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[Yosemite]

Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Hiking, backpacking, running, biking, climbing, rafting, and other human-powered activities in Yosemite National Park

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Re: Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Postby TiMa » Sat Apr 18, 2015 4:31 pm

The trip is getting closer and we are starting to plan more into depth.
So a few more questions came up! :-)

We do have a permit for our trip including Half Dome. Our Entry and Exit Trailhead is Happy Isle-Little Yosemite Valley. Since we have only one Permit, is it ok to make short stop in Tolumne (resupply, restaurant, getting rid of trash etc.) and continue our trip to Vogelsang or do we actually need another permit because we left the trail?
We only have to use the bear canister if we don´t have all the food in reachable distance (backpack on our back), right?
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Re: Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Postby AlmostThere » Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:02 pm

You need to put all food and smellable items in the bear can whenever you are going to be outside arm's reach of the food. If you plan to stash your pack anywhere for any time, the bear can (full) needs to be away from your pack. Some of the bears do recognize packs by sight, and will take it whether it contains food or not, so leaving the pack anywhere unattended increase risk to the pack.

Tuolumne isn't on the way to Vogelsang... it's beyond it by quite a bit. You can't camp within a mile of any road, and within 2 or 4 miles of a trailhead (depends on trailhead). If you can get to Tuolumne, restock, and get back to legal camping in a single day, it's ok. If you can't do the miles without making an illegal camp, probably no go. I'm not seeing a lot of extra time in your preferred option for an extra 14 miles of hiking...
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Re: Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Postby TiMa » Sun Apr 19, 2015 4:09 pm

Thank you for your answer, "Almost there"! But we will pass Tolumne Meadows Visitor Center on our way from Cathedral Lake to Vogelsang, right? I don´t want to make a huge detour since this is probably the longest day on our trip. I was only wondering if there is an opportunity to get rid of garbage on our route. I was not sure if we need a second permit if we enter from another Trailhead again.

Which trail would you take from Tolumne to Vogelsang? I guess Rafferty Creek is the shortest but Lyell Canyon should be more beautiful. How much longer is it?
Is it even possible from Cathedral Lake via Lyell Canyon to Vogelsang in one day? I think we are in decent shape but we aren't Trail Runners! ;-)
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Re: Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Postby AlmostThere » Sun Apr 19, 2015 6:30 pm

You aren't going to get any resupply at the visitor center. You'll have to walk another three miles (on trail, since the road is not in the wilderness and exiting the wilderness means voiding your permit and getting another) to the store.

The High Sierra camps are one day's hike apart, for the average hiker. Tuolumne Lodge, which is close to Tuolumne ranger station, is one day from Vogelsang. I would just take a bear canister per person packed with enough food for the duration of the trip and stay in the wilderness, rather than exit - it's simple enough to rent a Wild Ideas Bearikade in advance by mail and make sure everything fits before you reach the wilderness office. The largest can would be large enough for me for 14 days - but I'm used to packing bear cans. I've noticed that others are less careful and frequently bring a large can just for a weekend.

I would skip Cathedral and do a lollipop loop on the trails east of Merced Lake, with a visit to Vogelsang and a layover day there to visit some of the lakes there and hike up to the peak. You may even be able to reserve breakfasts and dinners at the High Sierra Camp, decreasing the amount of food in your canister. Even if you stay in the backpacker camp instead of the resort, you can reserve meals. And I bet if you brought the staff a little liquor they might let you use the shower.... that's a rumor I heard, anyway. :wink:
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Re: Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Postby TiMa » Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:59 pm

How would your suggested trip look like?
We want to go to Clouds Rest and we would like to spend the last night in Little Yosemite Valley because we have a Half Dome Permit and we are planning to hike HD on our last morning.
But beside that, we are up for a different route also. ;-)
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Re: Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Postby AlmostThere » Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:13 am

Well, I would head up to Merced Lake very early the first morning, bypassing all this:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... =1&t=12600

The Meadow Fire was awful. Camping in burned out areas, under dead standing burnt trees, is dangerous.

I'd go up the trail toward Florence, Bernice and Gallison. I'd visit Vogelsang Peak on the way over the pass to the HS camp. I'd have a dinner at the camp that I reserved in advance (they don't take walk ins) and spend a layover day exploring as far down as Lyell Canyon with a day pack, and come back for another night. Then I would come around the loop to Emeric and back down into the Merced Lake area, then climb out of Echo to take the higher trail over to Moraine Dome. I'd camp somewhere around there, perhaps on the dome itself (I have carried enough water before to dry camp in high places), and move on to Clouds Rest. If the campsites around Sunset Creek are also burnt out I'd just hike out at that point, using a headlamp if necessary. Or, since it's the last day out and my bear can is at its lightest, I would instead go over to visit my favorite place in the Valley, the Diving Board - it doesn't have an official trail to it and you have to do some class 2-3 to get to it, but there is a campsite up there and it would be worth it to me to carry plenty of water up that steep hill. I'd have the best view of the valley floor and the area all to myself. Personally, I have no desire to re-experience Half Dome with its line of ultra-rude people - getting stuck behind a panicked person and in front of an angry cable-shaking jerk with no empathy for scared people is just not the wilderness experience I desire.

If I came out early I'd take advantage of the night after a trip to stay in the backpacker's camp, and the following day day hike up to Upper Yosemite Falls.

Of course, you can go to Half Dome and then out to Happy Isles as you plan to. Not sure about the status of Little Yosemite campsites, but I am guessing they are okay since they opened that area for camping. I have no desire to stay there again, myself.

Good luck.
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Re: Required permits for our trip (July 2015)

Postby TiMa » Thu Apr 23, 2015 5:46 pm

Many thanks for your detailed post. I thought about the lollipop loop and I actually like the idea.
I would appreciate your opinion to the overnight spots below:

1.night: Little Yosemite Valley
2.night: Somewhere close to the Clouds Rest summit (max.1mile radius). I would like to take pictures at night from the top. If I see we are running out of water before reaching the top, I would continue to another spot closer to a water source.
3.night: Washburn lake (Is the hike from clouds rest too much for a day?)
4.night: Vogelsang lake
5.night: Merced lake area
6.night: Little Yosemite Valley
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