Yosemite Forum

I've been to yosemite before but mostly in a car, hiked for about half a mile to yosemite fall and always end up eating in some restaurant. That's probably not the best way to experience one of the best national park. So im planning on a 3 days backcountry hiking for the first time for a group of people.

This is the first time we try to make it happen. Though I'd like to say that we are reasonably fit, but I dont think we have had any experience surviving without the luxury of knowing a supermarket is near by (those yrs of top ramen in college has taught us nothing). So i am here for 2 reasons :

+ a recommendation for the hike :
Im open to anything. I fell in love with the lakes here. so im looking forward to hike along rivers, lakes , fishing ,etc ...
I've mapped a loop based on post i found here ... may be we can start out with that:
day 1 : lembert dome -> dog lake -> young lakes (camp next to the lake)
day 2 : playing around young lakes
day 3 : hike back to the trail head via the route west of the route on first day.
+ a recommendation for us :
What should we prepare mentally , what should we bring aside the neccessaries ?
Or should we just forget it and go to the nearest park , read this forum there so we can live vicariously through your experience ?

If this is your first time backpacking, I would make it easy with one camp. Young Lakes seems reasonable.

Bring mosquito repellent and a head net and long sleeves to protect against annoying mosquitos in the early evening. Bring warm clothes, including a warm hat for the night. It gets down to freezing even in summer at this altitude.

You must store all your food after the first in a bear barrel, which you can rent at the Wilderness Center in Tuolumne, where you pick up your WIlderness Permit. It's located in a large parking lot on the south side of the Tioga Road south of Lembert Dome, #3 on this map:
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/maps/tuolumne_meadows_map.jpg
For more details, see the NPS Wilderness webpage:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/wilderness/