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[Yosemite]

Can I hike 22miles in two days.

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

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Can I hike 22miles in two days.

Postby xcorat » Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:37 pm

I am thinking of solo backpacking the ten Lakes trail in yosemite. I would start from the may lake side, and try to go as far as I could the first day, camp overnight and then finish the trail via ten lakes to the ten lakes trail head next day. :o

My tent and sleeping bag together will be around 7-9lb and I will probably carry a propane stove among other stuff.

And a little about me,

This is my first overnight back packing trip and I am 5'8" with a little over 120lb.:(

I had pretty good stamina when I was practicing abt 2years ago, but now I dont think I am that good.:(

Last april I hiked the Upper Yosemite falls trail which was really hard for me, and took about 7hrs (with 1hr break). But that was because, the night two days before I drove for 12hrs with only 4 hr rests in between, and then hiked a very small mount without doing any stretching exercises the night before. :?

So given those info, What do you guys think about my plans and have any recommendation on the things I should carry? As I said, this is my first camping trip and have never been at altitudes over 8000ft. :!: :!:
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Postby bill-e-g » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:19 pm

Honestly, from what you say, I think this is a bad idea IMO.
I think you are setting yourself up for failure simply for the facts of:
you've never been backpacking, sounds like your pack will weigh
>1/3 your weight, and you have never been at elevation.
I would recommend that you try something a little easier on your
first trip....
Maybe still get the May Lake trailhead but instead of going gangbusters
and trying to do 22 miles just try to get to the trail below Tuolumne Peak.
That area is very beautiful... and if you are doing well you could setup
camp and summit Tuolumne Peak...
You could also get Murphy Creek and head to the same area... on the
second day you could do a loop to May Lake and back to the trailhead.
I've actually taken newbies on this trip and they really enjoyed it...
You'd probably enjoy just going into Grant Lakes or 10 Lakes... I think
you will find that getting to 10 lakes pass nearly equivalent to
hiking Yose Falls.

Whatever you decide, be safe and have fun.
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Thnx....!!!!

Postby xcorat » Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:05 pm

Bill, thanx a lot for the info. That actually was what I was expecting. Lets see. I am still debating. It is going to be next TUE and WED. So have to decide carefully. But I have couple more questions,

1. What I was wondering was, if I could start really early, I mean at least 9.00 coz I will have to get the wilderness permit that day, I will have around 8hrs. How long do you think a normal person can hike in that amount of time with couple of ascending switchbacks?

2.
bill-e-g wrote:sounds like your pack will weigh
>1/3 your weight

Why would it weight 40lbs?? I thought i could get done with around 25..!!

3. Do I need to carry lot of water? If i am going that hike, Is there any water sources between May Lake and Ten lakes

I like adventure..! And always try to choose something that I have about 50% chance succeeding. The only thing I'm concerned right now is bears and hiking after dark. I will start a separate thread for the questions on these![/quote]
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Postby bill-e-g » Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:28 am

Sounds cool.. Go for it. You can just change your plan at those locations
I mentioned. How are you getting back to your car though if you
do the whole thing?

1) Once you throw some weight on your back you are not a normal person...
Anyone asks I say to never PLAN more than 10 miles per day.
You are close to that. I'd just hate to see you down in the SF Cathederal
Creek on day 1, wake up the next morning and can't move and
have to get yourself out of there... hating it all the way...
Since your goal is miles... then you can probably do it...

2) That's the idea! Most first timers WAY overpack. I was going by
your tent and sleeping bag is already pretty heavy.
(my "tent" and sleeping bag(35) weigh <3.5 pounds)

3) You are walking by water ALOT. I almost never carry > 1 litre.

Since you have not done the trail before I would not recommend you
hike in the dark unless absolutely necessary. Since you have a bear
can you have nothing to worry about regarding bears. Dispel any
other notions you have about them from your mind and set your
sights on your goal...
Have fun
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Thanx you made me a little confident..!

Postby xcorat » Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:28 am

Thanx Bill. Thankx a lot for the reply.

bill-e-g wrote:Sounds cool.. Go for it. You can just change your plan at those locations
I mentioned. How are you getting back to your car though if you
do the whole thing?

I am going with some other friends (in their 50s) who are not in good shape to hike at all. They will be picnicking around Tenaya lake and I will have them park the car in the trial head on the other side.

And btw, What about the phone reception, I dont expect, but that wold be nice.


And btw, what do you usually carry? How come you have such lightweight tent nad sleeping bag..:cry: :cry: :cry:

bill-e-g wrote:1) Once you throw some weight on your back you are not a normal person...
Anyone asks I say to never PLAN more than 10 miles per day.
You are close to that. I'd just hate to see you down in the SF Cathederal
Creek on day 1, wake up the next morning and can't move and
have to get yourself out of there... hating it all the way...
Since your goal is miles... then you can probably do it...


Well, i meant a normal person with a backpack.... :lol:, You are right. I will probably hate my self the way back. But you know, that wont be a first :D, Once i went a trip with som friends to a waterfall, I wanted to climb to the top of it, but they didnt. So i told them to go to hell and climbed all the way up, and from there, started to climb to the top of that mount (only abt 2000ft high). I wanted to come back in another road, but I got lost. So after struggling with cramped legs and all, I finally came back, at night. Eventhough it was without a backpack, it was without food (2 cups of tea with abt 5 crackers) and I had walked abt 40km (25mi) that day (7hrs) and couldnt walk for a week. YEAH I DID HATE MY SELF, A LOT. BUT THAT IS A GREAT MEMORY TODAY.

