TR: Tuolumne Mdws to Lyell Fork Merced, Sept 1-7, 2016
Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 2:23 pm
Trip Report: Solo backpack from Tuolumne Meadows to upper Lyell Fork Merced River, Yosemite National Park, September 1-7, 2016
It's May and time to think about summer backpack trips, so I decided to put some energy into finishing up this trip report that I started writing last fall.
Summary
Solo backpack trip from Tuolumne Meadows up Rafferty Creek; over Tuolumne and Vogelsang Passes; down Lewis Creek to the High Trail; then along the High Trail to the Lyell Fork Merced, where I explored cross-country up the Lyell Fork; return on the High Trail back to Lewis Creek; go briefly down to the Fletcher Creek trail; follow it up to Emeric Lake; head cross-country over to Nelson Lake; and then return on the use trail to Tuolumne Meadows.
Distances and elevation changes summary (based on CalTopo map measurements, which may underestimate true values):
Day 1: 7.6 mi, +1870 feet, -200 feet.
Day 2: 9.4 mi, +1955 feet, -2884 feet.
Day 3: 0.4 mi trail and 1.2 mi cross-country, +300 feet, -375 feet, plus cross-country side trip without pack of 1.2 miles with 800 feet gain and loss.
Day 4: cross-country side trip without pack of 4.8 miles with 2200 feet gain and loss.
Day 5: 8.4 mi, +2250 feet, -2700 feet.
Day 6: 5.3 mi, +1650 feet, -1150 feet.
Day 7: 5.6 mi, +850 feet, -1800 feet.
Here is a topo map overview of my trip with my route shown in red. Solid lines are trails and dotted lines are cross-country. Dashed dark-red lines are other trails from OpenStreetMap. Obvious symbols show my campsites and some excellent viewpoints along the High Trail. For more detail, see my online Caltopo map at http://caltopo.com/m/EKB4 (hint: turn off labels in the Config menu).
I saw lots of great scenery under clear blue skies. Trails were in great shape and route-finding on the cross-country sections was not difficult. Even though it was late season, streams were still flowing. Finally, I had a lot of solitude on this trip. This is my general experience in the Yosemite backcountry. Although everyone complains that it is so crowded, with careful route planning, you can get away from them all. I saw many other hikers the first day and at the end of the last day, which was to be expected in the Tuolumne Meadows area. But then I only saw a few hikers on the other trails and none in the cross-country sections. On the first and last nights others camped in the general vicinity, but not close to me. The other nights there were no other campers anywhere that I could see or hear. I did not make any campfires on this trip and was generally in bed by the time it got dark around 8 pm.
Each day of the trip will be a separate post within this topic so I can add lots of photos!
Introduction
Summer 2016 was moving along at a good clip and I had managed only two short (two-night) Sierra backpack trips by the beginning of August. I was watching my calendar getting filled up with work and family events and starting to feel really bummed that maybe I wouldn't be able to fit in a longer trip (for the first time in decades). So then I printed off an August/September paper calendar (I'm an analog guy) and started marking it up with things I really could not miss, mostly at work. Finally, I realized that I could re-arrange a few work projects to add some vacation days before and after Labor Day. So my trip was set: September 1 to 7.
Although I had been collecting a "wish list" of week-long backpack trip ideas all summer, I quickly dropped all the east-side ones since I didn't want to waste any of my seven days driving over there and back from the Bay Area. That put me back to my favorite stomping grounds in the Yosemite high country. This was okay, both because I love that country and because I was going solo and it seemed better to stick to familiar areas. I just started solo backpacking a couple of years ago when my wife (and backpack companion for decades) decided she no longer liked the long backpack trips (more than 2 or 3 nights).
So I started researching ideas for my Yosemite trip that would spend my time in the timberline country, in the granite, get me into a remote area, and include both familiar areas and some new spots. I wanted to get up reasonably high, so I dropped the north country from my list. Besides, I had just done a long trip there the previous year. I also liked to take it easy - 5 to 8 miles per day is my preference - so I have lots of time to stop for photography or to admire views or just laze around. And I wanted to get in some easy cross-country hiking.
I was researching both the Clark Range and the Lyell Fork Merced River when I was inspired by a detailed trip report by Doyle W. Donehoo, a member of HST, on his own "Sierra Trails" website, for his trip from Tuolumne Meadows to the Lyell Fork Merced and back. See:
http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sierratrai ... ver1v9.htm
I had lots of other reasons drawing me to the Lyell Fork as well. I read about the HST meetup that had just occurred there in July. I have been entranced for many years by the famous Ansel Adams photo of the Lyell Fork Merced meadows that is in a book of Adams' photos that I have. Finally, My wife and I had hiked the High Trail that crosses the Lyell Fork Merced River years ago, but didn't take any time (to my regret) to explore up the river. So I made up my mind to go back there and spend at least two nights on the Lyell Fork Merced so I could properly explore it. I also figured I could try out another new spot (for me) in the Cathedral Range on the way back by crossing the ridge from Emeric Lake to Nelson Lake, which looked eminently feasible on the topo and Google satellite views.
