Re: Is GCT next weekend reasonable?

We are planning a 3 or 4 night trip next weekend. Given how little snow we had this winter, I am wondering whether the GCT from WW to TM is feasible. How bad do you think the creek crossings will be? Those logs across Paiute I see in various threads here are not the kind of thing my wife is up for (she will cross on a log if she must, but that log needs to be sturdy and barky, not skinny and smooth).

If GCT is inadvisable, any and all alternative suggestions welcome.

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God save the Queen!

The logs of which you speak you do not cross going WW to TM via GCT.
(those logs are in Pleasant Valley)
Actually you don't even cross the Piute on the route you are talking... only Morrison and Register w/o bridges.
Both should be more or less a non-issue now. Amount of snow is ridonkulously low this year.
Give it a go.

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Thanks for the encouragement!

A few more questions:

Is YARTS the way to get from TM to WW? http://www.yarts.com/schedule/2012/2012-04-17%20HWY%20120%20Summer%202012.pdf

Is it worth going down via Harden Lake at the expense of a little bit more distance?

Assuming we take three nights to do it, any especially recommended camp spots?

Any good side trips (especially off-piste) we should do (we can add one more night, if required)?

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Royalist
Is YARTS the way to get from TM to WW?

Looks like it would work. Me. I personally just don't do shuttle trips. Pain in the rump.
Out and back or loop for dis bird. Can you add a day or two and just do the
entire loop? Missing a lot. Start at White Wolf and zig all the way around Past Ten Lakes, etc.
We've done this trip in 6 days with a LOT of play time. Could be done in 5 days ...
it's "only" about 47 miles.
I like to drive up and get hiking asap without a lot of farting around though.

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Royal
Is it worth going down via Harden Lake at the expense of a little bit more distance?

Harden is actually the way to go from White Wolf.

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Royal
Assuming we take three nights to do it, any especially recommended camp spots?

With 3 nights you can get to Pate on day 1 and explore.
Day 2 get to Cathedral Creek entrance.
Day 3 to Glen Aulin (proper, not the HSC).
Day 4 out
4 days that way should be fairly leisurely...

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Royal
Any good side trips (especially off-piste) we should do (we can add one more night, if required)?

There's lots to explore around Glen Aulin and it's domes...
Pate has some interesting things in it.
If you did the WW-Ten Lake-GCT loop... then there's a zillion things to explore...

There's plent of TRs on this forum ... but you have to search to find them since everything is lumped
into one category...

Since I'm writing this... I show you mine from 2 years ago.
I got skunked on my hiking THRU the Muir Gorge last year... pretty sure I'll do that this year... anywho..
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,26056

Have fun

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Quote
chick-on
Can you add a day or two and just do the entire loop? ... Start at White Wolf and zig all the way around Past Ten Lakes, etc.

Dat bird will be da death o' me!

If (and it's a very big "if" right now), we do the loop, how's this:

Day 1: White Wolf to Pate Valley ~9.5 miles
Day 2: Pate Valley to Cathedral Creek ~7 miles
Day 3: Cathedral Creek to Glen Aulin HSC (and maybe a cooked meal and a BEER and no need to dig a hole) ~6.5 miles
Day 4: Glen Aulin HSC to S Fork Cathedral ~10 miles
Day 5: S Fork Cathedral to Ten Lakes ~5 miles
Day 6: Ten Lakes to White Wolf ~10.5 miles

Total just under 50 miles by the time we noodle round a bit.

Drive up from the Bay Area day 1, or maybe drive up late and overnight the night before. Drive home day 6.

Day 3 we could appease the purists here (cough-on-cough) bypass GA and camp at McGee, tho' last time we went through there we couldn't see anywhere decent to pitch a tent and ended up at GA. I actually think the BP camp at Glen Aulin is decent if you go all the way up the back.

Dunno what the camping is like around S Fork of Cathedral? Looks like it would be bug city. I am, of course, assuming that there will be water there. Come to that, I have a concern that there could be some inconvenient snow around there.

Comments? Suggestions?



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/09/2012 06:33PM by Royalist.

Quote
Royalist

If (and it's a very big "if" right now), we do the loop, how's this:

Day 1: White Wolf to Pate Valley ~9.5 miles
Day 2: Pate Valley to Cathedral Creek ~7 miles
Day 3: Cathedral Creek to Glen Aulin HSC (and maybe a cooked meal and a BEER and no need to dig a hole) ~6.5 miles
Day 4: Glen Aulin HSC to S Fork Cathedral ~10 miles
Day 5: S Fork Cathedral to Ten Lakes ~5 miles
Day 6: Ten Lakes to White Wolf ~10.5 miles

Other than the disappointment that there is no beer served or sold at the HSCs, that is a nice loop. Since plans can change, here are a few other campsite possibilities: There is a great campsite maybe a mile before the Register Creek crossing--look for an obvious use trail leading toward the base of a cascade after the first real descent after Pate Valley. There is another nice one just above Waterwheel, below the trail in a wooded area. Glen Aulin valley has several--mostly north of the trail, although there is also a minimal site between the trail and the brink of California Falls that could be attractive if Glen Aulin is buggy...

