going from sea level to Tuolumne will cause you're resting heart rate to go up quite a bit--initially. And of course your moving heart rate as well. I've had issues with afib and so started monitoring my heart rate pretty carefully over the last four years or so. I find that after about 6-8 hours my heart rate starts to come down. After a day or so at elevation it comes down enough that I can stoby hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
that sun hat...those sun grubbies...the sun shirt...I own them all! That's some damn fine stylin', IMO.by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Lyell glacier: yeah, I was kind of shocked at how it looked about three weeks ago. I don't remember ever seeing so little snow/ice up there over about 25 years, but that may be my faulty memory. One hiker said that Lyell had been declassified as a glacier because it was shrinking, not growing. I don't know.by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Wherever, you may well be right. My info comes from one brief phone conversation with someone at Yos, Conservancy who seemed awed--even rattled--by the recent thunderstorms. I was asking after a Tuolumne permit, so it's possible that's the only region affected.by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Apparently lightning has caused some power failures in the park. Yosemite conservancy tells me that trail reservations are 100% first come first served because there is no internet connection. I don't know how widespread this outage is. I'm going in on Wed; should be interesting in terms of obtaining a permit. Usually not a problem, even same day, for just me, arriving by 11:00 at big Oak Flat. Bby hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yep, I'll be leaving in the morning, so the gate shouldn't be a problem--but thanks for pointing this out; could have been a real issue for sure! so after consulting a map at home, everything is much clearer. I'm looking forwrd to this hike!by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I've got my wilderness permit all locked in nice and neat. I was told that I could pick it up at BOF. But I understand about clogging the line at BOF unnecessarily. Sorry for my unpreparedness here...again, I've never hiked from this trailhead...happy to go to to HH entrance station...I'll google it, but is it on the way in? And yes I'll be driving in from Berkeley and setting out on Friday, soby hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Your pictures have inspired me to hike this loop starting next friday. any advantages to going counter clockwise? Oh, also, since I've never hiked here before, I guess you just find parking near the trailhead? take the Hetch Hetchy turn off (left) from 120?by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Damn! that's more snow than I expected. Maybe I'll bring my beater nordic skis...by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks eeek. I called the automated park phone; they report the road closed but give no estimated opening date. Oh well, there's always the backpacker campground in the valley!by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I'm supposed to be in Tuolumne tomorrow...anybody have an update?by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yep I think you're right. Young Lakes are at 10,000 feet...there's gonna be snow. (Actually it looks like there's going to be some fresh snow over the next few days!) Thanks for the reply and hello Waterwheel!by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I'm taking my neighbor on a trip to Glenn Aulin next Thursday. He want an easy trip. I'd like to go up to Young Lake on the way back but wonder about snow around the lake. We wont be set up for snow camping. Any other year and it would be a foregone conclusion that there would be snow; this year, I wonder. I don't think that snow on the trail to the lake will be a deal killer. thoughts?by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Well there ya go. I was just up last week and man the weather was warm! so of course I stopped checking weather conditions. 120 opened on the day I came out.by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
re: mosquitoes: cover up with tight weaves.. Nylon hiking pants and a sun shirt, possibly spritzed with permethrin (the shirt; no need to spritz the nylon pants) will keep 'em from biting. A head net is crucial. I wear sun grubbies on my hands; spritzed with deet they keep the skeeters from biting my hands. So essentially I'm 100% covered up and it makes things SO much better.by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I didn't see that coming...snow, during a heat wave? Avalanche snow?by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks chick-on. That last picture pretty much tells me everything that I was curious about. That and what you said about Sunrise. Just a pathetic snow pack. I actually enjoy spring snow, to a certain point. Gotta go; times a melting!by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I'm assuming these photos were taken very recently. Any comments about the snow-line?by hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Benson Lake: excellent fishing. And lots of standing water all around. Terrible, terrible mosquitoes, when they're out. Except that it's often windy, which can be a saving grace. So yes, don't forget the netting! I personally prefer Rodgers lake to Benson, although they're two etirely different kinds of lakes, it that makes sense. But it's hard to avoid Benson in that no matter how you apby hegel - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Whoo-hoo! I'm ready for snow; bring it on! (sorry if anyone has hiking plans for next week...just one man's humble reaction...)by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
This is an interesting phenomenon: people don't take a map or know where they are on a trail; they meet a total stranger and ask crucial questions, then accept that what the stranger tells them is accurate. And yes I've done this too, especially while driving or walking in the city. Usually works out; sometimes not. Related to this is following tracks in the snow and assuming that the tracks aby hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Chick-on: yep, the solo-mid would be my first choice in this type of tent, but I got a good deal on a used Hexamid solo and so went with that. It's a good tent but I have a few concerns about its single pole structural design. (Probably unfounded concerns as many other people give this tent good reviews in that regard. ) Also, I regret that the body doesn't drop low to the ground all the way arouby hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Since you came through high, safe and dry I think it's alright to say that the picture of your tent is...both funny and concerning. I'm sure that the whole aspect is exaggerated by your shoveling. I'm only writing this because I was just hammered by rain during the same time frame, but up in the Trinity Alps, where the structural integrity of my single pole tent came into question. Everything tuby hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Just came back from Trinity Alps: snow.by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Where did you get the information regarding the future outlook? Noaa weather report. I also check Weather channel.by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yeah but in an interesting twist the guy who's carrying the big can is envious of the guy with the little one.by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
For what it's worth: forecast for Lake Tahoe starting Friday through the weekend is for clear skies; that is, no smoke. The wind is supposed to change--good for Tahoe, bad for Yosemite. Areas of smoke at Tahoe until then. Since we're past Labor Day it may be easy to get wilderness permits.by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
A single woman hiker once told me about seeing a couple of guys just before she set up her tent one night. Later that night she heard footsteps outside of her tent. She asked who was there. Still later she heard more footsteps. No answer to her calls. After a third time she yelled that she had a gun; you guys better go away. In the morning she found deer prints all around her tent. Of course sheby hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Holy cow...good wishes to Groveland. Which looks deserted. Good wishes for all of the local communities and for the firefighters too.by hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
ttiley: yep, it was just that area from the "road" which on the map looks like it might have avalanche possibilites. I'm just going to have to do this trip myself pretty soon to see what's what. It looks really great from your photos. Thanks for the warning; I doubt that I'd make it to Stony Ridge Lake on a day ski anyway. p.s. the nice thing about this trailhead in the winter isby hegel - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion