Last year, someone mentioned having participated in a Big City Mountaineers (BCM) expedition. I did some research, and liked what they do, mentoring underserved inner-city youth in the wilderness. It combines two of my passions, mentoring youth and backpacking. This year I participated as a mentor, and it was one of the most wonderful things I have done. It was a group of 6 teens ranging from 15 to 19 years old. It was an amazing experience to watch them on the 1st day as 6 individuals looking out only for themselves, and on the last day working as 1 cohesive team towards group goals. Watching them grow over the course of 5 days, the feeling they get from watching the sun rise over the mountains, the stars shining bright at night, was gold. The trip covered about 21 miles from the Ten Lakes TH to May Lake with a summit of Tuolumne Peak.
The weather was fair and clear on day 1, but it pretty much rained in the mid-afternoon on days 2, 3 & 4. On day 2, there was rain and hail for a short while during the afternoon in the Ten Lakes Basin. On the 3rd day, we had rain, thunder, and lightning along the way up to some tarns at the base of Tuolumne Peak. It was quite an experience watching the storm come and go. After the rain stopped, the air cleared up, the sun poked its rays through the cloud cover, and the diffused lighting created some amazing views of the surrounding peaks and sky. Watching the steam coming off the granite was a treat. On day 4, there was more rain and hail as we made our way up from the base of Tuolumne Peak to Raisin Lake. I am sharing some of the photos I took, minus the ones with the teens.
Enjoy.
Bugs on flowers



Wildlife



Wildflowers along trail junction, Ten Lakes & Grant Lakes

Ten Lakes Pass

Ten Lakes Basin

Nightshot of one of the Ten Lakes

After the storm



Tuolumne Meadows, Fairview Dome


Tuolumne Peak

View north from Tuolumne Peak


Infinity Pool

Milky Way over Raisin Lake

Sunrise at Raisin Lake

May Lake
