Yose-mighty

Where: Yosemite (Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne) + Ten Lakes
When: First week of August 2019
Who: This seems as good a time as any to introduce our hiking names – Jake (Wes), Hot Lunch (Bora), Tricky Kate (Kate), Mountain Pup (Anna), and Positive Pierre (Tate)
Overview: 5 nights, 45 miles, 10,000 ft overall elevation gain.
Info on Yosemite back country permits can be found here.

Every backpacking trip is a some mixture of pleasure and difficulty.

Our first day of backpacking aka our last clean day. My go-to backpacking outfit is definitely functional more than fashionable.

In the “difficult” or “annoying” column are as follows: being dirty, sleeping on the ground (and therefore not sleeping well), mosquitos, having to carry all your food, peeing and pooping in the woods. (Depending on your perspective, hiking several miles with a 20-40 lb pack on your back could also be considered “not enjoyable”).

We hiked down from White Wolf campground toward the Tuolumne River canyon.

Nobody likes mosquitos or a bad night of sleep, but the “hardships” of backpacking are part of the appeal. In addition to seeing beautiful places — and we really did see some beautiful places — there is something restful about being reduced to the essentials. Some people hate camping or backpacking because it takes so much effort to do the simplest things (eg cook dinner). But that’s why I like it. Far away from cell service, a backpacking day consists of walking, eating, sleeping. Rinse, repeat. It’s gloriously simple.

Jake and Tricky Kate look happy here and they are. But they are also cold. Very, very cold.

We found a spot to camp above the river. Do you see Jake in his red shirt going down to fill our water bottles?

And of course, we did this in the company of friends. This group was a good one–intrepid and good spirited. Sometimes we talked. Other times, we hiked in silence. There was grace for those (usually me) at the back of the pack or for the one (definitely me) who suffers from a bit of vertigo and is apt to panic at heights.

I knew nothing bad could happen to me crossing this non-bridge. The water wasn’t deep or fast. But I still felt dizzy so Jake helped me out.

The view from Glen Aulin. Photo credit: Tricky Kate.

There was even grace when we realized that we had under-calculated the supplies and that the food would run out before the trip did. On the last morning, Wes ate a handful of dry oats, I skipped breakfast, and each of the young people had a few dried blueberries, three almonds, and some broken bits of peanut butter pretzels.

A very paltry breakfast. Tricky Kate wearing the highly fashionable mosquito net.

Then we hiked seven miles out to the car…and headed directly to a deli for sandwiches. Then we got some ice cream. Then we ate burgers and fries.

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