rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,685 
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Post by rebeccad on Feb 22, 2017 20:22:39 GMT -8
scary stories like Alpine Col Alpine Col isn't exactly scary. It's just a huge, annoying, exhausting pain in the rump. |
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almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
Posts: 696
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Post by almostthere on Feb 23, 2017 7:17:23 GMT -8
Or, more accurately, people who would have a wilderness left after herds of thousands of tourists are done trampling it into oblivion and leaving hundreds of pounds of trash. Me being one of those masochistic sorts who actually carry other people's sh!t out of the wilderness so you don't have to look at it.
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Post by georgeofthej on Feb 24, 2017 1:57:33 GMT -8
3. My girlfriend (not an experienced hiker but keen) wants to join me for a couple of days. I was thinking Happy Isles/ Glacier Point to Tuolumne on the JMT if I can get my permit would be the most logistically sensible stretch to join me for. What permit would she need or are you aware of any other sections along the way where she could join for a couple days?
Jon, The permit she would need to join you from Happy Isles to Tuolumne is either "Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley" or "Happy Isles pass through." The Little Yosemite Valley campground is the closest place to legally camp from the trailhead (it's also super crowded). The first permit I mentioned restricts you to starting at Happy Isles and spending your first backcountry night at the Little Yosemite Valley campground. After the first night, you are free to wander and camp anywhere. The second permit--the "pass through"--means you have to pass beyond the Little Yosemite Valley campground for your first night. I can't remember how far beyond the Little Yosemite Valley campground you are suppose to camp with the "pass through" permit, maybe a mile.
Glacier Point, as you know, is also a good alternative trailhead if she can't get the Happy Isles permit. If I remember correctly, there is a "Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley" permit and maybe also a "pass through."
A third permit that would give her a little time with you would be "Sunrise." She would have to hike up to the JMT to meet you part way between Happy Isles and Tuolumne.
All these trailheads are popular and the permits are hard to get. Have you been to the National Park Service Yosemite website? That's where you can get info on the permits. It's a government website so it's a little bit difficult to navigate around it and find the info you want, but it's there.
Just in case you didn't know, there's been way more snowfall this winter than normal, so that could possibly make hiking a bit more challenging this year in some spots, even in late August.
Good luck--it sounds awesome!
---George
Edit on 2/27/17 to add: If you're still around. Jon, disregard what I wrote about snow. After looking into it more, I realize it would take many more storms late this winter and into early spring to amass the epic snowfall totals needed to make for more difficult hiking in mid to late August. From everything I've read, snow is not a problem in August even in heavy snow years.
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speacock
Trail Wise!
I'm here for the food...
Posts: 378 
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Post by speacock on Feb 27, 2017 19:06:07 GMT -8
Normal snow year has snow level above 11,000' on or about Father's Day in June. Heavier snow years still have considerable (but passable) snow on 12,000+ passes end of July...but melting fast.
Streams this year will be an adventure all summer.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Feb 28, 2017 23:22:26 GMT -8
Yeah I do mean the Sierra High Route (not trail), I keep making that mistake when I talk about it. I've got the Roper book and I'm used to off trail and talus so while this will be a big step up for me in terms of length and logistics it seems like it shouldn't be too far out of my comfort zone from what I've read so far. And yes I'd be thinking of going over Blue Lake Pass instead of Donahue Pass if I can't get the JMT permits I want. Anyone done that stretch over Blue Lake? Any thoughts on it? Yes. Blue Lake Pass is a nice route, pretty thickets of big lupine and lots of turf cut with streams, coming from the Merced side would be easier as the ledges will be seen heading up, we just had to wander and test routes to see what worked (mostky trended north as I remember) , once down at the north Fork of the San Joaquin were you going downstream or up and over Ritter Banner ( now there the route finding gets interesting). I dropped in further upstream from around Davis Lakes: an angle of repose talus chute with blocks the size of kitchen tables that mostly all moved when our full weight was on them. Paying full attention to each and every step was key. The drop in was maybe class 4 or low 5 for about fifteen or twenty feet where the headwall was vertical from the freeze fracturing. A reminder that Steve Roper was a rock climber laying out a backpacking route.  That wouldn't be a stretch for a person inexperienced in traveling over very rough trail less terrain (a lot of the flatter ground is still continuous big talus blocks): but by simply heading further on trail to Isberg Pass the same genersl direction could work. Start at Mono Meadows together, over Red Peak Pass and onward over Isberg etc around under Ritter/Banner to Devils Postpile from where you could continue on and she could leave. Mammoth has connections to the YARTS bus system for s return to Yosemite to grab a car or head further to Merced or Fresno fir transportation options. |
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Image Credit / Coolkat
