Panorama or Nevada Falls hike?

[johngibson]

Hi All,

Me and a friend will be going up to Yosemite this July 26th, 2011. We are thinking of doing the Panorama or Nevada Falls hike. With the Panorama, we can include the Nevada Falls hike while descending and it will be a longer hike. If we do the Nevada Falls hike, we will use the Mist trail ascending and the John Muir trail descending. It will be a day hike and we will return back to home after. What is the weather like this time of year and how are the water falls? We tried to do the Half Dome hike this year but all the reservations are booked this summer. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

One a side note if you could give any recommendations on some hiking boots. I was going with the Lowa Renegade GTX Mid or the Merrell Moab Mid GTX. Any other recommendations is welcome.

Thanks

[AlmostThere]

Get the boots that fit you better. If they don't fit, they don't work. Everything else is secondary. Personally, I found the Moabs were not stiff enough and did little to keep my feet from bruising on the many granite edges and rocks in the trails. But lots of people wear them and like them - I suspect I have wimpy feet or something.

The weather is the weather - it's not dumping snow, so it must be time for three season hiking. (which is to say, the weather in the Sierra is its own creature, and there's often flurries of snow or rain in any month of the year.) In the valley it'll be pretty hot in the afternoon. Panorama and Mist/JMT are exposed for quite a bit of the way, so having a hat or umbrella or lots of sunscreen helps, as does making sure you don't run out of water. It can get up to the low 80s on the granite. At night, expect temps in the valley to be in the high 40s - 50s (if not a little warmer) - if you go up the pass or backpack to higher elevation it can drop to below freezing at night, so be prepared.

[johngibson]

Get the boots that fit you better. If they don't fit, they don't work. Everything else is secondary. Personally, I found the Moabs were not stiff enough and did little to keep my feet from bruising on the many granite edges and rocks in the trails. But lots of people wear them and like them - I suspect I have wimpy feet or something.

I wanted to know the durability and the type of use. That way I know which ones to try out or at least start in a good direction. Most of the shoes look the same and the ones with all the features seem to all cost $200+. So having some input on what features worked or don't would give me an idea.

The weather is the weather - it's not dumping snow, so it must be time for three season hiking. (which is to say, the weather in the Sierra is its own creature, and there's often flurries of snow or rain in any month of the year.) In the valley it'll be pretty hot in the afternoon. Panorama and Mist/JMT are exposed for quite a bit of the way, so having a hat or umbrella or lots of sunscreen helps, as does making sure you don't run out of water. It can get up to the low 80s on the granite. At night, expect temps in the valley to be in the high 40s - 50s (if not a little warmer) - if you go up the pass or backpack to higher elevation it can drop to below freezing at night, so be prepared.

Temperature was what I was thinking. Since this year we had a lot of rain would the rivers be full even in late July? Thanks for letting me knows those two trails are mostly expose, looks like I'll be getting a hat. I don't think having an umbrella would be piratical, maybe I should get a umbrella hat . We'll be sure to drink lots of water before we leave the car. I myself have an 100oz hydration pack and I'll have a light rain jacket in the pack. Hopefully we'll be done by the time the sunsets (8:30pm?)

Thanks for the reply

[AlmostThere]

I wanted to know the durability and the type of use. That way I know which ones to try out or at least start in a good direction. Most of the shoes look the same and the ones with all the features seem to all cost $200+. So having some input on what features worked or don't would give me an idea.

That's just it - unless you get the really expensive shoes, the only difference between the various kinds of boot/shoe is in the fit of them, with some variability in the stiffness of the sole. I have had a pair of trail runners last me 600 miles before breaking down - the same shoe (brand and model) for someone else I know fell apart (LITERALLY) on the second hike he used them. You can't predict durability with the mass produced synthetic light hiking shoes/boots.

As for features, I couldn't tell you if any of the special features on the shoes I get are really working or not. I put on the shoes and hike. They all seem to have fairly good traction. My new favorite are Trekstas - they fit my feet perfectly, were built on a mold created from castings of actual human feet, and they have excellent protection against toe bang. I've also enjoyed wearing a pair of Montrails - but not all Montrails are going to be the same, the Mountain Masochist for example is exactly what it sounds like. Very flexible sole and not a lot of protection.

[johngibson]

That's just it - unless you get the really expensive shoes, the only difference between the various kinds of boot/shoe is in the fit of them, with some variability in the stiffness of the sole. I have had a pair of trail runners last me 600 miles before breaking down - the same shoe (brand and model) for someone else I know fell apart (LITERALLY) on the second hike he used them. You can't predict durability with the mass produced synthetic light hiking shoes/boots.

As for features, I couldn't tell you if any of the special features on the shoes I get are really working or not. I put on the shoes and hike. They all seem to have fairly good traction. My new favorite are Trekstas - they fit my feet perfectly, were built on a mold created from castings of actual human feet, and they have excellent protection against toe bang. I've also enjoyed wearing a pair of Montrails - but not all Montrails are going to be the same, the Mountain Masochist for example is exactly what it sounds like. Very flexible sole and not a lot of protection.

As of now, I think I will get the Lowa Renegade GTX Mid.

We also changed our hiking route. The picture attach shows the red outline I did of our whole hike, all on feet of course. Has anyone done this hike before? How long did it take and what are some tips for a good experience?

[AlmostThere]

We did that as a day hike and took the shuttle between the parking lot at Curry and either trailhead. That way it's a 14 mile with a lot of ups and downs - a long day. Potentially a very hot one. I'm wishing we had gone up the Four Mile, it was a knee buster after ten miles of hiking.