Camping along Half Dome spur trail?

I'm looking forward to doing a 5 day backpacking trip next week, during which I'm planning on spending 2 nights at LYV and 2 nights farther up the trail somewhere between HD and Clouds Rest. I was thinking in the area of the spring on the HD spur. This brings up the following questions.

) Is the area around the spring a legal camping area?
) Do you have a better suggestion of where to camp in the area? ( near water, near the HD and CR trail junction )

btw: if someone is interested in joining me on the trip give me a PM, plans are to do west shoulder of HD, HD via the regular trail/cables, and CR.

THANKS!

If you are talking about the seep about halfway up the trail between the Clouds Rest junction and the ridge line that runs between HD and CR, keep your options open. I've seen it dry up in September, and I've seen laughing teens peeing into it to annoy people ascending the trail behind them.

You are more likely to find a camping spot a short distance up the Clouds Rest branch of the trail. But I don't know how reliable the water sources are this time of year...

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wherever
If you are talking about the seep about halfway up the trail between the Clouds Rest junction and the ridge line that runs between HD and CR, keep your options open. . . . snip . . .

Thats a good thought, I hadn't thought of it being late in the season and things drying up.

Another good question is . . . where IS the spring? Is it the seep alongside the trail, or is my reading of the map correct in that the actual spring is uphill and off trail from the seep?

The spring on the little spur trail off the trail to HD is an official spring with a pipe coming out of it. The springs that are marked on the topo would rarely if ever dry up. They are very reliable. The "seep" across the trail being dry does not mean that there is no water coming out of the pipe.

There is a spring that runs across the trail from O'Shauhnessy to Wapama Falls (which does go dry) about 1/4 mile from the tunnel that I have stepped over at least several times a year since 1980 and it has never been dry.

There is good camping at the junction of the trail to Clouds Rest and the John Muir Trail. The creek nearby usually has water in it. This year it should be good what with all the snow and the late melt.

If you want to lug a bit of water then camp on the eastern Quarter Dome and then cross country over to HD via the spring to water up.

By the way, there is no camping around the Lost Lake area but people do camp by the Diving Board. Lug water into the Diving Board area.

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Old Dude



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2010 12:25AM by mrcondron.

I agree with Mike. It's a spring. It will have water year round.

I've seen the pipe many years ago. I think someone removed it for some dumb reason.
Couldn't find it for the life of me that last time I spent some time looking for it.
(the pipe that is). Regardless there will be water there.

I highly doubt that you will find the "spur" trail though. It certainly didn't jump out
at me last year when I hiked up HD although I wasn't really looking for it.
You can camp anywhere you like pretty much after you hike the HD/JMT trail
junction.
There is ALWAYS water at the Clouds/JMT trail junction. If you are super concerned
about getting water from the spring it's a short hike to that water from the HD/JMT junction.

Have fun

Did you make it up to the Diving Board?

I looked for the pipe again... to no avail... I'm in total agreement with whatever now...
Although I got water from there by using a water filter and making a small indent
in the ground.... and waiting... I don't recommend it... it was a trickle...
just get water from the CR/JMT junction and lug it in... or just camp there and be done with it...

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bill-e-g
Did you make it up to the Diving Board?

I guess no then...