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Royalist

Day 3 we could appease the purists here (cough-on-cough) bypass GA and camp at McGee, tho' last time we went through there we couldn't see anywhere decent to pitch a tent and ended up at GA. I actually think the BP camp at Glen Aulin is decent if you go all the way up the back.

Dunno what the camping is like around S Fork of Cathedral? Looks like it would be bug city. I am, of course, assuming that there will be water there. Come to that, I have a concern that there could be some inconvenient snow around there.

I would not camp at McGee--either stop short at Glen Aulin (HSC or the valley), or continue to the tarns on the northeast rib of Tuolumne Peak--IMHO the best campsite on the entire loop, and among the best in the park. Given how dry Tuolumne Meadows was earlier this week, I don't think mosquitoes (or snow) will be much of an issue anywhere on this loop, except perhaps Ten Lakes. If it's too buggy there, fill up on water and camp past the lakes, after the climb out of their basin.

Listen to basil.

A few other comments / additions. The tarn he speaks of is a sweet little spot.
My only complaint is that as of 2009 a bunch of yahoos had to build a firepit
up there above 9600. Perhaps it's all cleaned up and back to the way it should be.
Would have cleaned up the area last time was there but we just went thru
a 8 hour rainstorm so we were more interested in just packing ourselves up.
Anyway... McGee. Yeah. Well... if you look at this VERY recent thread:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,56017,56135#msg-56135
Well.. those last 2 photos... that is where I slept. Actually I think it trumps the tarn.
But... I had the luxury of recent snowfall and not having to lug up water from McGee.
(then again I was just a lazy butt at that point and it's really not THAT far)
Ten Lakes is in the same realm with me... slept at the lakes a couple of times...
but Colby and Grant trump them as places to sleep in my noggin.
A couple of the lakes have great backdrops though so there is some great sites there.
I personally tend to zig the heck away from where I know eveyone else is gonna be.

Near the tarn is a fairly easy trek up to Tuolumne Peak. I've taken noobs up there so
IMHO almost anyone can get up there from the tarn.

On the last day you could take z wifie up to Lukens and hang for a bit... then have
her go out Lukens TH and you go get the car from WW ... or not.
(the out from Lukens SHOULD be trivial and foolproof... ) (but... YMMV)

Snow won't be any issue really... and the crossing of SF Cath should be easy too.
Camping down there would not be high on my list due to probably buggy situation.
(camping atop domes and ridges and places is high on my list too)

Hope this helps
Have fun

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2012 07:51AM by chick-on.

Quote
chick-on
take z wifie up to Lukens ... then have her go out Lukens TH and you go get the car from WW

More like the other way around - she usually kicks my butt, so she can do the extra leg-work while I rest up a while longer.

Seriously though, nice suggestion to drop by Lukens, tho' I suspect wee beasties will want to have a wee feastie on our blood there.

PS: We'll bust up any inappropriate fire rings we find at the tarns.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2012 08:22AM by Royalist.

OK, factoring all the advice so far in, along with a lengthy session flying around in Google Earth, and assuming that the tarns are right next to the trail before one drops down into the S Fork Cathedral Creek valley (is that right?), I get this (per Garmin MapSource):

1 - White Wolf to Pate Valley 8.1 mi
2 - Pate Valley to Cathedral Creek 8.6 mi
3 - Cathedral Creek to Glen Aulin HSC 6.3 mi
4 - Glen Aulin HSC to Tuolumne Peak Tarns 6.9 mi
5 - Tuolumne Peak Tarns to Ten Lakes 8.0 mi
6 - Ten Lakes to White Wolf 9.3 mi

White Wolf to White Wolf 47.2 mi

We could shorten day 2 and lengthen day 3, depending on how we feel, and what camp site options there are between Register Creek and Cathedral Creek.

Day 5 we could nip up Tuolumne Peak before breakfast.

We know a spot at Ten Lakes that seems to avoid the crowds pretty well.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2012 08:29AM by Royalist.

You got the tarn, yes.
But Pate is a bit further.... when you finally get down to the bottom...
you do a long traverse and by then you will be saying "are we there yet!?!?!"
It's about 10 miles to Pate where the bridges are.

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Quote
chick-on
It's about 10 miles to Pate where the bridges are.

The estimable Mr Donehoo says there is a good spot a couple of miles before you get to the bridges:

http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/tuolumne/tuolumne007.htm (2nd pic)
http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/tuolumne/tuolumne009.htm (text)

I think that makes for a better division of the effort between days 1 & 2.

That tarn is not a good place to camp imho. It's a nice place to watch and photograph
dragonflies... and garter snakes... but I wouldn't camp there. No way.

Maybe atop the knoll to the north of it... but not at the pond.

EDIT: ok. he is talking lower down... but ... it's flat from then on and just go to Pate proper...
you'll just have to believe me... and I sent you a PM already with what to do there.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2012 06:32PM by chick-on.

