Yosemite: Backpacking Day 1 and 2

We arrived Thursday evening (July 17) at the Toulune Meadows campgrounds, had pack checks, pitched our tents, ate a chicken stir-fry dinner, had an orientation, and went on a moon-lit walk (it was a full moon that night) to a creek next the campsite.


Our first tent.

Then we went to sleep--or at least, tried to. Karen had talked about the bear experience she had the night before, where the bear was sniffing at her shoes in the middle of the night, so each zipper zipping and small movement made my paranoid self think that a bear was sniffing and scratching at our tent.

After finally falling asleep at 2:00 in the morning or so, our annoying neighbors decided to talk really loudly at 6:00 in the morning. Only Jeff and I were awake, so we decided to take a walk by the creek again in the morning.


Lambert Dome, a deer, and the creek.







After breakfast, we packed our backpacks, split up the food and the tents to all of our packs weighed about 35 lbs, and headed off to the Cathedral Lakes trail head on the John Muir Trail. The John Muir Trail is a 211-mile-long trail that runs from the Yosemite Valley, through the Yosemite High Country, through Kings Canyon National Park, and Sequoia National Park all the way to Mt. Whitney.


Jeff


Mike


La Dawn.


Karen, our amazing group leader.


Diana, Jeff


Beginning of the trail!

The hike to Cathedral Lakes was fairly decent. The elevation change total was about 1000 ft up, and then 272 ft down, but it was gradual enough not to destroy our legs. We had lunch near the toe of Cathedral Peak, and we drew water from a delicious spring on the way to the first camp site. The first campsite was at lower Cathedral Lake.


Mike and I.


Hiking!


The back of Cathedral Peak, also known as the Toe of the Cathedral.


A view of Fairview Dome from the spring where we got our water from!


Mike and the spring.




Meldicott Dome in the background as we crossed a meadow.


At the edge of Lower Cathedral Lake. Picture courtesy of Diana.


Mike!


Cathedral Peak.

After arriving at the campsite, some of us took a dip in the (cold) lake, pitched our tents, had dinner (Minestrone Soup!), and took a little hike up from our campsite to a tarn (a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier). On the way, Mike and I had some fun with the camera.


Me splashing about.


Our campsite.


The beautiful lake near sunset.


Lower Cathedral Lake.


Mike and I on the hike to the tarn, sun setting on Cathedral Peak in the background.


Glacial polish!


We didn't get to watch the sun set at the tarn, but it was setting on the way.


View from the tarn.


Shield flowers.


Tree.


Me having too much fun.


The tarn.


Hiking down with our headlights. Picture courtesy of Diana.

Afterwards, we had a night reading of great quotes, and proceeded to sleep.