I am trying to settle on an optimal itinerary for a 2-person trip to Yosemite, arriving Oct 12th and departing Oct 17th. This will be the first time for both of us in Yosemite. We have done various other backpacking trips and are in good shape, but haven't done a trip of this magnitude before. I will give give the park rangers a call, but the forum promotes easier discussions. Of particular interest to me is the availability of water this time of year in the areas we'll be going, as well as the weather conditions any of you have experienced in mid-October. I know there is obviously the possibility of storms and snow, but from what I've read, these are more likely to start showing up in late Oct/Nov. We'll be prepared either way.
Oct 12: Arrive around noon from SF, get our wilderness permits, and relax in the valley. Camp at Upper Pines campground.
Oct 13: Hike from Upper Pines campground to Little Yosemite Valley, stash our heavier gear leaving food in bear box or canister, and head up to Half Dome. This is the last day the cables are up so I am hoping we get lucky and have good weather. I saw a forecast for this weekend that listed a 50% chance of snow at 8600ft in the Tuolumne area. I assume this means there is the potential for snow to impact Half Dome hikeability in a couple weeks? After Half Dome, hike back to LYV for the night (I confirmed permits are available). Shouldn't be a problem finding water at LYV, right?
Oct 14: Hike from LYV, along Panorama Trail to Glacier Point. Continue west along Pohono Trail as far as we can, hopefully getting to Bridalveil Creek. I know this could add up to some significant mileage depending on how far we push. I also know photo breaks and whatever time is spent picking our jaws off the ground will impact our mileage. If we get to Bridalveil Creek, do you think there will be any water (probably better to ask a ranger)?
Oct 15: Hike from near Bridalveil Creek to Tunnel View and continue along Valley Loop Trail to Lower Yosemite Falls Trail. This part should be primarily downhill and then flat up to the Falls Trail. We may elect to catch the El Capitan shuttle at El Capitan bridge and get dropped off near the falls trail to cut out some hiking distance. Climb the Yosemite Falls trail and camp at the top near Upper Falls. I'm not familiar with how close we get to the falls; is there the potential to get water upstream from the falls?
Oct 16: Day hike west to Eagle Peak and El Capitan. We may also venture east from the Upper Falls before returning to camp at the same spot as the previous night.
Oct 17: Hike back down the Falls Trail and either catch a shuttle or hike the 2.5mi to our car at Upper Pines area.
If you were able to endure my musings, I'd be grateful for any comments or recommendations. I'm aware this may be a bit ambitious; I was trying to make a decent circuit of the valley area.