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Re: Cloud's Rest in September?

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avatar Cloud's Rest in September?
February 07, 2013 07:08PM
Looks like I will be staying up in Tuolumne Meadows during early September. Is a day hike to Cloud's Rest and back possible from one of the bus stops along Tioga Road (Sunrise Trailhead perhaps?) Seems like that might be a bit too ambitious?
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Pohono
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 07, 2013 08:01PM
If you start from the Sunrise trailhead at the mouth of Tenaya Lake it's very possible to do an out and back in one day. I believe the round trip is about 14mi.
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 07, 2013 08:27PM
Its doable, most people do it in a day. I overnighted it, awesome sunrise/sunset. All alone up there too.
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 07, 2013 10:18PM
Wow. That must have been amazing.
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hotrod4x5
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 07:04AM
Paris, if I may ask, what is your age? I am guessing 70 from your photo?
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 09:35PM
Handsome fellow, eh...
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Ohnivy-Drak
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 07, 2013 08:37PM
ba de ya, say do you remember
ba de ya, Clouds Rest in September
ba de ya, never have a lousy day....

thumbs up
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 07:11AM
dew ewe rememba cold mtn in octoba
(and where are all the benchmarks?)
(found about 15 or so since then FDA)

Paris, it's "only" right around 12 miles to and fro CR from Sunrise TH.
It's the easiest and quickest way up there. You'll have a lot of company.
It's very very popular. It doesn't match HD from the valley ... or CR from
the valley in views along the way... but, as I'm sure you well know,
the views from the top are supa dupa.

Have fun


Chick-on is looking at you!
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 09:36PM
Awesome. This is just what I needed to hear. Thanks!

Quote
chick-on
dew ewe rememba cold mtn in octoba
(and where are all the benchmarks?)
(found about 15 or so since then FDA)

Paris, it's "only" right around 12 miles to and fro CR from Sunrise TH.
It's the easiest and quickest way up there. You'll have a lot of company.
It's very very popular. It doesn't match HD from the valley ... or CR from
the valley in views along the way... but, as I'm sure you well know,
the views from the top are supa dupa.

Have fun
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 04:09PM
I've only been up there once, but it was amazing. There's also a cool overlook across from the trail junction to Sunrise Lakes. It's point (summit?) 9242 on the map I'm looking at. You can get a great view down Tenaya Canyon from there.

One of my favorite photos from our trip. I like how the handsome guy in the photo (me) gives it a sense of scale:



Here's one from the overlook I mentioned:



Have fun!
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Ulysses61
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 08:00PM
Clouds Rest is a very moderate day hike. My Garmin watch always lists it as 12.7 miles from Sunrise trailhead. The elevation gain is only 2200 feet. I usually hike Clouds Rest 12 or more times every year and September is always do-able. In fact, September and October are the best months to do it because you avoid the crowds.
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 08:49PM
Your Garmin said 12.1 last time.


Chick-on is looking at you!
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 08, 2013 09:38PM
This sounds totally doable then. Thanks so much.
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 10, 2013 01:13PM
You need to be realistic with what your abilities are. Only you know.
If CR is moderate... then pretty much every conceivable dayhike w/i reason of
of 120 is also moderate. YMMV


Chick-on is looking at you!
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DavidK42
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 10, 2013 07:28PM
Quote
chick-on
You need to be realistic with what your abilities are. Only you know.
If CR is moderate... then pretty much every conceivable dayhike w/i reason of
of 120 is also moderate. YMMV

Yes, I'd second that and re-emphasize the "YMMV" part of it: one person's "moderate" is another person's "shoot me now" trek. My wife and I did CR from Sunrise TH a number of years ago when we were in significantly "less able" shape than where we are now. I had no real issues (although I was plenty glad to get back in the car at the end of the hike) but the last mile or two was really rough on my wife...so much so that she was becoming somewhat disoriented and lost her way (on a generally very-easy-to-follow trail) when I got a bit ahead of her near the end. She in no way would have considered the hike moderate at the time.

On the other hand, I know people on this list who have gone Sunrise to CR, continued on to (and summitted) Half Dome and then descended down to Happy Isles, considering the whole thing as a pleasant day hike.

So, as chick-on says, know your limits. There's another thread going on on this board right now about Off the Wall (a book chronicling how people have died in Yosemite) and what we see in it again and again is people attempting things beyond their abilities and paying dearly for it.
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 10, 2013 08:27PM
Quote
Ulysses61
Clouds Rest is a very moderate day hike.

Rolling on floor laugh
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DavidK42
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 11, 2013 07:48AM
Should also point out that you'll gain your first 1000 feet going up to where you hit the junction with the Sunrise Lakes TH (the peak mentioned in Jason's post above) and then give back several hundred feet of it (can't recall exactly how much off the top of my head) on the other side so total gain from TH to CR is significantly more than the ca. 2000' net gain and it also means you have significant uphills in both directions. You should also factor in the elevation if you're not used to it (you'll start a little over 8K and peak just shy of 10K) so if you're not accustomed to hiking at those elevations, do give yourself a little time to get acclimated (i.e., if your schedule permits it, do a couple of shorter hikes in the area before this one).

I am by no means trying to discourage you from doing this, btw. It really is a beautiful hike with stunning views and well worth the effort...
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 10, 2013 11:23PM
I expect it to be a very tough day, but doable. Is it tougher than say the 15 miler from Merced Lake to Happy Isles? I have done than in a day with a 25 pound pack. I assume my day pack for CR would be much less weight and I could travel faster,
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 11, 2013 07:39AM
Merced HSC to Happy Isles bridge via JMT is about the same distance as CR dayhike.
(12.2 - ish miles by my calculation) (not sure how to get 15)
Regardless, you'll have fun. Enjoy the journey.