Thats back in Sri Lanka. And no I wont go that crazy hear, specially with the environment I dont know.

So anyway, thanx a lot. I'll try, if not, just turn around. 50/50.... :wink:
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Postby bill-e-g » Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:46 am

I see.

I carry this:
Pack - Ganite Gear Nimbus Meridian - 3.5 lbs
Tent - GoLite Shangri La-1 Tarp - 1lb 3 oz
Ground Cloth - 6 oz
Bag - Montebelle Ultralight #3 (30 degree) - 1lb 10 oz
Bare Boxer - 1lb 10 oz ? (smthing like that)
3/4 Ultralight Thermarest - 13 oz
Full Z-Rest (1lb ?)
Lightweight Undewear top and bottom
Fleece Pants - (use as pillow if not freezing temps)
Fleece Jacket
Wind Breaker
MSR pocket rocket w/ 1 canister
Spare socks
Sunscreen
2 Liter Platypus
PUR Hiker Filter
Food
Archos 604 Video Player :) (watch movies under the stars :))

That's nearly everything...
I don't own a phone... don't count on any reception in the backcountry...
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Re: Can I hike 22 miles in 2 days

Postby JoeHiker53 » Sat Aug 23, 2008 11:05 pm

Hi,
I just returned from a trip to Ten Lakes last Monday & Tuesday. Our group of four are experienced backpackers who have done Mt. Whitney, Kearsarge Pass, and Half Dome (some several times). We headed up to Ten Lakes via the western trailhead and made it to the easternmost lake, about 7.3 miles in the first day. Our intention was to complete the loop and spend the second night at May Lake, but one of our group had a pack that weighed 55lbs at start, and was having problems with his back by the time we reached our camp at the eastern lake. He weighs 230 lbs and is usually a strong hiker. It took us 7 hours to get there. The creeks are running really low right now, so water is definitely an issue. We ended up returning back to the original trailhead instead of going to the east side due to physical problems with our one member, and the realization that 14 miles in one day was not going to happen. If you have no or little experience backpacking, I would suggest that you try the west side trailhead to get to the Ten Lakes. In my opinion 2 days is not enough time for someone with little experience to do this loop. Either way you go, get an early start. The lakes are beautiful, but you want to get there with time to enjoy them. Incidentally, my pack weighed 38 lbs at start (without a tent) and I am 170 lbs., and while I managed to get there with minimal discomfort, I too had some real concerns about my ability to make it back from Ten Lakes to May Lake (14 miles) in one day, after our first day on the trail. As it turned out, we managed to complete our trip successfully, hiking down the Sunrise trail from Tenaya over to Clouds Rest and doing Half Dome Thursday, and out at Happy Isles on Friday. Had we decided to do the circuit around Tuolomne Peak instead, we would not have had the time to do those other things.
Joe
Not all who wander are lost.
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Wow..!!

Postby xcorat » Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:51 am

Thanx Joe. I reserved a wilderness permit for ten lakes trail, west side, because they didnt have any for the other side. so I definitely can think about going the other way.

I dont know yet though. But either way I'll try to get as far as possible knowing my chances are slim
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I did it.

Postby xcorat » Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:03 am

I did it guys, I did it in 2 days. I am so exited. I will follow with more info in another thread. Thanx a lot bill and joe, That trail sure was an amazing one ( Yet, I found only 3 people.)
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Postby bill-e-g » Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:40 pm

Congratulations!

You have also found a simple secret of Yosemite.
It is easy to get away from the crowds and find solitude.
It just takes a bit of effort.

Hope you come back often. Just please Leave no Trace. :)
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Thanx bill

Postby xcorat » Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:31 pm

Btw, "come back"??
are you a ranger or somebody???? u live there?
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Re: Can I hike 22 miles in 2 days

Postby JoeHiker53 » Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:14 pm

Congratulations on a successful trip! So tell us about it.... did you do the semi-loop around Tuolomne Peak, or out and back? What was the trail like for you? Our group stayed at the easternmost lake, which was very secluded, but devoid of any fish. (or if there were any in there, they were hiding really well)

How long did it take you to complete the trip?
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Postby bill-e-g » Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:37 am

Me... I'm just a regular schmo with a passion for backpacking and Yosemite in particular.
(just got back from 5 day-er in Kings Canyon/Sequoia so I don't ONLY go to Yosemite though...)
It hasn't subsided in >10 years. Go there so often that people at
work call it my backyard. (15 trips this year and counting...)
Done 99% of the trails numerous times and ALOT of xcountry.
One of my goofy goals is to hit all the named lakes and finish the
missing trail pieces... also been looking at very old topos to find
trails which are no longer around...
Anyway, glad that you enjoyed it so much and maybe I'll see you
on the trails someday.
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Hi..

Postby xcorat » Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:55 pm

I started a new thread on my hike.

Thanx again guys, check this out,
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/forum/viewtop ... =1140#1140

I will do a full "report" on my blog and post it here later, but unlit thencheck this out.

Oh btw, do you guys document your hikes?? Id like to read.....:D
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Postby oakroscoe » Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:07 pm

bill-e-g wrote:also been looking at very old topos to find
trails which are no longer around...


I couldn't agree more Bill. When you come across old maps, its amazing to see how many old trails were out there that aren't on newer topos or GPS maps. It is a lot of fun to go out there and find trails that are old and disappearing.
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