Yosemite 2021

[Greg]

The Bat bit was your story to tell. I only had bugs over the tent sounding like rain.

[Greg]

Day 5 Hike to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

9.24 Miles
449’ Up
2844’ Down

After the exciting hike to Laurel Lake and all it’s adventures, the hike to Hetch Hetchy reservoir was a bit of a letdown. Or a comedown. The hike back to civilization. We had two choices on the hike back we could do a short route of 7 miles or a longer route of 10 miles. The consensus was for the short route.

The group started off the day in the usual fashion. I was packed and ready to go by the time the rest of the camp stirred. There was the usual debate about whether to have the coffee at camp or further down the trail. Coffee at camp won.

There wouldn’t be any water on the trail until we got to the potable tap on the other side of the dam. Conservation was the key word for the day. But truth be told. It was a pretty easy hike. The majority of it was down hill. The app on my watch says there was a bit of uphill, but I don’t remember any of that. The biggest problem we had was losing the trail. Our path wasn’t very well traveled. Usually, if you are going to Laurel Lake you go through the BeeHive. There were lots of weeds obscuring the trail. Hopefully we did our part by defining the path a bit more. DM and I led for a little bit, but we were quickly overtaken by the Younglings.

I had been breaking trail up until I was overtaken and the first thing the Younglings encountered was a giant tree that completely obliterated all signs of the trail. It took us a good ten minutes of hunting before finding the trail again.

After a couple miles of hiking, the Younglings were far ahead of me and Mrs. DM and DM were far behind me. I looked off to my left and I spotted a beautiful buck coming down the hill. Fortunately, this time I had all the cameras with me. I had proof that I had seen him. He was coming down the bank and looked to cross the trail I was on. I tried to get to that point so I could get a better picture but he spotted me and wanted nothing to do with me. He turned around and went back up the hill.

The hike was going really well but I noticed something disconcerting about the mile markers. There was about a two mile discrepancy between how long the trail was supposed to be and how long it actually was. According to the signs, the hike was going to be two miles farther than advertised, even though we took the shorter route. Sigh.

After hiking a beautiful dirt path through the forest, I finally made it to the top of the switchbacks leading down to the reservoir. I had spectacular views of the valley as I made it down the granite path. The sun started to peak out from the cloud cover I had been enjoying for the majority of the hike. The hike became a quest to seek shade on the exposed trail. DM and I again were relegated to back of the pack. We stopped to take selfies. We remarked on the various paved portions of the trail where someone in the long distant past had paved part of the trail.

When we got to the bottom of the trail, I quickly realized where the 2 mile discrepancy in the hike came from. When the hike down the mountain reached the trail around the lake, it was exactly 7.5 miles. We just never figured in the mileage to the end of the dam, which which was what the trail markers indicated. Stupid maps. We continued on. I think the pace picked up a bit because everyone wanted to stand in the cool tunnel at the end of the trail but before the dam.

I made it there right after the Younglings. DM and Mrs. DM brought up the rear. The male Youngling was still bouncing around with some energy. At one point, he jumped up on the side wall of the tunnel. DM almost took out his ankle with his walking staff.

As we walked across the dam, a group of surveyors were checking the dam to make sure it hadn’t shifted too much from the earthquake. They also gave us all the information about the quake. Finally, I convinced them to take our final group picture.

The discussion arose about who was going to get the car. It wasn’t much of a discussion for me since I had to get my own car. But Mrs. DM wanted her group to wait at the end of the O’Shaunnessy Dam at the road while she went to go get the car. I had been thinking I would like to drop my pack there but think anybody else would be game for that idea. Well, the Younglings wanted to continue to go get water. DM wanted to get the car because he had hidden some hand sanitizer in one of the bear boxes at the campground near the car park. Exasperated, Mrs. DM said she would stay with the packs as we all hiked off.

The Younglings were happy to get some water. I was happy to go into the bathroom and rinse off some of the trail grime. DM and I then walked to the carpark. DM almost didn’t make it. We had to make plenty of stops in the shade of the trees along the road. I think the walk was farther than he had anticipated. Eventually, we made. My car started right up. I was afraid the battery would have died in the intervening week since my car has a tendency to do that. I put on fresh clothes. I put on my tennis shoes. I felt like a brand new boy.

