“It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of nature I was ever permitted to enter.” — John Muir
The superlatives flow swiftly when you set out on the John Muir trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness near Mammoth Lakes. “Awesome” and “spectacular” would be overused hyperbole if the scenery wasn’t so, well, awesome and spectacular.
After a few days of dirt, fatigue and sensory overload, the rare sights that had awed seem almost commonplace, because they are in this most uncommon place. “Look, another sparkling mountain stream. Soaring granite edifice number 32. Ho, hum. I’m really sore from carrying this 50-pound pack.” It’s so easy to get spoiled.
I’ve long wanted to do a trans-sierra backpack. But it’s not easy to coordinate my friends’ schedules for a poker game, so what are the chances of organizing a weeklong trip?
Enter the OC Hiking and Backpacking Club. I’ve been on the e-mail list since earlier in the year when the Register partnered with the club for outdoors coverage. In July, an alert caught my eye: A 7-day, 50-mile trek from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite Valley on the northern stretch of the famous John Muir Trail. The trip was full, but I put my name on the waiting list on the off chance a spot would come open. It did, and, ready or not, I had to get ready in little more than a week.
I did not know any of the nine people I would live with 24/7, but I figured this type of challenge would attract folks with a good spirit and sense of adventure. And I liked the fact that a club-certified leader had worked out logistics, such as wilderness permits and transit back to our cars in Mammoth.
It turned out to be a fantastic and physically challenging experience. I even made some new friends along the way.
The trip’s climax — Half Dome and Yosemite Valley — provides a second wind and brings back my sense of wonder. But full appreciation for the experience doesn’t set in until after the return to freeways and e-mail when, clean and shaven, I review photos of the amazing territory I had the privilege of roaming. What a wonderful display of nature’s beauty, complexity and synergy! Want to see for yourself?
Our group on the John Muir Trail.
The Orange County Hiking and Backpacking Club holds a variety of events, from local day hikes to extended backpacks. For more information or to join for free click here.
The Lyle glacier a the source of the water that flows spectacularly through Yosemite.
The first three days were mostly uphill and grueling as we made the steep incline on the granite slope to 11,000-foot Donohue Pass. Once over the pass, it was a rocky climb back down into the grasslands of Lyle Valley. It wouldn’t be all downhill from here, but any respite from the uphill was welcome.
After three nights in the wilderness we arrived at Tuolumne Meadows and treated ourselves to burgers and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a nice respite from trail food.
- It probably wasn’t a bear that attacked Bob Randall’s fanny pack while he slept. But this was a good reminder to keep all food in bear-proof boxes and away from our tents. We did have three bear encounters on the trip. When we hiked by a mother and her cub on the trail a companion stopped to get his camera. Not wanting to tempt fate, I said the sight was fixed in my brain.
Yosemite's grandeur is big and small.
Cathedral Lake made a nice place for a cold swim after un uphill slog out of Tuolumne.
Holy smoke! We're gonna climb that big rock?
The last hour up Half Dome is within these cables at a 55% vertical angle. Click on the photo for a closer look.
See more photos on my Facebook page.http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=100891&id=740202157
I'm not at all fearless when it come to heights. So I was intimidated at the base of the cables. I actually contemplated just waiting there, but then I spotted one of my companions, Lewis, sitting on a rock. He expressed what I was feeling, telling me he was going to wait at the base. That stirred resolve in me. "Come on, Lewis. Let's stop thinking and just do it."
Exhilarated and on top of the world. Well, Half Dome anyway.