Looking for a few answers/recommendations/tips

[Sankaty]

My wife and I have our permits in order and our itinerary is set but I wanted to ask a few last minute (YNP rookie) questions.

1) We'll be doing the Half Dome cables on day 2 of 4. Can we stash our packs somewhere before this ascent? Would you recommend we take the bear canister out and hang the packs separate?

2) After HD, we plan to tent on the JMT heading East/North-East just past the junction for Clouds Rest. Is this a good tenting area? The next morning we plan to continue on the JMT and take the first trail (unnamed?) on the right (South-East) heading towards Merced Lake.

3) Although we don't plan on having a fire, I'm curious to know if it is allowed in the area mentioned above?

Thanks for any help you could offer.

[KC]

I doubt you'll have any problems stashing your gear. I stashed my gear, including my cannister, in some bushes on a slope a bit south of the HD/JMT junction last year. It was there when I returned from HD so no problems. I did wear my pack, but it was empty aside from my water bladder and some food.

There are also plenty of places to camp at the JMT/Cloud's Rest trail junction. There are bears near the junction and I heard plenty of banging pots and pans during the evening. I was really happy that I did not camp at a great site just up from the junction along the Cloud's Rest trail. Beautiful views, but I'm not sure the people who settled at that site got great sleep. Most of the noise seemed to be coming from their vicinity.

[cjoz]

1) Sounds like you are hiking up from Happy Isles? Camping in Little Yosemite Valley? If in striking distance, I'd leave the site set up w/ my non-food items in the tent and cannister nearby. You can just take your empty pack (i.e. other than dayhike essentials) to the base of the cables.

Otherwise pretty sure you can find a place to stash and unlikely other people will mess with your stuff. I would however keep your can separate from your pack.

2) I've camped at the JMT/CR junction. If you're heading up the JMT, go over the log crossing the stream right after you hit the metal trail junction sign and bear RIGHT on the little footpath going along the stream. That will lead you through some trees into an open area under the trees w/ a fire ring. View isn't great but we didn't get any visitors last month. Brook rushes around it, so other than mosquitoes, it's verra nice.

3) Fires allowed below 9600 unless there are some weather/temp. restrictions in effect. You'll be below that level for your trip.

[Sankaty]

KC, thanks for the heads-up on bears in that area. I'll be sure to take all the nessessary precausions.

cjoz, We're actually starting at Mono Meadow, tenting somewhere in the Illilouette basin, tenting near the JMT/CR junction, tenting near Merced Lake, exiting via Happy Isles. Does this trip sound good?

The area with the fire ring that you describe sounds great. To clarify, this area is about 1/2 mile after the CR/JMT junction off the JMT? I'd like to get a better idea of where this area is before we hit the trail.

[cjoz]

KC, thanks for the heads-up on bears in that area. I'll be sure to take all the nessessary precausions.

cjoz, We're actually starting at Mono Meadow, tenting somewhere in the Illilouette basin, tenting near the JMT/CR junction, tenting near Merced Lake, exiting via Happy Isles. Does this trip sound good?

The area with the fire ring that you describe sounds great. To clarify, this area is about 1/2 mile after the CR/JMT junction off the JMT? I'd like to get a better idea of where this area is before we hit the trail.

I haven't come from Mono Meadow but sounds better than slogging up the JMT from HI. Anyway once you head up the JMT out of Little Yose. Valley you will ascend a bit and the Half Dome trail will break off to the left (north west). You will continue on JMT for another 1/2 mile until you hit the CR/JMT trail junction (one of those rusty metal signs). CR trail breaks off to the left and up but you will bear right across the creek (this creek shows up as a dotted line on the map that runs into Sunrise Creek) and there is a tree trunk that spans the creek. Once you walk over that, there is a footpath that goes south like 100 yards along the creek and will lead you to the campsite I'm referring to. It's pretty much in the crook between this intermittent creek and Sunrise Creek and is just below the JMT so you can pick it back up in the morning quite easily.

[Sankaty]

Awesome. With this site so close to HD, we'll have the option of saving the cables for day 3 morning, break camp after that, and be on our way to Merced Lake.