Home A - Z FAQ Bookstore Art Prints Online Library Discussion Forum Muir Weather Maps Lodging About Search
CalHotels.US--online reservations now CalHotels.US Lowest Hotel Rates Guaranteed. Click Here For Yours!
Hotel photos, maps, reviews, & discount rates.

U.S. Hotels in California (Yosemite, L. A., San Francisco ), AL, AK, AR, AS, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, FM, GA, GU, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OK, NV, MH, MP, NM, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, PR, PW, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI WA, WV, WI, WY

[Yosemite]

GCT conditions?

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

Moderators: Wickett, dan

GCT conditions?

Postby holz » Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:15 am

Hi all (and especially you Billeg!),

There is a group of four of us heading out of WW for GCT and out at GA starting on Thursday of this week. How are the conditions on the trail? Any final words of advice?

I see that there are thundershowers (30% chance) each day of our planned trip. How much rain are we likely to see? I am bringing a jacket, but wasn't planning on the pants. Should I add in the pants?

Thanks!
holz
holz
Very frequent poster
Very frequent poster
 
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:07 am

Postby holz » Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:30 am

Oh, and how about gaiters for the trail? Will it likely be muddy/snowy enough to justify gaiters?
holz
holz
Very frequent poster
Very frequent poster
 
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:07 am

Postby bill-e-g » Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:19 pm

I'd bring along rain pants, low gaiters, two pairs of extra socks,
hiking sticks, a sense of adventure, a will to turn around if not comfortable.
Coming from White Wolf I'd expect muddy and snow patches until
Harden Lake, after that I'd expect some muddy trails until Morrison Creek.
Morrison Creek I'd expect to be flowing very very briskly.
It may give pause to some or all and force some to turn around.
There are logs that can be used to cross but it may not be easy.

For the rest I'd go with the Yosemite Website wilderness conditions:

"The trail to Glen Aulin has significant patches of snow on the trail with snow coverage of 30% - 50% at times. Dingley and Delaney creeks are running high and can be difficult to cross. Furthermore, the Tuolumne River is high and is flooding the trail in sections particularly in the glen beyond the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp.

The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is very wet requiring long sections (over 100 feet) of walking through cold, standing water. In addition, there is a necessary scramble around a flooded section of trail. "

I wish I could go this weekend but I think the wife and I are gonna go
up Kibbie Ridge and loop around to Boundary, Flora, Kibbie...
User avatar
bill-e-g
Veteran-poster
Veteran-poster
 
Posts: 795
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 5:57 am
Location: Table Lake, YNP

Postby holz » Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:03 pm

I saw the website and can remember from my journey there last year a couple of sections that will undoubtedly require wading. I also expect to cross a couple of times where it will have "my full attention". :)

Thanks for the advice on the gear. Will add in the pants and the gaiters.

I'll let you know how it went late next week and even try to include a couple of photos.

Thanks again Bill!
holz
holz
Very frequent poster
Very frequent poster
 
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:07 am

Postby Random Walker » Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:54 am

holz wrote:I'll let you know how it went late next week and even try to include a couple of photos.


Hey holz (& everybody),

I am heading out on the GCT trail (TM to WW) next week and was wondering about the conditions you had on your adventure?

Any and all ideas, thoughts and ponders are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

RW
I love the smell of deet in the morning.
The smell, you know that deet smell, the whole mountain.
Smelled like... victory.
Random Walker
Regular
Regular
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: PNW

Postby cornbread » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:19 am

I'm heading out on the GCT loop on June 28th so any trail condition info you guys could provide would be great.
cornbread
Newbie
Newbie
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 2:53 pm

GCT from 6/12 to 6/15

Postby SSNOWW » Tue Jun 16, 2009 3:50 pm

I came off the trail yesterday (6/15/09). Traveled from WW to TM in four days. The conditions from WW to the Pate Valley were good. There is snow on the ground in the WW area, but it quickly diminishes as you drop in elevation. Morrison Creek is flowing strong. You can cross quite easily if you are willing to stop and put on water shoes. I opted to try and cross over some rocks and fallen trees just up creek from the trail and ended up falling in, bruising my knee and soaking my shoes. I would strongly recommend using water shoes and staying on the trail. The Pate Valley was quite warm. The river is high and fast, so be careful on your trip. We camped just across the river from the Pate Valley Backpackers Camp.

Day 2: Keep an eye out for rattlers. We found two just passed the trail junction on the north side of the river. On day two, we traveled from Pate to the inlet from Cathedral Creek. The conditions on the trail were fair. There is quite a bit of mud, but it does not stick to your boots. Much of it can be missed by staying on the edge of the trail. We caught a down poor after noon that lasted into the early evening and got soaked, the trail has some steep sections made of stacked granite in the form of stairs. There was literally a cascade of water coming down the steps, it was kind of cool. There is a bypass around a large boulder that required cinching up our packs and scrambling over large boulders. The river crept up to the trail and forced the detour. The river is moving much too fast to try and wade up the side around the boulders. The view from the top of the boulders is great, but be very careful if they are wet as they became very slippery. There is a water crossing just below a water fall on Register Creek. The water is moving fast, but it is just over ankle deep and easily crossed.

