Looking back toward Tuolumne Meadows while hiking up to Young Lakes. Mts. Lyell, Maclure, and Gibbs all visible. That might even be Banner Peak and Mount Ritter way off on the horizon.
Alpenglow on Mount Conness.
The moon rises as we hope for an off-season visit by St. Nick.
Sunday morning the thermometer registered a chilly 24 degrees, and we had to shake a lot of frost off the outside -- and in some cases the inside -- of our rain flys. The hike from Young Lakes down to Glen Aulin was thankfully almost all downhill, as I was still feeling the effects of the previous day's exertion. We hiked through forests much of the way, but occasionally got nice views of the Cathedral Range and then the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. The scouts rejoiced when they learned the pit toilets at the backpackers' camp were open. The bridge over Conness Creek is missing the railing on the upstream side, likely a casualty of high runoff from this winter's snowpack. The shuttered High Sierra Camp is also looking a bit rough, with a tree having fallen onto one of the buildings.
Morning sun on Lower Young Lake and Ragged Peak.
Glimpse of the Cathedral Range as we hike toward Glen Aulin.
Tuolumne Falls.
Monday was our return to Tuolumne Meadows. The scouts, driven by the promise of pizza in Groveland on our drive home, got an early start and were back at the base of Lembert Dome in under three hours.
Looking northeast up Cold Canyon as we hike back up from Glen Aulin to Tuolumne Meadows. Anyone know if that is Whorl Mountain off in the distance?
Hiking along the river at the edge of Tuolumne Meadows.
Returning to Lembert Dome. Another trek in the books!
All in all, a fun and challenging trek for the scouts (and me!) Glad we got it in before the storms that are forecast for this coming weekend. Now the focus shifts to planning more Yosemite treks for 2024.