I picked up my pack and my goodbyes to Mrs. DM and DM. I stopped twice on the way back. Once to get some snacks and the other time to get a pizza for my end of hike reward. I was tired. My neck had a glorious sunburn. There were mosquito bites all over my body. 

I am ready for next.

[Drunk Monk]

DM almost took out his ankle with his walking staff.

I was aiming for his knee actually. But I pulled the strike because we'll need him later. 

DM almost didn’t make it. 

Moral of the story... DM is so out of shape.

I am ready for next.

Likewise.

More to come later.

[Greg]

Conclusion

Showering for the first time in a week was an epic experience. I no longer had the heady musk mixture of Deet and Banana Boat Suntan lotion. As I washed off the accumulated grime, I wondered to myself if I had fun. That’s the question you get asked after you get back from doing something out of the ordinary. “Did you have fun”

Fun doesn’t cover it. It’s too limited a word. I can state categorically that I didn’t have fun. I could all the things that made me uncomfortable during the trek and you would conclude that I had a miserable time. The first day was especially tough. I felt constantly dehydrated. I no longer felt eating. My backpack weighed more than a small child. The hikes up the hills seemed interminable. I could never find a place to sit that was comfortable. The bugs were annoying. Pooping in a cathole and wiping my butt with a leaf was annoying.
But for some reason the inconveniences I experienced barely tipped the scales against the wondrous adventure of it all. I’m too fat and out of shape to backpack that distance. But I did it. I stood in places that the vast majority of people will never stand. I saw bears and deer and dragonflies and too many wildflowers to count. I could dwell on the bad things but the good memories crowd them out. So much so, that a week later I’m already scoping out the trail for a longer hike that climbs over an even taller mountain. My brain categorizes this as an exciting opportunity.

I learned things on this trip that I will apply to the next trip. I might leave a few things behind to lighten my load. I might start my get in shape regimen a little earlier that a week before the trip. Stupid as it sounds, I’m ready to go again.

But it wasn’t fun.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

I recommend a road trip. We saw deer, too.

[Greg]

I went to Yosemite today. It was fun.

[Drunk Monk]

We saw deer, too.

We see deer on the way to UTerrDP. Yuki doesn't know what to think. 

We don't have intimate moments with 10-pointers tho.

Nor do we see bears. We definitely don't see two bears. 

Not those kind of bears, Yeti. Stop thinking that.

I went to Yosemite today. It was fun.

Bears?

[Greg]

One deer. Plenty of cougars.....

[Drunk Monk]

I have grown out my mustache again. Last time I shaved was prior to our trek. I probably have the straggliest stache in DOOM and now there’s white strands making it look even worse. But it reminds me of the trek, a strange and annoying memento for now. Somewhat aiming for that Klingon/Fu Manchu thing that my facial hair does but not sure if I’ll see it through. 

I miss pooping in cat holes. It’s a guilty pleasure. There’s something about getting back to nature in this way and the view that’s so relaxing. Except for that last morning at Laurel lake where a mosquito bit my ass. There were more buzzing about, eyeing to make a meal out of other tender bits and they spoiled the experience.

[Greg]

Sentinel Dome - Taft Point Hike

6.02 Miles
1109’ Up
1099’ Down

I am now 2 for 2 in taking people on a hike in Yosemite and having those people fear they would die. Obviously, I’m not as sophisticated as Angus, although I gave it a shot, and must blab about my adventures.

Scapino and his Twins came to the Lair for a couple of days. He had a free pass to the National Parks and wanted to make good use of the pass by visiting Yosemite, Sequoia, and King’s Canyon National Parks. Scapino spent two nights in Yosemite before coming to Lynch Lair. I figured two nights wasn’t enough time in the park for anyone, so I arranged for a reservation so I could take Scapino and his brood in for one more day. I pointedly asked if the twins would be fit enough to do a five mile hike. Scapino said yes and pointed out that he and the boys climbed to the top of Vernal Falls via the Mist Trail. Since that is a pretty rigorous hike, I figured they would be fine. Why is my figuring always so far off the mark?

One of my favorite hikes is to the top of Sentinel Dome. You get great views from up there. The views from Taft point are pretty good, too and Taft isn’t very from Sentinel Dome. Why not do the loop? I’ve never done the loop but it’s not that long of a hike.

I am unfamiliar with the logistics of getting two young men ready to leave but it takes a lot of effort, much like getting a small battalion on the move. There are backpacks to load, camelbacks to fill, and food to find. Oddly it didn’t include feeding them at the house. Feeding occurred with the help of Judy’s donuts in Oakhurst.

