Gary-Summer: October 20, 2017

Friday, October 20, 2017

October 20, 2017 - Mirror Lake Loop

Title: October 20, 2017 - Mirror Lake Loop
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Trail head:Camp Curry Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Valley Loop and the Mirror Lake Loop

Destination: Loop around Mirror Lake

Distance: 8.02 miles ¹

Start Time: 11:30

End Time: 4:45

Travel Time: 5:15 (1.24 mph)

Moving Time: 3:21 (2.4 mph)

Elevation Rise: 967'

Maximum Elevation: 4,293'

¹For some reason I did not get all the tracks for today’s walk. So the above is based upon my GPS face mileage, rather than the recorded track. Also the times are estimates based upon pictures I took and a previous walk along the same route.

Description:

We will try doing this loop again. Last week we called it off because of smoke in the Valley. What will it be today? More smoke? It is predicted to rain, so that may change plans as well.

Glacier Pt's skirt

Sherri and I leave Fresno at 7:35 and stop at Starbucks in Oakhurst. There we meet with Sonya, and then later Rose, Jeff and Shawn. Sonya we have not seen in a year. I am not sure when the last time we have seen Shawn. It will be good to walk with both today. We stop at Chinquapin for its flush toilets and then onto Camp Curry. We get there a little after 11.

For most of us, it has been a tough summer. Some of us have had medical conditions which prevented us from hiking, others are trying to get back into a condition after laying off for awhile. But we are all out here to enjoy the hike, enjoy the beauty, and enjoy our friends.

Happy Isles

We head off towards Happy Isles. Instead of going up the road, we approach Happy Isles from the rear. I prefer this way, just because we can walk a ways away from the road. Much more pleasurable.

After going to the bathroom, we join the Valley Loop Trail to go across the eastern end of the the Valley. We travel at an easy pace, enjoying the freshness of the air after a rain. We meet a few people and greet them and then are on our way. At the Tenaya Creek Bridge, we leave the Valley Loop Trail and start walking around the Mirror Lake Loop.

For my money, the Mirror Lake Loop is the best walk in the Valley. There is still few people on it, even though today it seemed like we were meeting people every couple of minutes. But the trees and surroundings will cause you to just stand still in worshipful silence admiring the sight and generating feelings of admiration of how this was created. In the autumn, it is even more so. While most of the trees are evergreens, there is a fair amount of broad leafs, enough to color the eyes with the reds, oranges and yellows, let alone the ground.

Autumn Leaves around Mirror Lake

Autumns Leaves below Mirror Lake

We stop every few feet to look at the leaves turning. By the time we get to what is left of Mirror Lake, or should I say, Mirror sandbar, it is after 1pm. So we stop and enjoy lunch. Sherri runs off to find a bathroom on the other side of the lake-try that in Spring. We peacefully munch on lunch. That is until a drone flies overhead. This is disturbing on two counts, First, drones are not allowed in National parks and second, it is right over our heads. So I go over and talk with the operator. They stop. But probably only as long as we are not there.

Clouds gracing the skies

Shawn and Rose in stereo

Had a nice conversation with a couple who are touring California with their two children. They are from England. But now it is time to move on. After Mirror Lake, the crowds thin out and we walk along. Sonya and others hear a sharp crack, like a rifle shot. This is followed by the rumble of falling rock from the other side of the canyon. This gives us all pause to consider possibilities. But this seems like it is an isolated.event, but we monitor for any more falls. Have I said the colors are fabulous?

Ahwiyah Pt

Path through the woods

We get to the trail bridge at the far end of Tenaya Creek and stop there for a few minutes. I suggest that we could go about a quarter mile off trail and follow the old Snow Creek trail. Nobody shows the slightest interest in doing this. Oh well. Sonya has been asking about coming down Snow Creek. When we come to the trail junction to this trail, she shows no interest in going up it.

Rose, Sherri and Shawn

We see you Shawn!

Now we are on the return trip to Mirror Lake. Walking pretty good and taking pictures, of course. These fall colors, I want to say, make everything look better, but I think I am wrong. This place looks so vibrant all year long. Still there is a specialness to this place when you see it in soft light. No more signs of rockfall, but we do not dilly-dally much anyway. Not saying we are going fast. As we approach Mirror Lake, we admire a view of Ahwiyah Pt and Half Dome. This gets us into a conversation with a couple about backpacking. Which puts Sherri and I behind.

Yosemite Pt

Sonya is waiting by the junction with the Mirror Lake area and the stables trail. But no sign of Rose, Jeff and Shawn. After taking a look around the Mirror Lake area, I head off down the stables trail while Sherri and Sonya go off towards the outhouses and down the road. Part way down I get a phone call from Sherri saying that they are re-united. I tell them let us meet at the lower outhouse-there is an outhouse which the stables trail goes past which is by the road they are on. But unbeknownst to me, there is another set of outhouses which are a little ways down from the ones they found. That is where they wait. When i get to the lower outhouse, they are not there. I call and explain better about where I was expecting them. They come along about 15 minutes later.

Autumn Colors

Now for the second most important decision of the day: What to do now? Go back to the car via tram? via trail? or extend the hike? It is a bit late, so extending it is out. We are hikers, right? So the tram is out. That leaves walking back, which we do. Our walk goes along the trail next to the road. Then we cross the bridge to Upper Pines Campground. This leads us to Camp Curry and our car.

El Capitan's Rockfall

Now comes the most important decision of the day: where to eat. We had actually decided earlier to eat at Sugar Pine Pizza in Oakhurst. But first, we stop on our way out at El Capitan Picnic Area to view the rockfall off of El Capitan last month. This is impressive. Next, it is off to Tunnel View. This is where I am surprised. Most of the time when I stop here, it is impressive. But I have gotten a bit jaded. With the wispy clouds, there is something mysterious going on behind them. Or at least that is the impression. Glad we stopped. Next stop: Wawona. Here we order our pizza and 40 minutes later we are at the pizza place, munching away on it. A good way to end the day.