Just a note - Old Dood once told someone that CR was no biggie... and they came
back and asked if he was a big wall climber... that CR was very difficult... and OD was
off his rocker for saying it was anything but difficult..
Additionally Schaffer calls the hike Strenuous.
It's far better to go into something with the mindset of difficulty as opposed to ease.
You'd be surprised how much the mind plays into it.

Have fun


Chick-on is looking at you!
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 11, 2013 10:22AM
Quote
chick-on

Just a note - Old Dood once told someone that CR was no biggie... and they came
back and asked if he was a big wall climber... that CR was very difficult... and OD was
off his rocker for saying it was anything but difficult..
Additionally Schaffer calls the hike Strenuous.
It's far better to go into something with the mindset of difficulty as opposed to ease.
You'd be surprised how much the mind plays into it.

Have fun

It's long and there is elevation but there are nice places to stop and refresh. Sunrise junction, stream at 8880, the flat spot with views at 9400, and finally the top. There is shade almost everywhere so the sun isn't too bad. It's a very comfortable hike. The only hard part is the endless last mile or so on the way back, the parking lot keeps fading away into the distance.

Only the distance and altitude could make it "strenuous".


Old Dude
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chicagocwright
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 11, 2013 01:50PM
Part of the best hike of my life...


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DavidK42
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 11, 2013 02:27PM
Quote
chicagocwright
Part of the best hike of my life...


I remember this well from when you first posted it and it's still a really great video...thanks for shooting this!
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 12, 2013 09:42AM
CHI Guy,
Know I put this one up before...



But not this one



From April last year. Hope you enjoy. Know most don't watch these.
Have fun


Chick-on is looking at you!
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chicagocwright
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 12, 2013 10:46AM
Great videos. I know I have seen the first one. I didn't even know what a "cornice" was until last year---the knife edge ridge could have some nasty ones.
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 12, 2013 07:21PM
Nice.
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 12, 2013 07:20PM
No one else up there? Why do you think that was the case? Awesome video. Need to show it to the folks I am hiking with. Not sure if they all know how much of a "knife edge" it is.
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chicagocwright
Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 13, 2013 10:51AM
Quote
Paris92
No one else up there? Why do you think that was the case? Awesome video. Need to show it to the folks I am hiking with. Not sure if they all know how much of a "knife edge" it is.

You are touching a sore subject with me that I try my best to have a good attitude about. The issue is my hike was on a perfect weather middle of August day. It couldn't have been better. As you see in the video I was on Clouds Rest alone and later that afternoon (3-4) I have pictures showing I was on the cables and Half Dome alone. Two climbers of Snake Dike eventually joined me on Half Dome.

The sore spot is hearing about how "crowded" Yosemite is and how they needed to cut back on Half Dome permits, etc. And I don't disagree that they needed to do something. But it is my opinion that they have gone too far. The two competing sides are my picture showing empty Half Dome cables on a beautiful August day vs. the pictures showing long lines of people on the cables.

In fairness regarding Clouds Rest I had a very early start, I think 6am from Sunrise Trailhead and I believe it was 10 am when I was on top of Clouds Rest. During that stretch I saw a few overnighters in camps barely getting out of their tents as I went by and after being on Clouds Rest for about an hour I was joined by someone who had hiked from the Valley even earlier that morning. On my way down Clouds Rest toward Half Dome I ran into maybe 5 people.

I think Chick-On always says it, "Yosemite is only as crowded as you want it to be".
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 11, 2013 06:29PM
Found the post:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?1,2396,2396#msg-2396

Old Dood... I seem to have a picture of you on about HH switchback #4...
Pretty sure the airbags deployed then...

raven <--- that's a Raven tongue sticking out smiley


Chick-on is looking at you!
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 12, 2013 07:52PM
Quote
chick-on
Found the post:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?1,2396,2396#msg-2396

Old Dood... I seem to have a picture of you on about HH switchback #4...
Pretty sure the airbags deployed then...

And I have a picture of the bird while on the Davis Lake trip.


Old Dude
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avatar Re: Cloud's Rest in September?
February 15, 2013 06:45AM
Quote
mrcondron
Quote
chick-on

Just a note - Old Dood once told someone that CR was no biggie... and they came
back and asked if he was a big wall climber... that CR was very difficult... and OD was
off his rocker for saying it was anything but difficult..
Additionally Schaffer calls the hike Strenuous.
It's far better to go into something with the mindset of difficulty as opposed to ease.
You'd be surprised how much the mind plays into it.

Have fun

It's long and there is elevation but there are nice places to stop and refresh. Sunrise junction, stream at 8880, the flat spot with views at 9400, and finally the top. There is shade almost everywhere so the sun isn't too bad. It's a very comfortable hike. The only hard part is the endless last mile or so on the way back, the parking lot keeps fading away into the distance.

Only the distance and altitude could make it "strenuous".

I've found that distance is the single biggest influence on me. It does'nt matter whether it's predominately uphill or downhill. Those last miles can really drag on. Part of it is the pace one sets. Then there is the altitude and level of hydration issues. I think my biggest issue is setting a destination goal and succumbing to "gotta-get-there-itis". I end up getting there sooner than is really necessary. I've not done the CR day hike from Sunrise trailhead but have often thought about it. It is a long day hike and Mike is right about that endless last mile or so back to the Sunrise trailhead. Everybody's experience will be different.
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