My first section was the old Big Oak Flat road from Tuolumne Grove to Hodgdon Meadow. The dogwoods were unfortunately a bit past their prime.
I had to stop to photograph--and boop--a few of the sequoias in the grove.
Past the grove, I didn't see anyone until near the campground... I guess few people want to hike a 4 mile non-loop trail.
Note: Not a Loop
The former-road-now-trail was mostly easy to follow, but the shrubbery that was taking advantage of the recent Rim Fire was threatening to take over the old road.
The wet winter had also left its mark on this old route.
The two creek crossings were uneventful, but some of the recently-fallen trees were minor obstacles.
I didn't have my copy of the Auto Guide, and I also don't think that stop #5 in it is near Hodgdon Meadow.
The meadow itself was quite nice.
Since JKW was waiting for me at the Carlon trailhead, I hung a right at the corner of Tuolumne Grove and Aspen Way: the original "Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road" intersection.
Aspen Way seemed to be a bit of a storage area for the park service, but it seemed to have been driven recently. I was also surprised to pass a few other hikers on this trail. (I later learned they had wanted to avoid the backup getting into the park, and JKW had recommended the hike they were on...)
The road eventually reached the swollen South Fork Tuolume River and a small meadow that was the former site of Carl Inn. Instead of heading to the Carlon trailhead directly, I first checked out a short TQX segment.
JKW and I had lunch at the trailhead near the creek. During lunch we observed that official vehicles were using the gated old road as a "back door" into Yosemite to avoid the long line at the entrance station. Apparently, a few GPS mapping programs believe that the road is open to all traffic: more than a few people headed down the road, only to be thwarted by the gate.
After refueling, I headed off towards Carlon Falls. We would later learn that the cement structure across from Carl Inn on the Carlon Falls trail had been a swimming pool.
Wildflowers were taking full advantage of the recent fire.
There were a few dozen people at the falls, which were quite nice.
There were even hints of some nice granite farther upstream: an adventure for another day.
The South Fork itself was quite placid below the falls; if not for the deadfall and snags in the water it might make a nice non-technical packraft float.
After returning to Carlon trailhead yet again, we headed to our campsite. I also had the opportunity to "find" a boundary marker and locate some older cultural features.
There were pretty flowers everywhere.
We enjoyed a nice sunset before retiring for the night.
The next day, we returned to the park for a few more seldom-traveled TQ sections. First up: the old Crane Flat area logging roads to Clark View.
Crane Flat campground was still closed due to hazard tree removal.
Pro tip: If camping at Crane Flat this year, you probably don't need firewood
Unlike the previous day, which had been mostly sunny, clouds were threatening rain, and in fact a few cold sprinkles did warrant umbrella deployment.
The fog created a nice atmosphere for what was otherwise a road walk in a burnt-out forest.
At the end of the road were a few cables remaining from the logging operations.
The promised Clark View never materialized.
The return trip to Crane Flat required a bit of cross-country shrub thrashing to an even less-maintained road.
In fact, near the campground the park service was filling in a road cut with excess logs.
After finishing the Crane Flat "trails", JKW picked me up and we relocated back to the Hodgdon area for yet another old logging road, this one up Hazel Green Creek.
The first bit was well-maintained, as it provided access to a water tower and old filter facility.
Past this, post-fire bushes and shrubs had all but taken over the former road.
While many plants were thriving in these new conditions, most of the old, large pine trees had not survived the fire.
I eventually reached the end of the thrash, near Hazel Green Creek.
Despite being almost all downhill, the return trip took awhile due to the weeds. They weren't hard to push through, but they obscured all the deadfall underfoot.
After returning to the car, we drove out to a surprisingly crowded Hetch Hetchy.
Both of the large Falls Creek falls were impressive.
The place we had camped in Poopenaut Valley a year or so ago was completely under water.
Before heading home, we did one last short water-and-wildflower hike.
The numerous flowers made for a slow hike.
Eventually the trail provided good views of the raging river below.
We had to stop along the road a few times for a few last flower pictures.
Even the "lesser" "trails" of Yosemite can be a treat--and a great way to avoid the crowds.
P.S. Thanks for the shuttle service, JKW!