So I developed my plan for this inverted lollipop (a loop with an out and back section in the middle) backpack trip from Tuolumne Meadows that would use the Rafferty Creek trail, Lewis Creek trail, Fletcher Creek trail, cross-country to Nelson Lake, and Nelson Lake use trail to make the loop, and then the High Trail to get to and from the Lyell Fork Merced River, where I would explore cross-country up the Lyell Fork itself and hopefully up Hutchings Creek as well. This was about 40 miles total distance with a pack. If the permits were all taken for Rafferty Creek, I would do this loop in reverse, because in my experience the Nelson Lake permits are rarely all given out.
When I was making these trip plans, I was keeping a close eye on the wildfire and smoke reports on the internet. Really big persistent wildfires were burning in the California coastal ranges and one in the very southern Sierra, and the typical southwest summer winds were spreading a smoky haze across the entire Sierra. My shorter trips in July and early August had been marred by this smoke - at some points, it felt like I was hiking in the smoggy urban areas I remembered from my youth. I was very thankful when a windy early season low pressure system came through at the end of August and cleared out the smoke haze and then shifted the winds to the northwest. Now the smoke from the remaining coastal range fires was blowing to the south along the coast. I had beautiful smoke-free blue skies for my whole trip.
I prepared my Reconn Trip Record (http://reconn.org/) including printed detailed topo map with my planned route and left a copy with my wife and told her to contact the park if I didn't show up or call her by September 8 (one day late). I also left a copy in an envelope on the front seat of the car when I started hiking. I've thought about getting a Spot or Delorme satellite tracker for these solo trips, but haven't taken the plunge yet - I'm discouraged by the idea of adding another 1/2 pound of weight to my already-too-heavy pack!
I drove up after work on Wednesday evening (August 31) on Highway 120 and found a spot on a Forest Service dirt road west of the park to sleep in the car. I was up at 6 am, drove to the Big Oak Flat entrance station and started the line for the Wilderness Permit office at 7 am. I took advantage of the picnic table they provide there to cook my breakfast. The office opened at 8 am. They called up to Tuolumne Meadows to check for a same-day permit on Rafferty Creek and one was available, so I didn't have to make any last minute plan changes.
I drove up to Tuolumne Meadows, enjoying that beautiful scenery I have seen so many times. Can't get enough of those lovely domes around Tenaya Lake area! I parked at the Dog Lake parking area - actually, it was full so I parked on the road beside it. And I was ready to hit the trail at 10:30 am on Thursday, September 1. I took along a small notebook and pencil to keep some notes to help me write up a trip report. I hadn't done that in decades; I'd always figured I could remember my trips. But the notes were useful to jog my memory - and keep it honest. The rest of this report is based on those notes and the many photos that I took.
It's May and time to think about summer backpack trips, so I decided to put some energy into finishing up this trip report that I started writing last fall.
Summary
Solo backpack trip from Tuolumne Meadows up Rafferty Creek; over Tuolumne and Vogelsang Passes; down Lewis Creek to the High Trail; then along the High Trail to the Lyell Fork Merced, where I explored cross-country up the Lyell Fork; return on the High Trail back to Lewis Creek; go briefly down to the Fletcher Creek trail; follow it up to Emeric Lake; head cross-country over to Nelson Lake; and then return on the use trail to Tuolumne Meadows.
Distances and elevation changes summary (based on CalTopo map measurements, which may underestimate true values):
Day 1: 7.6 mi, +1870 feet, -200 feet.
Day 2: 9.4 mi, +1955 feet, -2884 feet.
Day 3: 0.4 mi trail and 1.2 mi cross-country, +300 feet, -375 feet, plus cross-country side trip without pack of 1.2 miles with 800 feet gain and loss.
Day 4: cross-country side trip without pack of 4.8 miles with 2200 feet gain and loss.
Day 5: 8.4 mi, +2250 feet, -2700 feet.
Day 6: 5.3 mi, +1650 feet, -1150 feet.
Day 7: 5.6 mi, +850 feet, -1800 feet.
Here is a topo map overview of my trip with my route shown in red. Solid lines are trails and dotted lines are cross-country. Dashed dark-red lines are other trails from OpenStreetMap. Obvious symbols show my campsites and some excellent viewpoints along the High Trail. For more detail, see my online Caltopo map at http://caltopo.com/m/EKB4 (hint: turn off labels in the Config menu).
I saw lots of great scenery under clear blue skies. Trails were in great shape and route-finding on the cross-country sections was not difficult. Even though it was late season, streams were still flowing. Finally, I had a lot of solitude on this trip. This is my general experience in the Yosemite backcountry. Although everyone complains that it is so crowded, with careful route planning, you can get away from them all. I saw many other hikers the first day and at the end of the last day, which was to be expected in the Tuolumne Meadows area. But then I only saw a few hikers on the other trails and none in the cross-country sections. On the first and last nights others camped in the general vicinity, but not close to me. The other nights there were no other campers anywhere that I could see or hear. I did not make any campfires on this trip and was generally in bed by the time it got dark around 8 pm.
Each day of the trip will be a separate post within this topic so I can add lots of photos!
