Re: TM Trip--a big thanks!

Thanks to everyone on this site who gave me advice on my Tuolumne Meadows trip. We just got back from 4 days in TM. It was fantastic, SO much better than the valley, in almost every way. The scenery crushes what you get in the valley. The mountains up there are incredible, so much variety too! Cathedral Peak has to be one of the most beautiful mountains in all of Yosemite.

We ended up doing Dog Lake and Lembert Dome on Day 1. Outstanding views, and an easy hike for such a great reward. Dog lake is acutally pretty nice lake, with a bonus sandy beach. Day 2 we did Mt Hoffmann. May lake is VERY nice, with Hoffmann looming above it. A little crowded though. The hike up to Hoffmann was kind of ordinary, but the payoff was great. The last few hundred feet up to the summit was a fun little scramble. Too bad there's that ugly-ass radio antenna.

Day 3 we did Mt. Dana. I thought I would have to stop after getting pretty woozy once we got to the plateau, but once we got to the talus field, it was very challenging and fun to pick a route...made me forget about my sickness. The summit has to have one of the most magnificent views in all the sierras. Every direction you look, nothing but jagged peaks made of all different kinds of rocks, or the classic Mono Lake view.

I'll be sure to return many more times next year. There are still so many lakes to see, and peaks to conquer!

Come back often!

Don't tell anybody else.

We don't want it to turn into the valley.