August 20, 2016 - McGuirk Meadow to Bridalveil Creek, along with Dewey Point

Title:August 20, 2016 - McGuirk Meadow to Bridalveil Creek, along with Dewey Point
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Menu : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: McGuirk Meadow

Hike Info:

Type:  Backpacking

Trail: McGuirt Meadow

Destination: Chain Lakes
Actual Destination:Bridalveil Creek

Distance:  2.15 miles

Start Time: 12:34

End Time:    1:41

Travel Time:  1:06 (1.95 mph)

Moving Time:  0:54 (2.39  mph)

Elevation Rise: 303'

Maximum Elevation: 7,103'

Hike Info:

Type:   Hiking

Trail: Pohono

Destination: Dewey Point

Distance:  4.55 miles

Start Time: 3:04

End Time:  6:13  

Travel Time:  3:08 (1.45  mph)

Moving Time:  2:21 (1.94 mph)

Elevation Rise: 958'

Maximum Elevation: 7,329'

Description:

Some of you may have noticed that we started off going to Chain Lakes and ended up at Bridalveil Creek. A few of you who know your geography will say, "What?!!!" This is the story of a day which got rearranged.

Sometimes when you go on the trip you are focused on the destination. Other times it is more about the journey than getting there. Today was more about enjoying companionship.

I got up at 5:45 this morning and David, my brother, was already up and reading. He will be staying with my mother over in Mountain View for a couple weeks. Sherri gets up very soon after I do. We get our breakfast get our last minute things packed and are out the door about 10 after 7.

Around 8:15 we arrive at Sonya's place close to Oakhurst. This is good because we will need to get our wilderness permit for Chain Lakes at the Sierra Forest Service office in Oakhurst after 8:30. I talked to Jamie, the Ranger stationed in Oakhurst, and she gets me a permit, along with enjoying a few good laughs-it is always good to enjoy the person you are with, no matter how brief. Then it's off to find the trail head. But first, we stop at Judy's Donuts. Sonya and Sherri each grab a donut, with Sherri having a cup of Joe..

That is when Sonya realizes she needs her ID. So we go back to her house to pick up the ID. We're not sure where it is but after looking around a while she finds it in her bathroom. By the time we hit the road again it is around 9:30.  Sonya is driving-which is nice since 90% of the time I drive. We go up to Tenaya Lodge near Fish Camp and turn on to the dirt forest service road behind it.

This is where the second snafu happens. We are going along pretty good and passing by various places which I remember. And then, we come across places I did not remember. Before you know it we are wondering and wandering around the back area behind Fish Camp. After about an hour, we find the Mariposa County Transfer Station-read dump. After pondering the significance of this, we come back out on Highway 41 near Goat Meadow. This is only about 200' from Yosemite's southern entrance and five minutes drive from Tenaya Lodge. Now what do we do? We think about alternatives and decide that there's four options:

• We can do what none of us want to do, and that is to go back over the road and try to find the Quartz Mountain trail head going into a Chain Lakes, or
• We can find out if we can camp at Mariposa Grove since it is closed to traffic, or
• There are camping places along the Pohono Trail, close to Bridalveil Creek, or
•  We all like Ostrander Lake which is well within our capabilities.

I check in with the Ranger at Wawona-he has issued me two other permits this season. He thinks we can actually camp at Mariposa Grove because we are far enough away from the road. But the question is, will we have water? He does not know. I talked about camping at Bridalveil Creek from the McGuirk Meadow trail head. The Ranger checks and there is four openings. So I grabbed three of them and off we go.

Sherri and Sonya

Sherri and Sonya have gotten lunch at the Wawona store. So when we get to the McGuirk trail head, we get packed and ready to go. Bridalveil is just a short 2 to 2 1/2 mile walk. It is a rolling but mostly downhill walk. Within a mile of the trail head,  we pass by McGuirk's Meadows and his cabin. It is still standing, but as each time we pass by, we note that McGuirk must have been pretty short. A little bit further, and we come to Bridalveil Creek. We stop  and discuss if and should we establish our camp so close to the creek-it is about 85-90' from it. NPS wants us 100' or more. On the other hand NPS wants us to camp where a  camp has been previously established. There definitely has been people camping her before us. So we decide that the less of two evils is to camp at an established campsite and just be pretty careful to go a ways away to do our business.

We have our lunch-the sandwiches from Wawona. The meat bees keep us company and helps Sherri's legs from getting too stuff-they chase her around. Me? Evidently they do not like me as much since they take a sniff and just hover.

West part of Yosemite Valley

Since Sherri is already walking about, we decide to hike over to Dewey Point. This is a four mile round trip from where we are.  All three of us have really liked this place before and so it is good to revisit it. This is a popular place. Particularly because it is a weekend, we meet several people along the way. This includes a couple of men who we will meet again at Dewey Point.

It feels warm and we probably travel a bit slower than we normally. But we get there in good fashion. Here the scenery opens up for us and we enjoy the Valley. As a bonus, the clouds accentuate the Valley's natural beauty. As we look, these atmospheric nebula start to close in around us, giving both a feeling of intimacy and urgency.

El Capitan from Dewey Pt

Campsite by Bridalveil Creek

Those two men who we saw on the trail? We meet them on the point. The one is from Chicago and the other from South Africa. Both are impressed and want to spend more time. I do not think I have ever met anyone in Yosemite who thought they spent too much time here.

Gary and Sherri ready for bed

You know that urgency of the clouds? Well they are getting closer, not terribly black, But with the wind picking up, it is time to skedaddle back to camp. We come back to our camp with the sky clearing up a bit and with the fading light. Our camp is on the sunrise side of a ridge. We have our dinner-more sandwich like lunch. The meat bees seem to have subsided but then mosquitoes are now out. So we eat our dinner quickly, but still make time to enjoy each others company for a few more minutes. Then it is time to go to bed. No MacGyver tonight. Sherri immediately drops off. I read a bit, but by the time I hit the rack it is little after 8

Trail Lesson:

• Focus
• A morning pick-me-up works wonders on the attitude, such a as Judy's Donuts
• Know where you are going
• When you have problems, it is good to have people around you which you like and which like you
• Sometimes when you go on the trip you are focused on the destination. Other times it is more about the journey than getting there. Just enjoy the  companionship and where you are at.

Menu

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
At home	Turkey sandwich from Wawona store	Turkey sandwich from Wawona store	Clif Bar, GORP, Propel, CytoMax, Scrytch, Coffee Candy, Jelly Belly

Extra Photo's

View of the East part of Valley from Dewey Pt

Cathedral Spires and East part of Valley

Gunsight

Horse Ridge from Dewey Pt

 
Flowers and Plants

Baneberry