Introduction
Summer 2016 was moving along at a good clip and I had managed only two short (two-night) Sierra backpack trips by the beginning of August. I was watching my calendar getting filled up with work and family events and starting to feel really bummed that maybe I wouldn't be able to fit in a longer trip (for the first time in decades). So then I printed off an August/September paper calendar (I'm an analog guy) and started marking it up with things I really could not miss, mostly at work. Finally, I realized that I could re-arrange a few work projects to add some vacation days before and after Labor Day. So my trip was set: September 1 to 7.
Although I had been collecting a "wish list" of week-long backpack trip ideas all summer, I quickly dropped all the east-side ones since I didn't want to waste any of my seven days driving over there and back from the Bay Area. That put me back to my favorite stomping grounds in the Yosemite high country. This was okay, both because I love that country and because I was going solo and it seemed better to stick to familiar areas. I just started solo backpacking a couple of years ago when my wife (and backpack companion for decades) decided she no longer liked the long backpack trips (more than 2 or 3 nights).
So I started researching ideas for my Yosemite trip that would spend my time in the timberline country, in the granite, get me into a remote area, and include both familiar areas and some new spots. I wanted to get up reasonably high, so I dropped the north country from my list. Besides, I had just done a long trip there the previous year. I also liked to take it easy - 5 to 8 miles per day is my preference - so I have lots of time to stop for photography or to admire views or just laze around. And I wanted to get in some easy cross-country hiking.
I was researching both the Clark Range and the Lyell Fork Merced River when I was inspired by a detailed trip report by Doyle W. Donehoo, a member of HST, on his own "Sierra Trails" website, for his trip from Tuolumne Meadows to the Lyell Fork Merced and back. See:
http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sierratrai ... ver1v9.htm
I had lots of other reasons drawing me to the Lyell Fork as well. I read about the HST meetup that had just occurred there in July. I have been entranced for many years by the famous Ansel Adams photo of the Lyell Fork Merced meadows that is in a book of Adams' photos that I have. Finally, My wife and I had hiked the High Trail that crosses the Lyell Fork Merced River years ago, but didn't take any time (to my regret) to explore up the river. So I made up my mind to go back there and spend at least two nights on the Lyell Fork Merced so I could properly explore it. I also figured I could try out another new spot (for me) in the Cathedral Range on the way back by crossing the ridge from Emeric Lake to Nelson Lake, which looked eminently feasible on the topo and Google satellite views.
So I developed my plan for this inverted lollipop (a loop with an out and back section in the middle) backpack trip from Tuolumne Meadows that would use the Rafferty Creek trail, Lewis Creek trail, Fletcher Creek trail, cross-country to Nelson Lake, and Nelson Lake use trail to make the loop, and then the High Trail to get to and from the Lyell Fork Merced River, where I would explore cross-country up the Lyell Fork itself and hopefully up Hutchings Creek as well. This was about 40 miles total distance with a pack. If the permits were all taken for Rafferty Creek, I would do this loop in reverse, because in my experience the Nelson Lake permits are rarely all given out.
When I was making these trip plans, I was keeping a close eye on the wildfire and smoke reports on the internet. Really big persistent wildfires were burning in the California coastal ranges and one in the very southern Sierra, and the typical southwest summer winds were spreading a smoky haze across the entire Sierra. My shorter trips in July and early August had been marred by this smoke - at some points, it felt like I was hiking in the smoggy urban areas I remembered from my youth. I was very thankful when a windy early season low pressure system came through at the end of August and cleared out the smoke haze and then shifted the winds to the northwest. Now the smoke from the remaining coastal range fires was blowing to the south along the coast. I had beautiful smoke-free blue skies for my whole trip.
I prepared my Reconn Trip Record (http://reconn.org/) including printed detailed topo map with my planned route and left a copy with my wife and told her to contact the park if I didn't show up or call her by September 8 (one day late). I also left a copy in an envelope on the front seat of the car when I started hiking. I've thought about getting a Spot or Delorme satellite tracker for these solo trips, but haven't taken the plunge yet - I'm discouraged by the idea of adding another 1/2 pound of weight to my already-too-heavy pack!
I drove up after work on Wednesday evening (August 31) on Highway 120 and found a spot on a Forest Service dirt road west of the park to sleep in the car. I was up at 6 am, drove to the Big Oak Flat entrance station and started the line for the Wilderness Permit office at 7 am. I took advantage of the picnic table they provide there to cook my breakfast. The office opened at 8 am. They called up to Tuolumne Meadows to check for a same-day permit on Rafferty Creek and one was available, so I didn't have to make any last minute plan changes.
I drove up to Tuolumne Meadows, enjoying that beautiful scenery I have seen so many times. Can't get enough of those lovely domes around Tenaya Lake area! I parked at the Dog Lake parking area - actually, it was full so I parked on the road beside it. And I was ready to hit the trail at 10:30 am on Thursday, September 1. I took along a small notebook and pencil to keep some notes to help me write up a trip report. I hadn't done that in decades; I'd always figured I could remember my trips. But the notes were useful to jog my memory - and keep it honest. The rest of this report is based on those notes and the many photos that I took.