Hi. Thanks to all the excellent info I've found on this forum so far!
I'm bringing my daughter (she's 23, I'm 53) Sept. 21-25 from San Francisco. I camped at Cathedral Lakes in 1988 and the shoulder of Half Dome in 1991, but haven't been back since. She's never been.
I've researched the permits (plenty of wilderness permits are left) and trails, elevation gains, etc. I'm a weekend warrior backpacker/hiker, and she has a few nights out under her belt, starting a year ago. I'm mostly wondering whether what I've found actually matches what I think after all this reading.
Sept. 21: Pohono Trail from Taft Point, camp at Dewey Point. Seems like a solid first day, esp. driving in that morning. I know we have to pass Bridalveil Creek to camp. Is there camping between there and Dewey Point itself, in case the elevation gets to us? Is there any water near Dewey Point, or do we need to fill up at Bridalveil Creek?
Sept. 22 hike out, then drive down to the valley and wander the sights, staying at the backpacker's campground there.
Hiking out, we might hike clockwise around and over Sentinel Dome on the way back. I've read not to leave food in cars; does that apply during the day, too? I'm wondering about not hauling our full packs up the dome, instead heading back to the car, dropping our gear, then doing the day hike up it.
Sept. 23-25: Hike to Ten Lakes and back, then drive back to SF. Will mosquitoes have stopped swarming by then? It seems so from other discussions on this board. BTW, Phil, in case you see this, I've read your terrific, detailed description of camping along the lakes on another thread, so thanks!
I think we'll spend the 24th just hanging out, maybe doing a day hike. This is where I'm really curious about a few things:
1) From photos, it looks like it's wide open granite and you can walk pretty much anywhere you feel comfortable. Is that accurate?
2) I've read about the scenic trail to the left to see the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Is that before you drop into the lake basin?
3) Is it possible to get up to the top of Grand Mountain or Colby Mountain? Is it worth the effort?
4) Is hiking over to Grant Lakes for the day different from Ten Lakes?
5) Are there any other hidden gems we should find?
One other possibility I'm considering for the 23-25 is going up to Polly Dome Lakes for the 23rd, then over to May Lake and up Mount Hoffman on the 24th, and back out to Tenaya Lake the 25th. Even with enough wilderness permits, is that likely to be crowded? Is there a way to walk along Tioga Road back to the Murphy Creek trailhead?
Thanks in advance!