Rafferty Creek Hike/Snowshoe

I took advantage of the early opening of the Tioga Road to hike/snowshoe up the Rafferty Creek trail. Conditions: mostly clear up to 9200', lots of up-and-down over snowdrifts between 9200' and 9600', continuous snow above 9600'. I camped near the pass, with reasonable access to snowmelt flowing over rocks so I didn't have to melt snow, and day-hiked to the rocks west of the pass, and above Boothe Lake. The area south of the pass is similarly snow covered. It got below freezing last night since I had frost on my tent, but not very far below freezing (the melting snow was still flowing at sunrise), and this snow is not forming corn, its just weak slush by day, firming up overnight.

Driving over Tioga Pass, there isn't continuous snow even up to the pass, these areas probably see less melting due to the surrounding peaks.

Some pictures:

The meadow at the base of the pass, with Fletcher and Vogelsang Peaks:



Rafferty Creek Valley from the rocks west of the pass:



View in the other direction:



Vogelsang Peak and Boothe Lake:



Boothe was iced over except for its swampy inlet, and a few areas w/ snow ledges hanging over the lake. I could only see into the middle of Emeric Lake, the main part of the lake is iced over, no idea what's happening at the edges.

More Pictures



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2012 09:41PM by ttilley.

Kewl.

For you:


If you got a super zoom of Z Peak... you may be able to see some chick-on tracks
and maybe even a chick-on butt track...

(btw... rangers told Joe that needed snowshoes... me said "wha!" ... we didn't take them...
posthole every so often didn't bother us... ) YMMV

Bernice, Gallison, Evelyn, Vogelsang, Fletcher, Emeric, Boothe, ... all frozen
but open at the outlet...

Have fun

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Cool.

So the two tracks I saw going up the snow were yours, then. There was one other person who came down Rafferty Saturday, he had planned to hike the JMT from the Valley and decided to bail instead of going over Donohue (he said he had a Spot w/ a programmed 'pick me up' message for his wife). Didn't see any other tracks in the snow on the way down.

I bet that was a really nice view from Vogelsang w/ all the snow.

Yup. We didn't see anyone the entire time sans between the twin bridges and the TH...

The view was ok.

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Where are Chick On's tracks? Or was he on your head again.

Dan: I didn't see it before, but...my first picture includes chicken tracks going generally from lower-left to somewhat-less-lower-right.

Looking forward to seeing more pictures, especially from the peak.

Thanks for the trip report and photos! Pretty cool three of the regulars here decided to tackle the same trail independently.
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Quote
chick-on
Kewl.

For you:


If you got a super zoom of Z Peak... you may be able to see some chick-on tracks
and maybe even a chick-on butt track...

(btw... rangers told Joe that needed snowshoes... me said "wha!" ... we didn't take them...
posthole every so often didn't bother us... ) YMMV

Bernice, Gallison, Evelyn, Vogelsang, Fletcher, Emeric, Boothe, ... all frozen
but open at the outlet...


Have fun

Got more ? Only two in your album....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2012 09:39AM by The Other Tom.

Quote
The Other Tom

Quote
chick-on
Kewl.
<snippy>

Have fun

Got more ? Only two in your album....

OK, since you asked a put a Twinkie Sampling together for you.

Look here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/Vogelsang

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Picasa Pictures

Nice pictures, thanks!

I wonder how long that snow's going to last...3 feet or so from the shower picture, pretty weak pack, probably melting several inches per day...

Nice photos as always. How cold was it up on top of Vogelsang during the day and night (or at night wherever you setup camp)?
.

Quote
chick-on

Quote
The Other Tom

Quote
chick-on
Kewl.
<snippy>

Have fun

Got more ? Only two in your album....

OK, since you asked a put a Twinkie Sampling together for you.

Look here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/Vogelsang

Very nice. Thanks. The Vogelsang area is one of my favorites.

Thanks for the report Tom. Esp. the detail about elevations and snow conditions...I was in the ocean, in a yak, with a whale

Thanks for the info and pictures. I was in cherry canyon last week and it was perfect weather. I did t have to put on long sleeves the whole trip.

Here's one:

Wow, great shot!
Where did you take this from?

Thanks - Vogelsang Peak.

Really nice shot! Thanks for posting. I guess the second set of tracks going up the snow were yours.

That would be the Joe I mentioned before.
I got my permit from Big Oak Flat ... was writing it up and the rangers opened the door
and wrote me a permit (was seconds from finishing the self reg).
Pretty much they didn't say anything other than "welcome back" to which I said
"I never left".
Joe had to get his permit from TM since by the time he got his they figured they
couldn't coordinate quotas w/o telephone access, etc. They told him
you NEED snowshoes.
Anyway, blah blah.

Here's the same thing with less zoom and some annotations:


Somewhat shaking my head with him posting a Half Dome since... ah nevermind

EDIT: he sent me that photo... and I said "Son of a !!!! I need to find my Supa Zoom cam!!" (i.e. It's a darn sweeeeet shot)

Have fun

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2012 07:30AM by chick-on.

Quote
chick-on

Somewhat shaking my head with him posting a Half Dome since... ah nevermind

EDIT: he sent me that photo... and I said "Son of a !!!! I need to find my Supa Zoom cam!!" (i.e. It's a darn sweeeeet shot)

Have fun

But don't fret. At least in your photo one can spot Turlock and Patterson!

This was the first time I hiked with the Chick-on, he told me he was going up there. It just kinda worked out that we hiked together. I figured I'd follow his postholes, we bumped into each other in the parking lot and I pretty much followed his postholes from there.

Vogelsang wasn't my first choice since I'd been up there recently - from a scrap in the ammo box, turned out exactly nine months earlier, coincidence. It was nice to see it in a different season. WITHOUT A SINGLE STINKING MOSQUITO! As far as the record book is concerned, the pink bird got the first ascent of the year.

Temps were like 20-30 at night and hot and sunny during the day. The remaining snow will not last long so get up there and enjoy the early season.

Allow me to tempt you:

Quote
QITNL

Vogelsang wasn't my first choice since I'd been up there recently - from a scrap in the ammo box, turned out exactly nine months earlier, coincidence. It was nice to see it in a different season. WITHOUT A SINGLE STINKING MOSQUITO!

Yeah, I was looking at Chick-on's photo of Booth Lake and I was thinking to myself it must be nice to go by it now and not worry about the massive amount of mosquitos that usually congregate there.
.

Thanks for the pictures. I need to revisit Vogelsang Peak sometime, the view really is nice up there.