Gary-Summer: August 13, 2024

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

August 13, 2024 - Lyell Canyon

Title: August 13, 2024 - Lyell Canyon
Hike Info : Description : Menu : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Backpacking

Trail head: Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Office

Trail: John Muir Trail

Destination: Lyell Canyon, Junction with Vogelsang Trail

Distance: 6.47 miles

Start Time: 1:08

End Time: 6:12

Travel Time: 5:04 (1.28 mph)

Moving Time: 3:46 (1.72 mph)

Elevation Rise: 875'

Descent: 661‘

Maximum Elevation: 8,931'

GPS Tracks

Description:

I slept “in” until 6. Spent a few minutes getting ready for a 7am start time. But we did not get out of the house until 7:30. This will cost us in a little while. We stop in Oakhurst and Sherri picks up a pastry and coffee from Judy’s. The cost? We joined an hour wait to get into Yosemite at its southern entrance. But we got in and went to the Wawona Ranger Station. And here we had another wait as the ranger who issues permits, Courtney, was on break. But once she came back, we were able to quickly get our permit.

Sherri starting our hike

And then it is close to a two hour drive to get to Tuolumne Meadows. I will admit that even though it is long, it is beautiful. Along the way, we see several vehicles from Stanislaus National Forest stationed along the road to work the Middle Fire. This is a fire which is caused by lightning, but through cooperative agreements, there is a sharing of resources.

Bridge across the Tuolumne

We get to Tuolumne Meadows at 12:45 and take a few minutes to get ready. Our boots touch the ground at 1:10. A friend of ours, John is walking the JMT and is going through Tuolumne Meadows. I suspect with our delay, we may be about two hours behind him. But then again, we will keep a lookout to see if we see him. It would be wonderful if we could.

Even though we have not had lunch, I would like to get a few steps in before we eat. Sherri is agreeable to this. We walk beside the road to the Tuolumne Lodge until we reach the trail which crosses the Tuolumne forks off. I have wandered here before on the wrong trail, going up the Dana Fork, but today, we crossed the Dana Fork and shortly afterwards crossed the Lyell Fork. Within a hundred yards, we joined the JMT. It is 1:35 and time for lunch, after going 7/8ths of a mile.

Gary at lunch

Lunch was pre-made Peanut Butter and Nutella sandwiches. This time also serves to provide a bit of rest for our legs. And now we are off again. The trail takes us through a forested area to Rafferty Creek. There are times when this creek is a raging torrent. But not today, there may be a puddle of water here and there, making this sturdy bridge look sort of silly. Still earlier in the season I would guess it is well appreciated by hikers.

The trail goes around the ridge which bounds Rafferty. I have told people that Lyell Canyon is the second flattest trail in the Sierra-that is why we are taking it. But it would be a mis-assumption that it is flat. It has little 5-10’ rolling terrain. We stop and talk to a hiker or two, but no John. One of the hikers asks if we are from Fresno. Bruce and I have taken Osher classes together. I did not recognize him, but he knew who I was; he just did not know my name.

The Trail is not boring. First, you have this wandering river called the Tuolumne which meanders in a snake pattern in the bottom of the canyon. Then the Kuna Crest rises 3,000’ above us to the east. I can only see the lip of the canyon towards the west and it is only about 1,200’. Still looking up the canyon towards Donohue Peak, it is impressive. To top it off. Sherri stops suddenly and points straight ahead of us. Usually that means a deer, or maybe a bear. But I needed to fix my gaze just a little higher than that. A hawk-I am not much of a birder, so I cannot tell you what kind, nor am I quick enough on the reflexes to have taken a picture-was flying straight towards us about 20’ off the ground. Spectacular. I think God really knows how to cook!

I can tell that this hike is being made with someone not in terrible good shape-that would be me. I am walking OK, but the legs are tiring. My mind is wondering where the trail junction is so we can camp there? I am also thinking that if we felt good, of trying the loop to Vogelsang. But I do not think I could do well on the climb up.

Tuolumne in Lyell Canyon

But we get to the junction and look for a place to camp. It is Tent City. With shadows lengthening and it being 6:10, I feel like we cannot be too choosy. There is a spot above another tent, a ways down, still it will feel like we are spying on them. With the shape we are in, this seems like a good place. Tomorrow we can look for another place. I thought we were going about 5¼ miles today, but the GPS has us as 6.8. Still not a great excuse.

We sit and rest for a few minutes. The people below us are a father/daughter team. That is good to see. But the daughter comes up to our camp and I notice she has a badge on identifying herself as a wilderness ranger. Allisson checks our permit and we talk for a few minutes before she departs.

Good Night Moon

I have now had enough time to wonder. The trail junction looks different, so I go down to my now good friend the ranger and ask her if the trail has been changed. She thinks it is a possibility as there appears to be the remains of an old trail running through her camp. The other question I ask is if she has seen John? No. Oh well, it would have been nice to have seen him.

We have our dinner-another Peanut Butter and Nutella sandwich. The tent is up, the water is drawn and we do our business. We both feel tired and get into our sleeping bags at 8:30.