Slept much better last night in the cool weather. We were up early and on our way to the pass, eager to get to Tuolumne Meadows. The morning wasn’t super warm but it was very humid for the first time in a long time. We were sweating like pigs on the climb and driving the mosquitos crazy. It wasn’t too far to the top where we crossed into Yosemite NP. Lyell Canyon stretched out in front of us, filled with the meandering Lyell fork of the Tuolumne River.
We started down a rocky descent, criss-crossing streams and trying not to trip on loose rocks. We stepped through a lot of muddy trail and over some surprisingly tricky fords. We dropped down and down to the valley floor and stepped abruptly into the huge meadow around the creek. The sun was intense, beating down on us, and we stopped to wet down our hats and bandannas in the water. The trail from here to Tuolumne was nearly flat and we moved up it at a good pace. The crystal-clear creek was wide and deep in places. If we hadn’t been in such a hurry it would have been fun to stop for a swim.
We were beginning to worry about the weather – the ridge to the east was surrounded by dark clouds and soon we could see them dropping hazy streaks of rain. As we hurried up the trail I blew by a couple of hikers standing around. Keith had to call me back – one of the hikers was a backcountry ranger checking permits. 950 miles and we finally get asked for them! He asked us how we were liking the trail, checked to make sure we were carrying bear cans, and sent us on our way.
By now it was thundering and we were sure we would get rained on. We pulled out our ponchos…just in time for a few sprinkles. Not that I’m complaining. Heads down, motivated by the weather, we made good time to the junction with the highway. We wandered up it to the wilderness center, where we got our overnight and Half Dome permits. Only one thing didn’t go according to plan – the quota on the trail was full for tonight, so we couldn’t start until tomorrow. Not a huge deal.
We headed up the road to the grill and store, where we got tasty burgers. I was finally reunited with my glasses after we were able to convince the store that another hiker had dropped them off. What trail magic! A lot of folks on the trail helped out with this one, and more than one person stopped to ask me if I had picked them up. After that excitement, we walked over to the backpacker campground and set up our tent. After today we were a bit worried about rain and it was nice to have the privacy.
It was a good thing we got there when we did, because not long after we claimed a site the place started to fill up with hikers. Since bears are such a problem out here every campsite has its own bear box. We were much more careful tonight than usual in packing away everything smelly that might attract wildlife. Tomorrow will be an early day…I hope we can sleep with so many other people around.
– Posted from the PCT
Location:Pct mile 942