Quote
chick-on
That tarn is not a good place to camp imho.

You didn't read the text - his spot is about 1/2 mile further on. Description and pic: http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/tuolumne/tuolumne010.htm (Edit: OK - I see you revised your comment.)

Dunno what has gone down between you and Mr. D in the past, but his TR for the Red Peak Pass loop was gold when we did that three years back, and he seems to have poked into some good spots down the years. He does have a strange sense of humour (as do I)...

Bottom line - if my knees and feet beg me to, we'll stop early; otherwise we'll press on to the bridges. If we stop early, we will explore near the bridges the next day.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2012 09:32AM by Royalist.

I did. I edited my reply. You must have missed it.

EDIT: you edited and saw that I edited my edited edit.

Yes, bottom line... hike while you are enjoying it... when it gets too much or painful
stop and smell the roses. I just mentioned going to Pate and then to Rodgers
to the wifie on an upcoming trip and she told me that there is no way in heck she is going to
go up out of Pate on day 1 again!

Bottom line: have fun

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2012 06:33PM by chick-on.

I see that the GA HSC is not open next weekend, so no fleshpots for us. Any specific spots in Glen Aulin proper that we might camp? Is there any restriction how close you can be to the HSC when it is closed?

There is a backpacker's campground just north of the Glen Aulin HSC...maybe couple hundred yads, with marked campspots.

Quote
Bearproof
There is a backpacker's campground just north of the Glen Aulin HSC...maybe couple hundred yads, with marked campspots.

We have stayed in that (tip - go all the way through and up the last short climb to reach the best spots); what I wanted to know was where we might camp in Glen Aulin valley (the broad valley on the Tulomne below the HSC bridges).

In the link above there were maps and also a sunset shot from our campspot.
Camped there a few times. Always has been nice and sweet and fairly solitude.

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Just got confirmation of the permit reservation for this Friday. Final plan (per Garmin MapSource):

1 - White Wolf to Pate Valley 9.5 mi
2 - Pate Valley to Cathedral Creek 7.2 mi
3 - Cathedral Creek to Glen Aulin* 6.3 mi
4 - Glen Aulin to Tuolumne Peak Tarns 6.9 mi
5 - Tuolumne Peak Tarns to Ten Lakes 8.0 mi
6 - Ten Lakes to White Wolf 9.3 mi

Plus Tuolumne Peak Tarns to Tuolumne Peak ~0.9 mi each way

Total ~49.0 mi, but I'll bet we'll end up well over 50 miles in reality.

"Pictures at eleven"...

* - if we have the energy, we may go on to "Chick-on peak" that day



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2012 02:03PM by Royalist.

Recent TR, might be of some use to you:
http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7789

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QITNL
Recent TR, might be of some use to you

Very useful -thanks!

Interesting that he says "I had forgotten how nice the camping was down at the river below Pate Valley. Pate Valley itself is miserable."

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Royalist

Quote
QITNL
Recent TR, might be of some use to you

Very useful -thanks!

Interesting that he says "I had forgotten how nice the camping was down at the river below Pate Valley. Pate Valley itself is miserable."

He is a she.

What she is talking about is the area North of the bridge crossings when you head east and up Canyon.
That area can get quite gooshy.... but gooshy also means it can have some great wildflowers.

Pate Valley a bit west of the bridges on the North is/can be very nice (I've camped there)... and
the area South of the bridges... before you cross going up canyon... that all looks like Mr. Doyle's picture.
That area will be full of duff and large trees and dry and nice.

Have fun

o... btw... worse case... remember you can always just go back to your original plan-ish and just
fly out the trail out to TM ... but then you are stuck with trying to hitch back to your car.
Usually not a problem in Yosemite though.

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Quote
chick-on
Pate Valley a bit west of the bridges on the North is/can be very nice

That's good to know if the S side is "crowded" (my definition of "crowded" is when I can see/hear other people). Sorry to sound so obsessive about where to camp in that area, but I am expecting us to be too beat to want to do a lot of hunting for camp sites (which is what we would normally do).

Speaking of which, I am not sure exactly where the camp site from which you took the photos in the other thread is? Were you actually on top of the peak marked 9134, or on the ridge to the NE of the summit? And how did you get up there - from McGee, or from GA?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2012 06:39AM by Royalist.

OK. Maybe I wasn't clear.

This should clear things up.
Map:


1 was in this thread
Sunset at #1:

That whole set with maps and stuff is here

2 was in this thread
Suset at #2:


Ok, actually a little bit lower than #2.

I have never been up on 9134 / Falls Ridge East. Have only done the West Portion.
If interested you can search for that... or I can just find the link if you really want it.

Amazingly there are no campfire rings anywhere along the ridge of #2. And there are a bunch of campspots lower.
I'm with you in that if I see other people... I picked the wrong spot.

Have fun

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Was gonna throw this up in prev post... but forgot:

Basil's trip to the tarns last year:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,47029,47029#msg-47029

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