Trip report: Murphy Creek to Young Lakes

Just got home about an hour ago. No photos, but here's what I found.

Entry: Murphy Creek, 9/8
Exit: Dog Lake, 9/12
Campsites: north side of Tuolumne Peak, Glen Aulin H. S. C., Lower Young Lake

Water: No flowing water between Murphy Creek TH and the Tuolumne River. Conness Creek at Glen Aulin is low but very much alive. Delaney Creek at the Dog Lake trail is a trickle. Both tarns on the north side of Tuolumne Peak are fine. The stagnant pond on the Murphy Creek trail is still there.

Weather: It's still summer as far as the weather gods are concerned! Temperatures at sunrise ranged from about 30 at White Wolf on 9/8 to 40 but windy at Young Lakes on 9/12 (in spite of the much higher elevation). I didn't pay attention my thermometer in the sunlight, but it was short-sleeves weather in the afternoon. We had a mild thunderstorm at Young Lakes on 9/11, coming over the Sierra crest.

Vegetation: Grass is generally dead, except above 10,000 feet or so or in shaded areas. Meadows northeast of the Tuolumne River have brilliant fall colors. Willows in the Young Lakes area are starting to turn yellow. Some red currant is still to be had, particularly in the Dog Lake area.

Bugs: None. Brought bug spray, but never used it.

Bonus Rim Fire update: For those of you who (like me) haven't been to Yosemite in a few years, Highway 120 passes in and out of the burn zone west of the park boundary. Meadow and chaparral species have moved in along the highway, and in places oak trees are resprouting from their roots. This is not the ecosystem that burned in the fire; yet to be seen how long the succession cycle will take. In places where we could see across the Tuolumne gorge to the north side, it looked pretty bleak. The burn zone along the highway is full of burned snags, but in the interior of the zone all of the trees appear to have been consumed.

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