Yosemite 2016
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Washburn Lake
By the time I arrived at this lake, I had hiked nearly 17 miles on the day, but I had 3 more to go. So, instead of going for a swim (which I really wanted to do), I kept going.
Backpackers Camp
After 20 miles, I set up my tent in the backpackers camp near the Merced High Sierra Camp. I never thought bear boxes and potable water would be such luxuries!
Time for a Bath
Despite wearing pants, my legs never stayed clean. I washed my legs and arms in Merced Lake but I was never really clean.
Merced High Sierra Camp
There are five High Sierra Camps in Yosemite. They are expensive, reservation-only campgrounds with fancy canvas tents, running water, showers, and prepared meals. Reservations for these camps usually sellout a year in advance.
Unnamed Dome
After staying at the backpackers camp next to Merced Lake, I had to hike up out of the valley. Here, Fletcher Creek flows below an unnamed granite dome.
After climbing out of the Merced Lake Valley, I arrived at this alpine meadow, heading towards Vogelsang Peak.
Boothe Lake
It is barely visible, but my tent is nestled under a pine tree next to Boothe Lake. This was probably my second favorite campsite. I arrived in the early afternoon and had time to relax and enjoy the little beach next to the lake.
Milky Way I
Milky Way II
Milky Way III
Tuolumne Pass
Day 6 saw me crossing Tuolumne Pass (9990') and descending into Tuolumne Meadows to pick up my food resupply shipment. Unfortunately, I mailed my resupply via UPS, which it turns out, does not deliver to the Tuolumne Meadows Post Office (neither does Fedex; use USPS instead). I was able to buy food at the general store in Tuolumne Meadows instead.
Marmots
Cathedral Peak
Waterfall
There are many waterfalls along the trail to Glen Aulin (Irish Gaelic for beautiful valley)
Glen Aulin
McGee Lake
Bears
Despite many warnings from rangers and other hikers, I have not seen an actual bear yet in my two trips to Yosemite. I did see many footprints like these between Glen Aulin and Tenaya Lake.
Tenaya Lake
Dawn over Yosemite
I woke up at 5:30 on the last day of my hike to ascend Clouds Rest. I should have woken up earlier all the other days, too. It was perfect hiking this early in the morning.
Of course, not everything is perfect. This group thought it was a great idea to pitch their tent on the trail to Clouds Rest (yes, on the trail, not near the trail). Not only is this rude and illegal, but its also potentially dangerous for other hikers to have to navigate off the trail if they're hiking in the dark (a common practice for those who want to see sunrise from the summit).
