average, so I huffed and puffed my way up the switchbacks. But if I thought the vertical ascent was breathtaking, the views were even more so 😉

Day Two: switchbacks below Mt Watkins to saddle below Clouds Rest (14.6 mi, +3,582’ / -1,294’)

Having made it to my campsite a little late the night before, I then got a bit of a late start this morning. I headed up some more switchbacks, and then decided to head south to the summit of Mt Watkins. Technically this was “off-trail,” but people take this detour to the summit so frequently that it’s easy to follow.

After making my way back to the official trail, I headed north to Tenaya Lake, where I ran into a light crowd for the first time since leaving Yosemite Valley the day prior. Tenaya Lake is somewhat of a popular destination right off Tioga Road, which travels through Tuolumne Meadows. I ate lunch and took a nap right by the lake.

Continuing on, I looped south toward Clouds Rest and found a good spot to camp within a mile of it. My goal was to catch the sunrise from the summit the next morning.

Day Three: saddle below Clouds Rest to Lost Valley (19.4 mi, +3,922’ / -7,014’)

I was up bright and early (or rather dark and early, to be more accurate) the next morning. I packed up my tent and made the short walk to the summit of Clouds Rest before sunrise. The views did not disappoint! I was joined by a young couple from LA, and the three of us watched the sunrise in silence. It was definitely one of the more beautiful moments of my trip: appreciating the peaceful scene, the changing light and shifting colors, away from the crowds, as the sun peaked out from behind the mountains.

Once the sun was well above the horizon, the couple and I chatted for a bit; and then parted ways as I left. I headed down the steep switchbacks off the mountain before turning west to make my way to Half Dome. Wanting to reach the summit before the crowds thickened, I pushed myself to go faster, passing many people along the way. I showed my permit to the ranger stationed just before the final set of switchbacks, stashed my bear can (a bear-resistant food container) in the woods, and continued on, finally arriving at the cables.

The scene before me was quite intimidating. The final ascent to the summit of Half Dome involves pulling oneself up the 45–60° slope via parallel steel cables that thread through rods that have been placed in holes drilled into the granite. (See the photo for clarity.) Wooden planks that serve as footholds rest in front of each set of rods, which is about every 10 feet. You’re not roped in, so… don’t fall.

As an aside, I was curious, so I did some looking around: have been more than 20 deaths on Half Dome (https://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/half-dome/half-dome.htm#half-dome-deaths) due to various factors – slipping off the cables, lightning strikes, heart attacks while climbing the cables, climbing accidents, etc. I’m honestly surprised it’s that few.

I had been walking with a married couple (whose names escape me) at that point. The wife decided she had had enough and stayed behind. I left my sleeping pad and trekking poles with her and slowly headed up the cables with her husband. The key was to keep my eyes and focus forward, not down. However, due to the line of people ahead, we often had to stop and wait, which proved to be the more anxiety-inducing moments because it gave time to think about what I was doing.

Finally, we made it to the top, breathing sighs of relief, and took in the full majesty of the view. I spent long while on the summit, even after my friend departed. I knew this was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I really wanted to let soak in.

I ended up conversing with a few people who I had passed by earlier in the day, commiserating on our fear while ascending the cables. Eventually the five of us all decided to descend together. Everyone was nervously debating who should go first, so I just decided to go for it. And wow, going down proved to be even worse than going up. After trying it both front-facing and backwards, I decided that backwards was absolutely the way to go (sort of like rappelling). But I had to constantly look behind me and down in order to see where I was going and to avoid people who were coming up.

Meanwhile, the crowd coming up the cables had crown substantially since that morning. It was then I understood then why a permit system was in place for this hike – too many people would be flat out dangerous. But somehow, everyone managed to communicate clearly enough to let each other pass so that traffic could proceed relatively safely both ways.

About halfway down, I looked up and saw a couple members of my “group” still up near the top. One looked like she was having difficulty, and another was helping her. Since I had been in front and so focused on getting down while passing the people coming up, I hadn’t even noticed. Knowing that I couldn’t just stand there and block traffic, I decided the best thing to do would be to simply proceed. Three of us made it to the bottom and watched while gritting our teeth as the other two made their slow progress down.

Thankfully, everyone made it down fine and safe, even if a few were visibly shaken.

We all parted ways – they back to the Yosemite Valley Trailhead, and I eastward to continue my loop. I made my way down into Echo Valley, and then turned to follow the river westward, finally making camp for the night in Lost Valley.

Day Four: Lost Valley to Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking (8.6 mi, +256’ / -2,563’)

I got an early start that morning in order to reach the trailhead in time to meet my sister, Chelsea. She and her boyfriend, Pedro, had flown out to California for vacation, and today was the only day we would cross paths – as they arrived in Yosemite, and I left for Sequioa and Kings Canyon National Parks. I headed west, continuing to follow the river through the valley.

The closer I got to the trailhead, the more crowded it got. Considering it was a Sunday morning and I was heading toward the most popular location in the park, this wasn’t surprising. It got especially thick after I passed Vernal Falls, and I had to practically push my way down the narrow stairs, and I lamented my decision not to take the way around on the John Muir Trail.

Finally, I did make it back to the parking lot and stopped as I noticed a man standing at the open trunk of his SUV. He had his own adventuring setup back there – a wooden platform, a bed, and shelves – and I couldn’t help but strike up a conversation. His name was Ryan, he lived in California, and he would use his setup for long weekend and summer trips.

He showed me a few modifications he had made over time, such as a pull-out cooking table, and I made mental notes. I told him about my trips so far, and the ones yet to come, especially the 72-mile High Sierra Trail I had planned for next week. The trail crosses the Sierra Nevada Range, from Sequoia National Park on the western side, to Mt. Whitney and out the eastern side. I still hadn’t quite worked out how I would get back to my car, as there is no direct route through the Sierras, so one has to drive 300 miles around the southern end of the range. Public transportation is limited, especially due to the pandemic, so I was leaning toward hitchhiking at the moment. Ryan told me that if I made it to Bakersfield, he’d be willing to help me out, so we swapped numbers.

Chelsea and Pedro

Since they didn’t have timed entry passes into Yosemite for the day, I ended up meeting Chelsea and Pedro outside the park by the Merced River in Briceburg. It was great to see them and exchange travel stories. It was a blazing hot day, especially down out of the mountains, so we went for a swim and enjoyed a few hours by the river. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay long, since I had to make it to my campsite for the night in Kings Canyon National Park – almost a 3-hour drive away – and be ready for work the next morning. So, sooner than I would’ve liked, I was back in the car and driving south.

Trip Stats

Miles driven this week: 325
Total miles driven: 4,818
Miles hiked this week: 48.3
Total miles hiked: 310.3
Elevation change: +11,014’, -11,014’
Total elevation change: +63,523’, -67,274’
Nights slept in Obi the Subaru: 4
Nights tent camped: 3
Total nights slept in Obi the Subaru: 32
Total nights tent camped: 6
Total nights cowboy camped: 7
Total nights slept in a house: 6
Time since start of trip: 51 days
States visited since start of trip: 10
Number of flowers identified: 9