Re: Valley Hikes (Loop) Panorama and Four Mile Trails

http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?1,14172
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?1,14168

Any personal testimonies, confessions, or regrets about combining these two trails during a one day hike? Best direction? Use Mist or John Muir in section to or from Happy Isles? Start at Valley or Glacier Point?

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

My wife and I did this hike on the 13th. We started at the 4 Mile Trailhead. It was roughly 13 miles and took us 8 hours because we brought some newbies with us. It is a great hike and we will definitely do it again. I suggest parking at the backpacker parking lot near Happy Isles and catching the bus to stop #8, Yosemite Lodge. It adds about a 1/2 mile to the hike but the bus is easier in the morning than in the afternoon. If you want to wait until 9 am, you can transfer to the El Capitan bus that will take you right to the 4 Mile trailhead.

I just did this hike, here's some photos http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?1,12787,12787#msg-12787

We parked at the 4MT trailhead and hiked up to GP, then around and down the JMT, then walked back to the trailhead, it was about 18 miles. It was actually not that hard, though it's about 4,400 feet of total climbing. The views are spectacular from all vantage points, and you see Half Dome and the falls from so many different angles.

I did not at all enjoy the last stretch down the JMT due to the incredible number of people. I would not recommend going down the mist trail (wet 2-foot granite steps going down is not so fun!). I thought starting at the 4MT was the perfect place to begin. It'll take you at least a few hours to get up to GP, where you can enjoy your lunch, before heading back along the Pan trail. (Or, keep going and have lunch at Illouette Creek, awesome spot).

If you have a GPS, I have created a page at the popular website Everytrail, including photos and a downloadable GPS track with waypoints.

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=228149



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2009 03:16PM by cthenn.

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cthenn
wet 2-foot granite steps going down is not so fun!)

I've always enjoyed it. The part I don't like is from the bridge down to Happy Isles. Too many people in the way.

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eeek

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cthenn
wet 2-foot granite steps going down is not so fun!)

I've always enjoyed it. The part I don't like is from the bridge down to Happy Isles. Too many people in the way.

I've slipped going up, so I don't want to press my luck going down. Plus my knees prefer a regular trail

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cthenn

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eeek

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cthenn
wet 2-foot granite steps going down is not so fun!)

I've always enjoyed it. The part I don't like is from the bridge down to Happy Isles. Too many people in the way.

I've slipped going up, so I don't want to press my luck going down. Plus my knees prefer a regular trail

The only time I had trouble with traction it turned out to be clear ice coating everything. The trail was supposed to be closed but the gate at the bottom was open.

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cthenn
I did not at all enjoy the last stretch down the JMT due to the incredible number of people. I would not recommend going down the mist trail (wet 2-foot granite steps going down is not so fun!). I thought starting at the 4MT was the perfect place to begin. It'll take you at least a few hours to get up to GP, where you can enjoy your lunch, before heading back along the Pan trail. (Or, keep going and have lunch at Illouette Creek, awesome spot).

While it's a pretty long hike, I'd prefer ending it with the Mist trail. The steps are long ones, but the cool mist could feel pretty good on a warm afternoon. My choice would be to take the JMT from Nevada Fall, then the short connecting trail from Clark Point to Vernal and down the Mist trail. Reasoning is that I don't really care for the part of the mist trail below Nevada Fall (in late summer/autumn, it's hard to even stay on the trail because of the tracks going every which way). And, I care a lot less for the "John Manure Trail" from Clark to the Mist intersection. This way misses both, and is scenic the whole way.

(The "John Manure Trail" becomes the JMT again in winter and spring, until they start up the stables; while the switchbacks are a little tedious, it's not a bad walk and does save your knees)

A bit less intense way is to take the bus to Glacier from the Lodge, which gets you there about 10, and you arrive refreshed and ready to enjoy the Panorama trail down, instead of semi-beat from the 4.6 mile upward climb. Combined, I'd want to start very early, and take a break at Glacier for a snack and the view.

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Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

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Sierrafan

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cthenn
I did not at all enjoy the last stretch down the JMT due to the incredible number of people. I would not recommend going down the mist trail (wet 2-foot granite steps going down is not so fun!). I thought starting at the 4MT was the perfect place to begin. It'll take you at least a few hours to get up to GP, where you can enjoy your lunch, before heading back along the Pan trail. (Or, keep going and have lunch at Illouette Creek, awesome spot).

And, I care a lot less for the "John Manure Trail" from Clark to the Mist intersection. This way misses both, and is scenic the whole way.

(The "John Manure Trail" becomes the JMT again in winter and spring, until they start up the stables; while the switchbacks are a little tedious, it's not a bad walk and does save your knees)

Oh yeah, I forgot about that, we had to play Dodge 'em Horseshit on the way down, it was everywhere! Yeah, the fun ends at the end of the Pan trail, regardless.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2009 03:25PM by cthenn.