I am new here, so let me start with a big thank-you to everyone for sharing valuable information on your trips, gear, and all. I've been reading and learning from this forum for more than a year by now and finally decided it was time to join especially after an unexpected and joyful meeting with two great contributors to this forum in person (their nicknames will be revealed later).
As for myself, I've been backpacking for a few years by now and recently started x-countrying (thanks to this forum again) which I find much more exciting and rewarding than hiking trails. My routes are not new to most of you, still I hope that my posts may be useful in some way.
So, here is my first TR to two of my favorite destinations in Yosemite, Matthes & Cathedral. The trip was over the 4th of July weekend and I was surprised not to see many people out there (mosquitoes perhaps?).
My wife and I started at Budd Creek TH and followed the climber’s trail till the first open area from which we enjoyed the view of Unicorn Peak and Cockscomb.
From there we decided to leave the trail and cross Budd creek to explore a small canyon that still had snow and interesting rock structures.
We stopped for snack at Budd Lake and met a guy who was contemplating crossing the saddle between Cockscomb and Echo Peaks that was covered in lots of snow.
We wished him good luck and resumed the hike up. The view from the top was spectacular.
My original plan to get to Matthes Lake was via the Northern saddle between Matthes Crest and Cathedral Range, but I quickly discovered that to get to the saddle you need descend to the forest below first and then ascend to the saddle. That unexpected challenge made us change the plan and we decided to traverse the Western side of Matthes Crest and cross it via the Southern saddle. The view down to Echo Lake and around was breathtaking.
Traversing was relatively easy. We managed to stay high and enjoyed many stops to admire the scenery and take pictures. Finally, we descended to the lake that greeted us with flowers and clouds of mosquitoes. There was not a person at the lake; we had it all for ourselves. I fished a couple of brookies for dinner and we called it a day. Next day we got up early for sunrise photo shoot and enjoyed the first rays of the sun on the crest and the lack of mosquitoes.
After breakfast we packed and took a faint trail around the crest down towards Echo Lake. Did I mention how horrible mosquitoes were yet? Nets saved us from 100s of bites. Echo Lake meadow was lush green and full of small streams of water feeding the lake.
We chose an easy way up to Cathedral Pass by taking a use trail at the Northern end of the meadow. There were a few tents on the Western shore of the Upper Cathedral Lake, so we set up ours on a high ground on the Southern side. I tried fishing, but didn’t get a single bite.
Next morning we hiked up to the base of Cathedral Peak to see both lakes and peaks around and the view did not disappoint.
We took the climber’s trail back to TM and then drove to Tenaya Lake for a swim and also tested our new Supai (thanks to this board again).
The trip was almost over and while we were packing the van I noticed two hikers walking into the parking lot. One of them had outfit that I recognized instantly from many posts on this forum and that’s how we met basilbop . The other hiker was Old Dude. We had a great chat and in 5 minutes or so received valuable tips on boating and more. Thank you much guys!
Still awake and want to see more? Here it is: More photos from the trip
Cheers!
Thanks for writing the answers. Now that the fun process has been tested, we sure look forward to participating in the Boat-a-Thon 