I was going to drive, but Scapino stepped in and said his mini-van would be the better conveyance. I was skeptical, but about ten minutes into the ride, I realized he was absolutely correct. All the things that made the boys comfortable were in the van including the DVD player that held their movies. We did listen to a lot of 70s and 80s rock along the way as well.

Scapino and I threatened the twins with more talk about the log flume that used to run alongside Road 600. It was a topic I had broached the day before and was met with firm eye rolls and loud sighs of discontent.  Part of the beauty of Flume talk was trying to explain what exactly is a flume.

It was the perfect temperature for the hike. The air was cool crisp and full of the scents of the pine trees. We got a good spot at the Trail Head just off the Glacier Point Road. Again, we did not immediately exit the car and hit the trail. Shoes had to be put on. Bathroom breaks at the pit toilets had to be navigated. Suntan lotion was applied. I’m sure my bit chomping was annoying.

The distance from the parking lot to the top of Sentinel Dome is a little over a mile hike. Scapino and I tried to impart our park wisdom during the walk and I hope it all didn’t fall on deaf ears. When we stopped about half way there, I figured there were going to be problems. The boys needed some more food and some gatorade from Scapino’s reservoir.

The best part about hiking to Sentinel Dome was that you could see it from the trail. You could point to it and say we are going there. We are hiking up that. This would prove to be important later on.

And then we were on top. I took plenty of pictures. Scapino took plenty of pictures. The boys didn’t seem all that impressed. Clouds started to build over Half Dome and the mountains behind it. I felt the spirit of Ansel Adams all around me. I bored the boys with stories of the Jeffrey Pine. I pointed out the Survey Marker that showed we currently stood at over 8000’. I was having the best time talking to all the other hikers and sharing the joy of being on Sentinel Dome at this perfect time.

Then it was on to Taft Point. Taft lies three miles away from Sentinel Dome. I’d never been on this section of the trail but the survey map showed there wasn’t that much climbing or descending. But there was some. But it was among the trees. The temperature was cool. There were perfect views of a dry Yosemite Falls.

The Younger Twin, for whatever reason, was charging ahead of us at a pretty good clip. Scapino tried to slow him down but Younger Twin had his own agenda. Until he tripped and fell full out on the trail. Then the screaming started. Really loud screaming interspersed with yells of “I hate hiking’. Fortunately the trail was pretty empty, so we didn’t disturb too many other people’s hikes. It took a lot of conversation by Scapino to get him to calm down enough to get him to resume the hike. The problem was we were about equal distance from the car whether we went forward or backward on the trail.

That moment kind of broke Younger Twin. He was milliseconds away from descending into sadness for the rest of the hike. It was a bad spiral for him. And we would stop every so often and have to calm him. And by we, I mean Scapino. I spent time hanging out with Older Twin. He wanted to know everything about 1980s horror movies like Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Alien. I did my best to resurrect my memories of those movies for him.

At one point, we crossed a tiny creek. Only after we had walked away from it, did I realize that it was Sentinel Creek and if we had took a slight detour, we could have stood at the top of Sentinel Falls. But diverting from the trail wasn’t something in the cards at that point.

It helped that we saw a deer standing by the side of the trail. Many other hikers also saw her and we did the shushing gesture to all the other hikers that appeared so they could see the deer before it startled away.

One of the lessons we tried to impart to the boys was that Yosemite is unforgiving if you make mistakes. It’s up to you to know how to navigate the park and it’s intricacies. Naturally, we met a man and his family on the trail returning from Taft Point who didn’t follow this maxim. The father seemed flustered and exacerbated as he asked if he was on the trail back to the trailhead. Because I had studied the map before I left, I knew he was not on the trail to the trailhead. Scapino had a map on his phone that showed the father was not the trail to the trailhead. He got angry because he thought the trails were poorly marked. He complained the sign at the junction just said Road on it. Now, that trail isn’t very long so I was curious how he’d forgotten which trail to take on such a short journey. Later at the junction, I spotted the trail sign. It read “Glacier Point Road” I think that was pretty clear.

