OD and I still drove up Saturday morning, the tentative plan being that they would hike out, drive back to the gate, and we'd do a hike somewhere that had an open access road. The advance team noted that the night had been dry and clear. JKW, nursing a back injury, wasn't too happy to have to pack and leave what sounded like a nice campsite. Despite all the signs along the drive indicating that Tioga Road was closed, when we asked about its status while getting our wilderness permit, we found out the road had just opened. Unfortunately, we couldn't reach the advance party with this news immediately, but we did reach them just after they had left camp. New--or original--plan: they would camp pretty much where they were and we would hike in to meet them, somewhere down Yosemite Creek.
We headed cross-country down the east side of the creek to avoid a potential high-water crossing. The route was mostly straightforward, working along and around gentle granite slopes and shelves.
It was pleasantly warm in the sun, but we saw evidence of the previous chilly evening.
Yosemite Creek was quite high--certainly too high to safely wade across.
We didn't encounter any significant snow until we were near where the trail crosses to the side we were on.
Shortly past the official ford was an iffy-looking log jam that might provide a way across--something I mentally noted since I knew the Trail Quest judges wouldn't provide any credit for hiking cross-country on the wrong side of the creek.
A bit later, we reached the still-closed Yosemite Creek campground, where several sites were still flooded.
We crossed the creek on the road bridge, then left the road to continue on the trail. By now some snow flurries were hitting us, bringing out our rain gear.
The advance party had found a nice campsite with good views down canyon. We pitched the second tent, and since the flurries continued, we also put up our new Big Star, which provided for a lot of coverage should we have to hang out in a storm.
The snow was never more than light flurries, so the bird and I headed downriver while OD and JKW rested at camp.
I had been promised great granite scenery, and I was not disappointed.
We headed back where the creek entered a more mundane forested stretch, leaving a short un-hiked segment for a future TrailQuest mission. On the way back we did some off-trail exploring and identified several potential future campsites.
At times we saw a few glimpses of blue sky, but they would last only a few minutes until dark clouds rolled in again.
Just before the final climb to camp we loaded up with water. Back at camp we could see that some rain had indeed fallen, but the shelters had kept everyone--and everything--dry.
The snow picked up a bit, but fortunately we were settled in, warm and dry.
After a nice dinner--and several excellent courses of dessert--we were in bed. As a bonus, the Big Star kept the big moon from keeping me up all night.
The night had been cold--but not uncomfortably so, what with our winter gear--leaving a thick layer of frost on our shelters and freezing water in our water bladders and bottles.
After an excellent breakfast of pancakes and bacon, we aired gear out and packed. The storm seems to have passed; not a cloud was in the sky.
The plan was that OD and JKW would head back to the Ten Lakes trailhead and I would return with the bird to the Lukens Trailhead, allowing both JKW and me to maximize Trail Quest mileage. The trail from Lukens had a lot more snow than the one from Yosemite Creek.
Parts of the trail had spring-like wet-and-muddy conditions, while others held on to the brief return of winter.
For those looking for a conditions report, I'd estimate 70% snow coverage from the Tioga Road/Lukens trailhead to Yosemite Creek.
After we reached our trailhead, it was obvious the road was still closed--there were no cars on it at all. As we headed to the Ten Lakes trailhead, we heard from the others on the radio that they were approaching the ford and were considering crossing on the log jam. We said we would head down and help them across.
In fact the log jam was crossable via a few high logs; the bird helped JKW and OD carry their packs across.
After we were all safely across, we had lunch on a granite bench overlooking the river. On the way back, the bird and I ventured a bit off the beaten path and found some nice seasonal waterfalls and cascades.
There were even a few nice pools that on a much warmer day would be inviting to take a dip in.
We took one more short hike to another small granite-y bit of seasonal creek.
This one had a nice impressive waterfall...
...that apparently got good reception from... something.
We had been fortunate to have been able to get to the trailhead during the brief window that the road was open, and it had been a great trip.
And we definitely need to check out some more granite-rich creeks...
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