Day 3: Traveled from Cathedral creek to a mile or so short of Glen Aulin. The conditions on the trail were excellent. No snow, minimal puddles, no detours. However, we did see another rattler a few feet from the water near the falls from Cathedral Creek.

Day 4: On the short hike into Glen Aulin, we found the trail completely flooded in two sections for about 150 yards each. Many of the hikers on the trail went around the flooded areas by detouring into the forest and log, rock and puddle jumping. I put on my water shoes and walked up the trail. The water is cold, but not too bad. It was fun actually. From Glen Aulin to TM, the trail was clear of snow, but there were patches of mud, nothing serious. Trail crews were doing maintenance and mule trains were running into Glen Aulin with supplies for the coming season. As a result, there is a great deal of animal waste on the trail, but that may be normal as there is a stable in TM. There are a few creek crossings, but they are easily passed with low levels and low volume. No snow on the trail.

All in all, the conditions are favorable. No Bear activity. Be prepared for quickly changing weather conditions and have a good trip.
SSNOWW
First-timer
First-timer
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:50 pm

Re: GCT from 6/12 to 6/15

Postby LVRAY » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:33 pm

Thank you for the info. Very Helpful. On June 25th we will be doing the TM-GA-Matteron Canyon-Benson Pass-Pate Valley-Grand Canyon-TM loop, so it is nice to know what part of trail is like at the moment.
LVRAY
Frequent poster
Frequent poster
 
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:26 pm

Postby bill-e-g » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:26 pm

LVRAY... sweet...
I highly recommed you hike up Volunteer Peak.
It's my favorite Peak in the Park....
User avatar
bill-e-g
Veteran-poster
Veteran-poster
 
Posts: 795
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 5:57 am
Location: Table Lake, YNP

Trip report WW --> GCT

Postby holz » Wed Jun 17, 2009 2:08 pm

Hi all,

I won't go over what all Mr. Snow posted. It was all accurate. :)

All in all, the trail was in pretty good shape although I too had to walk through some large sections of flooded trail just about California Falls near GA. The water was "refreshing", but I agree with Snow again in that it was fun. We even got a picture of us standing in water up to mid-calf. I would suggest some decent sport sandals for water crossings. Heck, they make nice camp shoes if they don't help much on the trail.

Definitely scramble over the boulders. Do not for a moment consider going around in the water. That would be a very poor (and most likely lethal) decision.

The waterfalls were absolutely marvelous. They were roaring! I did the same trip that is being described above last year and doing it in late July doesn't do it justice. It is very likely I will be back in GCT next year to enjoy the same thing, but this time I'll likely start at GA and do an out and back.

For the person that is doing GA, Benson, GCT loop, be prepared for the trail down to Pate Valley! It is really tough. First, from Rogers Lake to Pate is about 5k ft drop. Couple that with an unmaintained trail covered in deadfall and slippery leaves and it makes for one hell of a day. I slipped at least 2x when I did it once breaking a trekking pole. *grumble* It will even be hot when you get down to Pate. Don't get me wrong, it is a fantastic trip and well worth it, but just don't plan on doing much more than getting from camp before PV to PV. It will be PLENTY.
holz
holz
Very frequent poster
Very frequent poster
 
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:07 am

Postby bill-e-g » Wed Jun 17, 2009 2:33 pm

O man... now I'm thinking maybe I want to run down to Return Creek
this weekend instead of poking around West of the Tuolumne above
Glen Aulin!

Glad you had a great trip holz!
User avatar
bill-e-g
Veteran-poster
Veteran-poster
 
Posts: 795
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 5:57 am
Location: Table Lake, YNP

Postby Random Walker » Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:58 am

The flooded areas of Glen Aulin were nothing to speak of.
There is one work around as soon as one drops to the Pate Valley (from Tuolumne Meadows)
Either work your way around a simple rock nose on a ledge 10 feet above the river then slide down between two boulders,
or follow the cairns over the top.
Was able to cross Register Creek without getting my socks wet.
The "grind" up to White Wolf was less than I had imagined.
The views from the Morrison Creek camp area out over Hetch Hetchy to the west and the Tuolumne Canyon were outstanding.

Image
I love the smell of deet in the morning.
The smell, you know that deet smell, the whole mountain.
Smelled like... victory.
Random Walker
Regular
Regular
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: PNW


Return to Yosemite Hiking & Backpacking

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests