Doug and Jou on Clouds Rest with Half Dome in the background.
It's been a very fine summer!
I've got in some of the best World-Class hiking of my entire life.
I'm afraid I haven't been very good at keeping up this site, though.
My last entry was January, the Flag Hill hike with Doug.
He did great.
In fact, he's been on several hikes with me since then.
We'll get back to him in a minute.
Early spring, about May, I was inspired to try the Clouds Rest Hike.
Unfortunately, I got there a few days early and Tioga Pass wasn't open yet.
<Sigh>
So I did "4-mile trail" instead.
It runs from the valley up to Glacier Point, approximately 10 miles total round-trip.
You go from about 4,000' in the valley to about 7,200' at Glacier Point so you're gaining about 3,200'.
I got some excellent photo's of the entire Yosemite Falls in good light.
I also had a Nestles Crunch Ice Cream bar up top in memory.
Two weeks later I went back and tried Clouds Rest.
It's 14 miles round trip and although there's only about 2,500' elevation gain, you start at about 8,000 and finish about 10,000'.
I live at sea level.
Needless to say, I didn't make it that time.
(Although jumping up at 2 am to drive to Yosemite, attempt this hike, and then drive back to the bay area makes this hike even bigger.)
Well, I got Wilderness plus Half Dome permits, two people for two days, with camping at Little Yosemite Valley.
Awesome, but difficult to get. (*See below.)
So, I invited Doug.
We loaded up our packs and went.
(17 miles round-trip, 5,000' gain.)
One day in to Little Yosemite Valley where we camped.
Next day we did Half Dome.
Third day we walked out and went home.
It was awesome!
But what about Clouds Rest?
I had one last chance for a big hike this summer.
Could we do it?
We decided to jump up at 2 am to drive to Yosemite.
Then the plan was to wait for on open campsite at the nearest first-come, first-served campground, Porcupine Flat.
After waiting for most of an hour with no openings, we decided to go for it and worry about later, later.
We started hiking at 8 am.
We didn't get out until 8 pm, about an hour after dark... not sunset; dark.
I only took us two little single-aaa flashlights, one each, and we didn't use those!
It was a half moon and you are better off without a light.With one you only see what the lights pointed at, nothing else.
God, it was an awesome hike.
We want to do it again, when we can camp closer to the peak instead of having to leave within half an hour.
Also, to do it when we are not so tired with jello-muscles.
(Listen: I'm 62 year's old and spent lots of my life NOT exercising. These hikes are not exactly easy, even for youngsters.)
We neither one of us, quite made the top here.
It was scary, but I was more worried about my jello-muscles failing me.
You know, that jello-jiggle?
Besides, I already knew we were running late and it would be dark when we got out.
But we did get to the flat spot just down from the peak-ridge.
Anyway, it was an awesome trip.
And Doug made it with me.
In fact, neither one of us would have made it alone.
He drug me when I was burned out, and I drug him when necessary also.
But we got there!
Whole lotta people can't say that.
Check the pictures and hikes pages for more details, OK?
I'll try to get them up soon.
And maybe next year we'll do a through hike from Tenaya Lake to the valley or something.
I loved the idea of the Benson loop, but that's a pretty big hike for us.
Well, we'll see.
Y'all have a good day now.
Ya hear?
Jou Baur
*For Half Dome permits you must apply 6 months in advance on a specific day.
Here is the Wilderness Reservation Window.
It give you the exact date to apply.
RSS Feed