Tuolumne to Postpile in Sept... too late?

[jemenake]

I was hoping to get in a hike between Tuolumne and Red's Meadow/Devil's Postpile (the direction doesn't really matter to me, and, yes, I know that I'm risking not getting a permit) this Summer, but the fates have conspired to thwart my plans thus far. The soonest I'll have a chance is in early September.

I was going to try to grind this out in two days (between Red's Meadow and Tuolumne, the shortest I can make it is about 26 miles, so... 13 miles per day), but that will put my campsite pretty close to Donohue Pass (11k ft).

Arriving at 11,000' with tired legs and with the light fading is not where I want to discover that I didn't bring warm enough gear. How early in Autumn do temps up there start dipping into the "I don't know if I'd do that, if I were you" zone?

[AlmostThere]

It can (and has) snowed in April, May, June, July, August, September, November, December. Not to mention January, February and March. That means temperatures dip below freezing any time of year - winter is just when it stays below freezing in day time and then goes into the 20s and teens at night, unless there's weather, then it gets colder.

In mid September the resorts and such (aka Red's Meadow, Tuolumne Meadows store/lodge/post office/campground, etc) shut down for the winter, because the chances of sticking snow increase from then on. Night temps will likely be below freezing often. The weather may be nice, or it may turn on you. I will still be taking the same gear I take every hike from April through when the real snow falls and closes high roads - a down jacket, a down beanie hat, a base layer, extra socks, and sleeping gear (pad and down quilt) that will keep me comfortably (not survival, comfort rated) warm into the 20s. Around October I start to pack the down booties, 0 degree quilt, a foam pad to throw on the inflatable, and extra stove fuel as the temps will result in less efficient burn times.

You may want to double check bus schedules to make sure you can get back to the car - YARTS goes weekends only sometime around the same time the resorts and campgrounds close.

If the wind comes up and the weather gets wacky, don't hesitate to hike back below treeline. I would plan to either pound it over and get down, or stay in the trees on the way up. We stayed the night in the meadows just on the other side and the wind whipping the nylon of the tents around drove us nuts. The next day it snowed. That was, as I recall, the second weekend of August.