Younger Twin fell into the deepest pit of hiking hatred when I told him we had about another hour of hiking to get to Taft Point. He was not having it. I couldn’t really do anything about the time. The hike kept screeching to a halt when we had to calm him down. The length of the trip kept extending because we kept stopping. And unlike Sentinel Dome, I couldn’t point to Taft Point and say we just had to get to there. Even Elder Twin was becoming annoyed with Younger Twin. I did point out that it was Elder Twin’s job to look out for Younger Twin.


That was the final straw for the Younger Twin. He didn’t have another hour in him for this foolishness. He made his displeasure known at the top of his voice. Scapino asked me if I still wanted to go to Taft Point. Of course. You don’t cut short magical days in Yosemite. Scapino was going to talk to Younger Twin to see if he could convince him to continue. Older Twin opted to continue the death march.

Older Twin was getting kind of cranky that every time he asked me how much longer it would take, I said ten or fifteen minutes. Which would have been true if hadn’t wasted so much time stopping. The trip to the point from the junction did only take about fifteen minutes. The trip went quickly as I spent the majority of the time answering questions about horror films for Older Twin. I explained why Freddy was in dreams and why killing children hurt the parents. I explained about the cannibals in Texas Chainsaw Massacre and why I left the film early. I couldn’t really explain Scream because Older Twin didn’t quite grasp satire yet.

Taft Point was great, especially since a large group left Taft Point as we descended to the Point. There was hardly anyone there at all. I took a picture of empty Taft Point in the middle of July in the middle of the day. That has to be impossible. There was a mother daughter pair there when Older Twin and I finally approached the railing. The mother couldn’t do it. She touched the railing and promptly turned around and headed away. I took pictures of the daughter so the daughter would have something to remember the day by. The daughter asked if I wanted a picture with my son. I said Older Twin wasn’t my son, more of an abductee.

Later on we went the mother on the hike back up to the trailhead. The mother complimented me on how agile I looked climbing up the rocks on the path. I told her hiking was like walking on a cloud when you don’t have a huge pack on your back.

We found Scapino and Younger Twin back at the car. I thought Younger Twin might have us leave the park and go get lunch, but he agreed to go to Glacier Point with us. We promised him no more hiking. The clouds over Half Dome and the surrounding area were magnificent. You could clearly see Vernal and Nevada Falls. The Twins were more interested in the ice creams they bought at the gift shop.

It took some arm twisting but Scapino and I made the boys actually continue the hundred more yards to the actual Glacier Point. They seemed more interested in looking at the squirrel than the views.

It amazes me (although, probably shouldn’t) that two people can be at the same spot at the same time and have vastly different experiences.

[Drunk Monk]

Saw this. Thought of Yeti...

[Greg]

More from the 1871 Yosemite Guide Book

"Much less can it be supposed that the peculiar form of the Yosemite is due to the erosive action of ice. A more absurd theory was never advanced than that by which it was sought to ascribe to glaciers the sawing out of these vertical walls and the rounding of the domes. Nothing more unlike the real world of ice, as exhibited in the Alps, could be found. Besides, there is no reason to suppose, or at least no proof, that glaciers have ever occupied the Valley, or any portion of it, "

[Drunk Monk]

On July 30th and 31st, lightning caused 10 wildfires in Yosemite National Park. One of these fires is the Tiltill Fire. This fire is being suppressed. This fire is located in Tiltill Valley, North of Hetch Hetchy.

This fire may be visible from numerous vantage points throughout the park, including Tioga Road and other high-country viewpoints. It also may be visible from points West outside the Park. Smoke will also be present from other regional fires in California through out parts of Yosemite NP.
Air Quality Conditions for Yosemite National Park can be found at: www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/aqmonitoring
 
Yosemite National Park is a fire-adapted ecosystem. The strategy for all fires is to provide for the safety of employees and public, as well as protect natural and cultural resources. Currently there are no threats to infrastructure. But there are Trail closures in the fire area. See the Article tab on this fire.

The 2nd day of our trek is fire and ash.

[Greg]

I just received that post from Mrs. Dm.

Here is the map on Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=37.99058...a=modis_mp

[Greg]

Backpacking Coda: I had an annual physical. The usual stuff. At one point my doctor asked if I would run out of breath going up the stairs. Looking at me, i could totally understand the question. Being me, I was a little taken aback. I stared my doctor in the eye and very calmly said "I just got back from a 30mile backpacking trip. I think I'm good"

She was flabbergasted. Which was rude and spectacular. The conclusion was that I was in great shape for a guy in terrible shape.