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balzaccom wrote:Both version seems quite reasonable. May Lake is only a couple of miles, so if you are feeling adventurous, you might climb Mt. Hoffman while you are at it---it's the best view in all of Yosemite, IMHO.
And the only other issue is how you get back to your car, if you leave it at May Lake. I assume a shuttle...or a lift from a like-minded/nice-minded visitor.
Phil wrote:I also agree that when at May Lake, take the time to climb up Mt Hoffman. If you're ambitious, instead of staying at the sites up by May Lake, think about going a few miles more and camping at Raisin Lake.
The only things I would say is that you're doing a fair amount of backtracking, descending, then re-ascending, and by planning on staying at what are otherwise basically "campgrounds", you're missing out on the opportunity to camp in some really wonderful and much more private locations. You'll pass many...take advantage of that.
The only partial HSC route is causing some twists and turns. First of all, even if you hike up from Tioga Rd, the distance up to May is only a few miles, and if you go from the parking lot, it's just over a mile (you already spent 5 days in TM acclimatizing to the altitude...might as well take advantage of it). Another thing along those lines to think about is, even though you have a permit reserved for May Lake entry, with all the day hikes around Tuolumne (they're all well worthwhile), you could take a portion of the time you're there and just go ahead and begin your HSC loop by going out to Glen Aulin if that permit is available (easy hike, lower altitude, time to acclimate and get your trail legs going, allows you to then proceed on to May Lake from there). From May Lake, on to Sunrise, still going forward with no backtracking. By all means, camp at one of the Sunrise Lakes in lieu of the HSC, they're wonderful, Sunrise HSC, not so much. From there, up and over to Merced Lake via the Cathedral Fork/Echo Creek Trail. The extra effort going beyond Merced and up to Washburn for camping is also well worthwhile. After Merced, instead of going all the way back down to LYV, go up to the JMT at Sunrise Creek and be closer and higher up in proximity to the Half Dome spur trail; less people, nicer sites, plenty of water, earlier start up HD, no re-climbing the altitude you scrubbed going down to the LYV campground the day before. If you do decide to go back down along the Merced River from Echo Valley, stop short of LYV and find a far superior site around the footbridges above Bunnell Cascade, then either go forward and head up to HD, or backtrack and approach it from above on the JMT.
All in all, either of the itineraries you have are solid, but a few tweaks here and there will not only make it easier, it'll give you a better trip overall.
Phil wrote:Not a problem. Let's see if I can get everything.
All trailheads have 40% of their quota held as walk-ins. Those become available at 11am the day prior to your hike. You also have the option of waiting until the day of, but that's pushing it, especially for popular trailheads like Glen Aulin.
Yes, there are bear lockers at the May Lake trailhead, both at Tioga Rd and up the road in the May Lake parking lot proper. I don't want to confuse you here, but if you do want to go from below, on Tioga Rd there's a paved lot. That's not the one you want for your trailhead. The one you want is east about a quarter mile from there, dirt...looks more like a big pullout, but that's the one. Your trail is just across the road. Yes, there are lockers there too. DO NOT EVER leave a canister in any locker!! Instead, leave your food in garbage or grocery bags. If it's a resupply, en-route food drop you want, don't leave it at anything May Lake, leave it at the base of the Sunrise Trail down by Tenaya Lake (this is your HSC loop route., not back out to the road at May Lake...consult your map).
Sunrise Lakes are fine, even if you want to go towards Cloud's Rest. Lower Sunrise is closest to the trail junction, middle and upper are nicer and usually less crowded/more private. If you want to head towards CR for the night, the sites on the edge of Tenaya Canyon are on the flats just below the summit (somebody posted proper coordinates somewhere here), back in the trees, to the right. Critical to remember is that, yes, it's dry camping. For the night and next day, you'll need to bring all your water with you from the creek about 1.5 miles north of CR. That is the last water before the JMT junction below. It's important that you know roughly where it is beforehand. There is a spring on the trail about half of the way down the south side of the peak, but don't rely on or plan for it to be flowing. For Half Dome, definitely try to position yourselves up higher at the JMTxCR junction at Sunrise Creek...every reason there is.
The other way (to Merced Lake first): if you do go over the hill above Sunrise Lakes, through the HSC, then up and over to Cathedral Fork/Echo Creek, both should be flowing nicely. On Echo Creek, there are also some nice sites just above the first footbridge you come to.
Coming back from Merced Lake, definitely go up from Echo Valley and hit the JMT at Sunrise Creek. Again, camp at the JMTxCR junction. After HD, you can either return to that camp for the night (that's probably what you'll want to do), go ahead and exit at Happy Isles, or you can go back up the JMT to the same crossover you made coming back from Merced Lake, back to Echo Valley, down to the sites around the footbridges above Bunnell. This can be done immediately after coming back down from HD or the next day.The route is definitely longer, but the gorge that the Merced drops down is spectacular and worth it. So is the camping. Drop right on down and out to the Valley from there. It is more distance back out to Happy Isles, but you had a nice trip, saw everything you wanted to see, followed a fairly logical route, kept backtracking and re-climbing to a minimum, and, maybe best of all, you get to walk right on through LYV on your way to someplace else. Yay!
