Re: Thoughts appreciated

I am a newer backpacker with a few short trips under my belt. Mostly with a group in the local S. Cal mountains. I would like to take a trip in Yosemite to see the beautiful back country that I have seen in pictures and read about here. I've visited the park many times.
I have found it difficult to join up with or find a group that takes trips through Yosemite due to time constraints or the fact that the trips book up so fast.
So, my option is to try and plan a solo trip. I was looking at entering at May Lake and exiting at Tolumne Meadows then hitching back to May possibly in the next few weeks.
I'd apperciate any thoughts about a solo trip on that trail as a maiden voyage. It seems easy to me, but I dont know what I dont know.
I keep trying to talk my lazy friends into going with me but they all say "Bears!" and then burp.

Frank

Do the trip. It's a nice route, and you should be able to find some way to get back to May Lake. You have the advantage of ending up at the TM store or visitors' center, where there are lots of people, and you should be able to ask for a ride.

You have an advantage as a solo hiker on this route in that you'll be traveling on well-marked trails, often seeing other people, so that you won't feel too alone.

And then you can tell your friends what a great time you had....and show them the photos.

---

Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

If you're free for a week in mid sept you should join us on part of the hsc loop! You'd have to get a fcfs permit though for Rafferty for the 13th.

-Kevin

Depending upon when you go, the Tuolumne Meadows shuttle may still be running. You can park in Tuolumne Meadows, and take the shuttle to the May Lake trailhead. You can either return through Glen Aulin, or do a route which takes you from May Lake, down Murphy Creek up Sunrise and exiting at Cathedral Lakes. Check with the rangers on the permit since you are crossing 120 (the road). The last route should be ok since you aren't backtracking. (I took my son on that route using the shuttle a couple of years ago)

Thanks for the great advice and offers. Within an hour of Balzaccom's reply I had faxed off my request for a permit and not 2 hours later I had an Email with my permit. I'm starting on Sept 18th at May Lake and exiting on the 20th at Glen Aulin which I hope is secret code for Tolumne Meadows, I'm not quite sure.
That should give plenty of time to day hike and general exploring the area, Mt. Hoffman to be sure. My task now is training and getting my maps ready. I am pretty good at altitude and I am pretty decent at map and compass.
I hope that I get this trip under my belt and come away with confidence in my skills in the back country which would of course lead to more trips.
In the immortal words of Steve Allen, this might be the start of something big. I'm hoping anyway.

"Exit at Glen Aulin" does mean Tuolumne Meadows, along the trail from Glen Aulin.

The critical part of the reservation is the entry trail, that's the one subject to quotas.

Have Fun!

I travel solo a lot. I find that stopping and talking to the occasional person who
wants to talk really helps keep away the lonelys. Some interesting people can
be found on the trail.

Have a good hike, and consider posting a trip report afterward.

Hey, Guys
Thanks for all of the great advice. Everything is falling into place for a launch on the 17th. Familys all situated and vacation request is approved. I've been pouring over the maps and it looks like a no-brainer. Added bonus the price of gas is slumping which is key comming from San Diego.
We just need some decent weather and this trip is a go!

Frank



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2015 09:53AM by Franklyn.

Quote
Franklyn
Hey, Guys
Thanks for all of the great advice. Everything is falling into place for a launch on the 17th. Familys all situated and vacation request is approved. I've been pouring over the maps and it looks like a no-brainer. Added bonus the price of gas is slumping which is key comming from San Diego.
We just need some decent weather and this trip is a go!

Frank

Too bad temperatures and humidity aren't dropping in SD

Speaking of weather, what is the Go-To weather source for Tolumne Meadows?
I notice that Weather Underground has the low temp in the mid 50's for next week and NOAA has the low in the 30's.
There is a 10 degree difference in the current temperatures between the sites.


What weather site do you find most accurate?

Frank

The lows will definitely not be in the 50s...you're apparently getting a Yosemite Valley forecast from Weather Underground.

The National Weather Service has a "point forecast" feature where you can click on a map and get a forecast that's reasonable for any arbitrary location. For example, here's Tuolumne Meadows Forecast.

One thing to watch if clicking around big steep mountains...it's a grid forecast, not really a specific spot location. The green highlighting on the map shows the selected "grid", underneath, next to "Point Forecast", is the elevation of the "grid" - sanity-check that elevation. For example, the elevation of the "grid" selected at the above URL is 8,661 ft. which is decent enough.

If I'm hiking near the crest I'll also click on each side of the crest because that's the boundary between the Hanford and Reno NWS offices - sometimes there will be differences simply because the weather can differ across the crest, sometimes there will be differences because the offices don't completely agree. In the latter case it may be worth clicking on the "Forecast Discussion" as well, which gives the technical reasoning behind the forecast.

Thanks for the tip, I will watch NOAA as we get closer to next week. The Forecast Discussion part is a good tip.
I have a feeling that Weather Underground is confusing the valley report with the TM report as you say.
Guess I'l be bringing El Grande Sleeping Bag.

I'll save you the trip report since I'm sure most of you have done this trip in your sleep, but the weekend was spectacular and everything went as planned. I brought exactly what I needed and nothing more. I could have brought some heavier pants for the night but the days were T-Shirt weather. I can say that it was the most fun, I'm sure I looked like I had a coat hanger in my mouth for the huge grin I had the whole time. I'm already thinking about more trips.

Let me backtrack for this story, I took a weekend trip to the valley in July and drove up the Tioga for the first time to scout things out. I parked at the May Lake trail head and put my cooler in the bearbox for a hike up to the lake. Of course I forgot the cooler filled with ice, bread, lunchmeat, beer, milk and cereal. I blamed the altitude but I never went back for it because they were repaving the road and the traffic was a mess.
Fast forward two weeks ago. May Lake was my entry trailhead for my trip, the first night I sat bolt upright in my sleeping bag and said "COOLER!". As I caught a ride back to the lake to regain my car, I thought I'd look around for the cooler and to my amazement, it was still there right where I left it!!! It was a new cooler and I had been bummed out that I lost it.
So, as I ever so slowly opened the lid to reveal the contents, I was nearly floored by the horrific smell. As if the very portal to hell had been opened on a hot day. It was mortifying only equalled by the sight of a greenish/blackish slurry of something you would only see on one of those crime scene shows. At this point I was not sure I really wanted the thing back! In true Leave No Trace spirit I sealed the thing back up and carefully put it in my trunk for the long ride back to San Diego. Through the 100 degree central valley and the traffic in LA, sloshing around in the trunk.
There's a scene in Goodfellas" where Henry is cleaning out the trunk after having a dead body in it...I reencated that scene complete with the garden hose and rag over my face but I got the cooler back!

Yeah, I'm ready to do it again!



Frank.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2015 12:02PM by Franklyn.

lol...makes the "half and half turned to cottage cheese" from my last trip look pretty tame!

"In true Leave No Trace spirit I sealed the thing back up and carefully put it in my trunk for the long ride back to San Diego. Through the 100 degree central valley and the traffic in LA, sloshing around in the trunk."

Bravo! All the way 'round. Good for you, and thanks for telling us about your adventure.

---

Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963