California Wilderness Areas – BOOTS on the TRAIL

John Muir Trail Revisited (7) 14-Sep-2022

2022-09-142022-09-22Posted in California Wilderness Areas, Hiking, Sierra Nevada (California)Tagged Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devils Postpile National Monument, Hiking, John Muir Trail (JMT), Mammoth Lakes California, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), PCT, Reds Meadow California, Sierra Nevada (California), Tuolumne Meadows4 Comments

Day 7: Lyell Canyon (Kuna Creek) to Tuolumne Meadows

With the clouds now gone and only blue sky above, the night cooled appreciable. This cooling wasn’t too noticeable when we were cocooned in our tents under the trees, but it sure was when we emerged for an early morning walk in the frost covered meadow. 🥶 But it was going to be a fully sunny day! And we only had 9.6 miles (15.6 km) of essentially flat hiking ahead to Tuolumne Meadows! 😃

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John Muir Trail Revisited (6) 13-Sep-2022

2022-09-132022-09-22Posted in California Wilderness Areas, Hiking, Sierra Nevada (California)Tagged Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devils Postpile National Monument, Hiking, John Muir Trail (JMT), Mammoth Lakes California, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), PCT, Reds Meadow California, Sierra Nevada (California), Tuolumne MeadowsLeave a comment

Lyell Canyon near Kuna Creek, Yosemite National Park, California

Day 6: Lower Davis Lake to Lyell Canyon (Kuna Creek)

Today was to be the toughest day of this trip, some 8.8 miles (14.2 km), with 1,400 feet (427 m) of gain up to Donohue Pass, then down its steep, rocky northern side into relatively flat Lyell Canyon. It would be a day that started dry, got unpleasantly moist, then ended sunnily 😎 in the welcoming (flat) confines of Lyell Canyon.

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John Muir Trail Revisited (5) 12-Sep-2022

2022-09-122022-09-21Posted in California Wilderness Areas, Hiking, Sierra Nevada (California)Tagged Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devils Postpile National Monument, Hiking, John Muir Trail (JMT), Mammoth Lakes California, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), PCT, Reds Meadow California, Sierra Nevada (California), Tuolumne MeadowsLeave a comment

Mount Ritter and Banner Peak over Garnet Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

Day 5: Clarice Lake to Lower Davis Lake

Well, we made good use of our layover day yesterday, what with lounging around in the sunshine and all. Now, to reach Tuolumne Meadows on schedule, we’d have to hike longer distances, and cross a major pass, in the next three days. I’d like to say that the weather accommodated us by being warm and sunny for all of those three days. It did not, choosing instead to grace us with rain (but not hail) on two of them. There may be a drought in California but it wasn’t here for us. 🤨

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John Muir Trail Revisited (4) 11-Sep-2022

2022-09-112022-09-20Posted in California Wilderness Areas, Hiking, Sierra Nevada (California)Tagged Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devils Postpile National Monument, Hiking, John Muir Trail (JMT), Mammoth Lakes California, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), PCT, Reds Meadow California, Sierra Nevada (California), Tuolumne MeadowsLeave a comment

Clarice Lake off the John Muir Trail, California

Day 4: Layover Near Clarice Lake

We had built one layover day into our plan – always a good idea when dealing with powers beyond your control. So, after being drenched by rain and beaten by hail yesterday, we decided to cash in our layover day today. Which was good, because today was warm, sunny 😎, and dry – almost all day. 😃

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John Muir Trail Revisited (3) 10-Sep-2022

2022-09-102022-09-20Posted in California Wilderness Areas, Hiking, Sierra Nevada (California)Tagged Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devils Postpile National Monument, Hiking, John Muir Trail (JMT), Mammoth Lakes California, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), PCT, Reds Meadow California, Sierra Nevada (California), Tuolumne MeadowsLeave a comment

Rosalie Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

Day 3: Gladys Lake to Clarice Lake

Today we planned to take the hiking up a notch by going 5.9 miles (9.6 km) to a stock camp near Clarice Lake, with a steep descent to, and then climb up from, Shadow Lake – for a total gain of some 1,200 feet (366 m).

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