bbmq wrote:... is it Lewis Creek Trail that goes over Vogelsang Pass?
Yes, it is indeed. The campsite rundown I gave you in my last post is accurate for that route. Double check your map on the route and topography. No worries except getting there.
It's actually kind of funny, but it's usually Balzaccom that recommends Bernice and me that recommends Babcock. I like Babcock Lake a lot, but it is on the Fletcher Creek Trail. Both Lewis and Fletcher end up in the same spot.
As I said, there are more sites to choose from on the Fletcher, and it does take a lower course by going right at the junction at Tuolumne Pass. Being your first time in Yosemite, and having no idea how you'll be with altitude, I'm wondering if you might find it necessary to shorten the first day up from Rafferty. While Bernice and Babcock Lakes are doable, Balzaccom's suggestion for Fletcher Lake is solid from this standpoint, but it is within the camping area of the HSC. To reach it, go up to Vogelsang, turn left, walk a couple hundred yards. On the right, about 100 ft off the trail, there are a couple designated sites tucked back in the trees that you'll see. They offer good shelter from the wind and close proximity to water. No fires are allowed.
On your route, up and over the pass, there's also a nice site below the falls where you cross Florence Creek that I forgot to mention earlier. This is also where the person that told you about the falls might have been talking about. It's also the last, best, lowest place to make camp unless you're going back up to the sites above the bridge I mentioned above (it's actually bridging Lewis Creek) on the Fletcher Creek Trail. If you get down into this area, not only are the numbers of sites limited by topography, but you have to bear in mind that the Merced>Vogelsang route is extremely popular, and you run the risk of fierce competition for those sites. You can easily get shut out. For this reason alone, I would strongly recommend either staying higher, or opting for the Fletcher Creek Trail with more choices spread out over its length as well as on side trails to various lakes such as Babcock and Emeric.
If you do opt for the lower Fletcher Creek Trail, remember that Boothe Lake is off limits to camping. However, there are a series of accessible, virtually trailside tarns that begin about a mile or so past the junction and offer some of the nicest sites in the area. And even with a few miles tacked on to the second day, you shouldn't have too much problem getting up to Sunrise Creek in order to make your Half Dome permit.