I think that's about it. If something's not clear, or I missed anything you wanted to know, ask.
masterv wrote:Re: DO NOT EVER leave a canister in any locker!!
Why is that ?? We have two bear canisters, so was hoping to carry only one from TM to Glen Aulin, Glen Aulin to May Lake, May Lake down to Tioga Rd. to Sunrise TH, and pick up the other bear canister already packed with our food for the rest of our hike.
So we would need to carry both bear canisters with us, one empty (to put our resupply in), one with our food for the first two days of the hike, correct ?
AlmostThere wrote:masterv wrote:Re: DO NOT EVER leave a canister in any locker!!
Why is that ?? We have two bear canisters, so was hoping to carry only one from TM to Glen Aulin, Glen Aulin to May Lake, May Lake down to Tioga Rd. to Sunrise TH, and pick up the other bear canister already packed with our food for the rest of our hike.
So we would need to carry both bear canisters with us, one empty (to put our resupply in), one with our food for the first two days of the hike, correct ?
You want to leave a full bear can in a public shared locker for someone to snag. "Oh, look, free stuff."
Yosemite has a jail and a judge, because it also has a crime rate. Without proof that it's yours a canister is up for grabs. Since you're gone for a few days, plenty of opportunity to snatch and go, and no one recognizes it as a crime. I've left a resupply in bear lockers in Yosemite in a grubby looking trash bag and come back to find it there - cannot say the same for the nice stainless coffee mug. If it looks like good stuff it's worth taking. Friend lost more than $100 worth of stuff in a trailhead locker earlier this summer. I do resupplies a little differently these days.
Generally I trust backpackers -- but people who are not backpackers or hikers will go hiking in Yosemite.
Are there bear boxes at the campsite at JMT/CR junction ? No, there are not.
I would use my backpack for a day pack - no need to take a day pack that way. Habituated bears are known to steal empty backpacks. Leaving it in the tent, as long as there is nothing with a smell - no wrappers, no food, no trash - in the tent with it, would be the second better option.
Phil wrote:I'm not sure the HD permit can be transferred with a change in entry trailheads. That's worth a call to verify, but it might be possible because your itinerary beyond where you come in and for passing by HD on the same dates still include it.
As AT just mentioned, if you value your canister, don't leave your canister. It's too much of a temptation, and really, loading a can with a properly prepared fresh supply of food only takes a few minutes.
Yes, there is a parking lot at the bottom of the Sunrise Trail. The route you see on your map, inclusive of crossing the road and hiking 0.7 miles is correct, and that is the HSC loop route.
No, that creek that's 1.5 miles north of CR isn't Tenaya Creek, which is the outlet for Tenaya Lake. The creek I'm talking about runs down from Sunrise Mountain and eventually feeds in right below Pywiack Cascade where it drops into Tenaya Canyon. You described it's location accurately (+/- 0.5 miles north of where the Forsyth Trail drops back down to the JMT), so I think you've got it. I don't think it has a name, so, henceforth, since I've mentioned it about 800 times over the past couple years, it will now be named after me, "Phil's Creek". Yes, as such, I hereby declare that it will be running in Sept.
And again, no, there are no lockers at the JMTxCR junction or the HD spur trail. This is the job of your canister. Yes, it's generally safe to leave your camp set up while you hike up HD, but you MUST maintain all food storage regulations to the letter, and since bears in that area will haul off packs, keep it and all of your unscented gear in your tent. Essentially, out of sight out of mind. This also applies to people. The only thing in your site should appear to be the tent itself.
Sorry, I don't use Nat geo maps or know their referencing system. But if it's near Sunrise Creek, it has water. If you can give me UTM coordinates I can check it. The only thing to consider in that area is that much of it burned a few years ago, but there are many good sites with water up there otherwise.
Yes, the footbridges (campsites) above Bunnell are about 4.5 miles from Merced Lake.
The Mist Trail won't be misty, and it'll be crowded. Do yourselves a favor, go left over the bridge at the top of Nevada Falls and take the JMT down to Happy Isles instead.
Phil wrote:That'll work just fine, Bill. I don't know of a specific site at location exactly, but that whole area is dotted with them. Some are trailside, and others require a little recon. Burn damage aside, further north on the JMT, just beyond the Echo Valley/Merced Lake x Forsyth Trail junction (the one up to Cloud's Rest) walk over the rise upstream along the creek to the left of the trail and there are some nice ones back in what's left of the trees there. That's visually. Coordinate-wise, about a klick further north and about half a klick further east of the ones you gave me. But, pick the right one down by the Cloud's Rest junction, and the views are incredible.
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