Ten Lakes Pass Conditions as of 7-20-2011

Here are some pics!!!

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580603566nGLBGC

A friend and I spent the night at the top of Ten Lakes Pass on 7-20. There is snow from about a half mile before half moon meadow, none on the trail through the meadow, and then about 75% coverage in the trees up to the final switchbacks. There is no snow on the final 500' of switchbacks to the pass. The trail is under solid snow from the top of the switchbacks to what looked like the top of the switchbacks descending into Ten Lakes Basin.

Ten Lakes Basin is pretty patchy with snow, but mostly snow free. The southern most lake is half frozen still. The two visible from the pass are melted out. We didn't see the switchbacks down into the basin from the pass, but they are southeast facing and should be clear. (famous last words!)

The crossing of Yosemite Creek between Yosemite Campround and Yosemite Creek Trailhead on Tioga Road is crotch high and slow on a 6'2" man, and almost waist high on a 5'5"" woman.

There is still 30% snow at 8400' from the Ten lakes Trail to White Wolf. Everything that isn't under snow is wet. We started at Olmstead and ran into snow piles on the trail at about 8200' easily walked around, with bigger ones at 8400'.

We spent seven days hiking and saw only a couple clouds. There were practically NO MOSQUITOS on the trip - 40 miles or so. It didn't matter if it was on the rim - from North Dome to Yosemite Creek, the whole way up yosemite creek, or from the Ten lakes Trail to White Wolf - NO MOSQUITOS TO SPEAK OF. I slept with the screen on my tent open each night...

Jeffrey Olson
Santa Rosa, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2011 10:28AM by jjolson58.

Thank you very much for this update. I have hiked Ten Lakes every year except one since 1981 and I have never seen or heard of snow obstructing the trail this late in the year. Man!!

No pictures?

Here are six pictures from our trip of this last week. Hopefully the captions are self-explanatory...

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580603566nGLBGC

Jeffrey Olson
Santa Rosa, CA

Quote
jjolson58
Here are six pictures from our trip of this last week. Hopefully the captions are self-explanatory...

So I'm not the only one to take a picture of bear poop!