by Phil » Wed Jun 06, 2018 11:42 am
Still, with schedules being what they are, I would park at the TH and worry about transport back to it on the exit. You can catch a 5pm YARTS back up from the valley, have them drop you at Yosemite Creek, drive to Tuolumne, use your last night at the backpacker's camp there. That's one option.
You want as early a start as you can get. The first part up to the White Wolf junction is easy, the second part isn't too bad either, but once you go beyond Half Moon Meadow, you have a good set of exposed switchbacks up to Ten Lakes Pass that's so much easier when it's not blazing hot in the middle of the day. If you can get on the trail by 7 or 8-ish, you should have no problem coming into the basin by noon-ish, even if you're dogging. It's uphill, but it's only about 6 miles.
And just so you know, I just checked, and the backpacker's camp at White Wolf is scheduled to open for the season on the 15th of June. This is the second option...the better one, IMO. Really, I would suggest this as the place to stay, both going in and going out: nicer, closer to the trailhead, you get a night to acclimate to the altitude, designated shuttle stop. Heck, you could even rearrange your permit (easy to get), park the car there, and just go ahead and walk the trail toward Ten Lakes from there. You'll add a few miles to your distance the first day, but you're contained...park the car, do your thing till morning, go. Look at your map, you'll see it. I didn't steer you wrong on your last trip, and this year is no different. That's how I would do it, fwiw.