Happy Isles to Tuolumne meadows

[TwoLegsMo]

Hi all,
Planning to hike part of the JMT, from Happy Isles to Florence Lake. Planning to starting 1st week August 2013. We are a group of 4 guys, just turned 50, active and healthy, are training for this adventure, but we know our limits. We plan to spend 3 days at Yosemite to help us acclimatize (enough time?). We will have our wilderness permits and bear canisters etc all squared away.

With that context in mind, I'm looking for help and guidance on the first leg>> Happy Isles to Tuolumne Meadows:
1) There is the obvious JMT route via Cathedral, but I've been reading about the hordes and high probability of the lack of water in August at Sunrise, so thinking of going to TM via Lake Merced and Vogelsang/Tuolumne Pass. Plan is to camp day 1 out of Happy Isles to around the Moraine Dome area of the Merced river valley, easy day 2 to Lake Merced, spend day 3 relaxing at the Lake, day 4 to Vogelsang Camp via the Lewis creek route, then day 5 down to Tuolmone. OR, is the Fletcher creek route (relatively easier) to Vogelsgang? I recognize that both reach the same point, but would you recommend the Lewis creek route with its sharp climb to the Vogelsang pass at the end, or the Fletcher route with its bigger climbs at the start of the day and a longer, more stretched-out climb for the rest of the way to the camp at Vogelsang? Thoughts/comments on the 5 day plan (recommend anything different?), and the Lewis or Fletcher routes to Vogelsgang?
2) Can the hike from Lake Merced via Vogelsang directly to Tuolumne Meadows all be done in one day?...if yes, what kind of shape would you expect what kind of person doing this to be in (carrying a 45 lb pack?)
3) How would you best describe the condition of the water falls and streams around Yosemite in August: Thunderous, impressive, flowing, trickling, hard to find, done for the season/dry. I recognize that different rivers can be in any one of these condition at any time (even after a big thunderstorm rolls through), but all things considered, what should a visitor expect to find most of them like in August?

More general JMT questions if this is the right place (else ignore them):
* Are mosquitoes a problem in Yosemite and along the JMT route in August?
* If you were on the JMT in August what would your rain preparations be (clothing and tent-type) Any recommendations?

Thanks a bunch!

[balzaccom]

Lots of questions here--and I won't be able to give you all the answer. Water questions will have to wait unti May or so, when we get a better idea of what kind of snowpack is up there. RIght now we've had tons of rain, but the snow level has been very high. So there is more water than we expected in the reservoirs, but not so much snow in the high country.

Your itineraries all seem fine. If you want, you can look at out trip logs for Yosemite on the website---we hiked down Lewis and up Fletcher last year, or the year before. There will be water in both of those creeks...And it is certainly possible to hike from Merced Lake, up Fletcher Creek, and then down into Tuolumne meadows in a single long day. We hiked down Lewis and up Fletcher in a single day...But why t6he 45 pound pack? If you're with a group, you should be able to share equipment and weight, and get your pack down to less than 35 pounds without too much trouble. And it is well worth that effort.

Mosquitoes? Usually they calm down by August...but it all depends on the weather. Worst mosquitoes I've ever seen were in late July near Vogelsand two years ago.

Rain? In August, you can expect that there might be showers, but not lengthy storms. We take a rain shell...and hit the trail early. Since the afternoon thundershowers hit later in the day, we try to get to camp before the weather looks too threatening.

[TwoLegsMo]

Great info. Thanks!

The pack weight I mentioned was just to set a marker and get comments with a common baseline in mind. Your point is well taken though: we will be sharing the load across the group. Goal is to get everything as light as possible.

Looking over the site you pointed to. Lots to read!
Thanks!

Any 1-person Tent recommendations from anyone? ... reasonable priced, as light as can be, & waterPROOF -- I get suspicious about the use of the word "resistant" -- its an easy out

[dan]

Any 1-person Tent recommendations from anyone? ... reasonable priced, as light as can be, & waterPROOF -- I get suspicious about the use of the word "resistant" -- its an easy out

We got a 2-person Big Agnes tent. Weighed 2 pounds. One person Big Agnes tent is not enough for one person. Two person Big Agnes tent is not big enough for two people, unless they are small or very friendly. . The Big Agnes sleeping pad is terrific too.

Rain is not a big problem in the Sierra. Summer afternoon (and often into the evening showers) are common though. Not like the soakers you get elsewhere in the country. Still you have to have a tent just in case . . .

- Dan