Rule 1: It’s all good in the Sierra
Rule 2: See rule 1
Being from the east coast, it’s difficult for my son and me to get to the Sierra every year. I envy you guys that live “nearby” and can go often. This was one of those years we were able to make a trip, albeit a short one. Our general plan was to spend a few days at TM to acclimate, then hike up the JMT to the Lyle glacier and spend a night or two in that area. However, we did not have a permit nor a place to stay the first night.
We arrived in Reno on Saturday, Aug. 4 around noon and drove to TM hoping to get a tent cabin at the Lodge. No go as they were all full. Plan B was to camp at May Lake (we had a permit for May Lake), but it was raining; we were tired from traveling all day and didn’t want to hike/set up camp in the rain. So we went with plan C….get a motel room in Mammoth.
We got up Sunday morning and made the trek to Rainbow falls. We had been to Devil’s Postpile and Agnew Meadow before, but not Rainbow falls. My son got a good pic of the falls.
We hiked back to Red’s Meadow and had an ice cream. Hey, rule 1 !
We had reservations at the lodge for Sunday and Monday, so we were set for the next two nights. Stopping by the wilderness office in TM, we noticed that all trailheads were full for Sunday and Monday. The line for next day permits formed outside at about 7AM (or earlier) but they didn’t let you in until 11. Since our time was short, we didn’t want to use it standing in line. If push came to shove, we would utilize one of the campgrounds in TM and do day hikes. Although we’ve done most, if not all, of the day hikes before, see rule 1. So we spent the rest of the day checking out the available campgrounds (TM backpacker, Porcupine flat, etc).
The next day we hiked up the slope of Mt. Dana looking for wildflowers, especially lupine. We had seen some good stands of lupine in past years and wanted to get a few photos this year. Alas, with the dry conditions, the lupine were few and far between. However, see rule 1.
That afternoon we stopped by the wilderness office “just to check”, looked at the board, and Rafferty creek was wide open. Whoopee! A permit. Not the one we wanted but see rule 1. The plan was to hike up Rafferty creek to Vogelsang, cut across to Evelyn Lake and down the Ireland creek trail to the JMT, then up to the Lyle glacier. At least that’s what the ranger told us to do. Although it probably would have been ok to just follow the JMT all the way, we didn’t want to risk violating the rules, so up Rafferty creek we went, starting the next day.
Sand filled mule trail up to Vogelsang
The trip up Rafferty creek (which was bone dry, by the way) was more than I had remembered. It was hotter than normal and I was exhausted when we got to Vogelsang BP campground. In retrospect I probably should have mule shipped my pack to Vogelsang. We were both a little nauseated after our hike up and my son’s ankle was bothering him a little, so we decided to layover the next day to recuperate. That meant Lyle glacier was out of reach, but see rule 1. My son took a few star pictures that night.
The next day, our zero day, we day hiked up to Vogelsang pass. The view from the pass is one of the best in the Sierra, in my opinion. Someday I want to hike down to Bernice and explore the lakes in that area.
Yours truly crossing Fletcher creek
We both felt much better that evening. That night, my son took more star pics.
Storm’s a brewin’…no rain for us, though
Look closely and you can see me gazing at the stars
The next day, Thursday, we packed up and headed past Evelyn and the next unnamed lake, then up to a pass and down the Ireland creek trail. I had never been this way before and the view from the pass was outstanding. (see rule 1). I believe this is the Cathedral range (please correct me if I’m wrong). We reached the JMT and set up camp for the evening. There were a few campers who camped illegally on the river but we used a legal site, away from the trail and the river. I wanted to make life tough for the illegal campers….maybe more on that in another thread.
View from the pass
Near our campsite in Lyle Canyon
Friday we broke camp and headed back to TM via the JMT. Along the trail we saw a jack rabbit. It’s the first time I’ve seen one and it’s much larger than I imagined (rule 1 again). We have rabbits (bunnies) back east but nothing like that.
Reflection of sunrise on Lyle Fork
Leaving the Sierra behind, we exited Yosemite via 120, but we had one more thing to look forward to…. stopping at Nicely’s for breakfast. What a great way to end a trip.
Note: All photos courtesy of my son, aka Clemson Hiker
