by putwein » Sat May 28, 2016 2:54 pm
Well, we did it. I would say my initial use of the word "ambitious" was in order though. Also, as a disclaimer to anyone who may read this post in the future, definitely do not attempt this trip, in these conditions, unless you feel very confident in your ability to handle wintery conditions and off-trail navigation. It was a really spectacular trip, and was certainly worth the effort, but is not for the faint-of-heart or ill-prepared.
Trip ended up expanding by one night (five total, Sunday-Thursday) and reducing by one person to three. The extra night was nice, but didn't end up being essential. Also got a late start Sunday (hit the trail about 4:30) due to an airline temporarily losing losing luggage for the one person in our party flying in from out of state. Did end up using Lukens Lake as our trailhead (as opposed to White Wolf), per Phil's advice.
The first half of the hike, from Lukens Lake to Glen Aulin, was very challenging, mostly due to snow and weather. I would (generously) say that we were on or in sight of a trail for only about 15% of this portion of the trip, although we did not have any truly major navigational problems. Pretty much immediately from the start we were facing large and rolling snow drifts, probably covering at least 80% of the ground in most places. Depth was extremely variable, but I would estimate that many drifts exceeded 5-6 feet. Luckily the snow was fairly crusty and compacted, so postholing was not a major problem as long as we watched the ground carefully for snow bridges, and tested questionable areas before applying our full weight. Actually, in many places it seemed the snow helped us cross was would otherwise have been swampy or wet areas. In the end we just used normal boots - no spikes or snowshoes - and it was fine.
We weren't using GPS for this trip, so navigation was entirely by compass and Trails Illustrated map. Thankfully the topography in Yosemite creates a lot of recognizable landmarks. Below about 7500 feet the snow disappeared almost entirely, so the navigation for the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne portion of the trip was much easier - we basically followed the trail.
Day by day description (pretty long):
Sunday: Left late from Luken's lake, followed footprints for the first half mile or so, and then began to realize that this was going to be a trip with frequent stops to check the map and compass, scrutinize the topography, and make educated guesses about what direction to head. Accidentally went around the east side of Lukens Lake, only to find a sign about the trail being diverted to the opposite side for a restoration project (we got it right on the way back). That was the last sign we would see for a long, long, time. Caught glimpses of exposed trail once in a while, which was reassuring. Camped north of the trail (we think) about a mile and a half beyond the lake.
Monday: Perhaps our most challenging day. Lost the trail for hours at a time, which meant ascending steep faces in the deep snow without real switchbacks. Used an early vantage point of Double Rock and Ten Lakes Pass from below to aim in the general direction of the pass, but ended up about a quarter mile up the slope to the left of Halfmoon Meadow. We didn't even see the meadow until we were mostly past it. The climb up Ten Lakes Pass was one of the hardest we did, as we basically went straight up. Thankfully none of us experienced altitude sickness, but we were getting short of breath very easily as we neared the top. At the top we had lunch at a nice rock outcropping overlooking the Muir Gorge in the distance, but then realized that we had descended about 200 feet towards Colby Mountain instead of going over the true pass, which made for some frustrating and steep extra climbing. Getting through the basin was relatively easy with lakes to guide our way, although the second climb up to the height of the last large lake was brutal. Luckily found the switchbacks down to the South Fork of Cathedral peak, which made for an easy last half hour of hiking, even though it started hailing pretty hard. Camped just as we got to the bottom by the creek. The hail turned to snow as we ate dinner, which was cold but also quite beautiful.
Tuesday: Woke to about three inches of fresh snow. Followed the creek for a while, catching glimpses of the trail, and basically guessed at where to take the sharp U-turn based on surrounding topography. Visibility was low due to dark and low clouds. The climb over the shoulder of Tuolumne Peak was reminiscent of climbing up Ten Lakes Pass. Not quite as strenuous, but very treacherous terrain since we didn't have the trail. Lots of walking across steep, snow-covered slopes, kicking footholds into the snow/ice when necessary. The new snow actually seemed to help with traction. Found some, but not all, of the switchbacks on the way down. At the bottom we had the minor miracle of spotting in the distance through the woods the sign for the junction to May Lake. It was barely above the snow. This was the first trail marking we had seen so far, and gave us a good starting point for navigating some relatively flat and wooded terrain. Nonetheless, the next couple hours was probably the most lost we got. We headed Northeast, aiming for the Cathedral Creek crossing. Found a stream not marked on the map that we decided to follow, based on the thought that it should be flowing the way we needed to go. It was a fun stream, passing over a lot of flat, open granite outcroppings. However, when it met the main creek things seemed a little off, and we had trouble placing all the topography we saw. We almost thought we were at the pass to McGee Lake, but at the last minute realized we had gone too far east, and were looking at the cliffs further south on Cathedral Creek. We headed North, and crossed the creek by piling large logs over an open space between otherwise nearby stepping stones. Were very happy to come to McGee Lake and confirm we had picked the correct pass. It also began to sleet fairly heavily at this point. Camped near Glen Aulin (which was completely people-free, even though it looked like a lot of the tent structures were laid out, waiting to be erected) that evening as the sleet turned to rain. It was much warmer than previous nights, but we got pretty soaked.
Wednesday: Relatively uneventful day. Snow was gone at the lower elevation, and the start of the day was gorgeous and sunny. Had to boulder and walk on fallen logs to get around the swampy area just beyond Glen Aulin. The views were amazing on the way down the valley. The river was really raging, and we took time for a leisurely lunch at a nice vantage point. Started to rain in the afternoon. We also saw our first other humans, a group of three headed the opposite direction. Waded across Register Creek without much problem. Passed by a group of two people and four horses camped in Pate Valley, and stopped for the night a little while beyond them. Looked closely for bears throughout the day, but only saw scat.
Thursday: First full day without any precipitation. Did the switchbacks, which weren't quite as awful as expected, given that we actually had a clear trail to follow. Lots of colorful wildflowers along the trail. Stopped for the day by mid afternoon in a burned area about a mile beyond the second juncture to Harden Lake. Took the time to goof off and rest our legs.
Friday: Back into snow country, although somewhat meltier and lower now. Lots of muddy ground. We saw the just barely exposed tops of a few trail markers. Went the proper way around Lukens Lake and got back to the car early enough for a nice drive through Yosemite Valley before the Memorial Day crowds got truly crazy.
Overall it was a very rewarding trip. Really felt like we got a good taste of much of what Yosemite has to offer. Thanks again to everyone who gave us advice in advance. If anyone has more specific questions about trail conditions in specific areas, let me know and I can give more information or send pictures.