Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne June 25 - insane?

[Zoltan]

Greetings all. I was planning on hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail from June 25-July 3 but have decided to find something else this year due to likely very heavy snowpack remaining.

I've been bouncing around the idea of going White Wolf to Pate Valley, up to Glen Aulin, returning to White Wolf via McGee Lake and Ten Lakes Pass. The Tuolumne should be rocking! I will be solo. some questions I'd like to throw open to the forum:

1. Am I likely to encounter heavy and/or icy conditions coming down to Pate from White Wolf? It is the north facing side of a very deep canyon, but the elevations are below 6500 feet when it gets really steep.

2. I know there is a bridge in Pate Valley spanning the Tuolumne, but does anyone have any experience with a heavy snowmelt down there? Is it likely to be completely flooded? A bridge would do me no good in that case! If it's likely to be flooded, I can avoid crossing the Tuolumne by starting at Hetch Hetchy and taking the Rancheria mountain route.

3. The return via Ten Lakes Pass is well over 10k for a while. I imagine it will still be very much buried. Anything around there I should be worried about...cornices, etc.?

Just a word about my experience level. 15 years of backpacking. I did this hike to Tuolumne in 06 and it was no problem then, but much lower snow obviously. Probably 4000 miles of backpacking total, lots of cross country, SHR in 08, Wind River and Absaroka High Route in 2010, up Muro Blanco in 2011, a couple of week-long xc trips most summers, and hiked the California PCT in 07, JMT in 04. I am comfortable traveling on snow and know how to use an ice axe but I do not have micro spikes or crampons as yet. I am very comfortable going solo, I'd say most of my trips have been so.

Any advice you can provide will be much appreciated!

~Zoltan

[AlmostThere]

Crossing the Tuolumne, then crossing the creeks coming up the canyon, and the flooding of the trail, and the potential washouts of the trail -- I'm thinking of a few spots where it goes close to the river and could easily have been scoured away or is still completely underwater -- those would be my concerns. I'd bet the Return Creek footbridge has been damaged -- it's probably inundated right now.

Got to also wonder about the gear that will be needed to climb over the ridge on Tuolumne Peak. Though there is an easy out if it's impassible, go out to the road via May Lake.

[balzaccom]

The one creek you don't mention is Morrison Creek, between White Wolf and Pate Valley. It can be quite challenging early in the year. You may have to explore quite a ways to find a spot that's safe--if you can find one.

The rest of the trip may be more wading in thigh deep icy water...but not so much rushing water. AT's note about bridges is appropriate. If the bridge is out, that's a difficult crossing in high water.

[AlmostThere]

At some point the question becomes how much uncertainty are you willing to tolerate -- if you are like me the goal is enjoyable hiking and camping, maybe some great pictures. I look at trips in terms of risk not only to life and limb, but to time and money -- contemplating a solo trip, I would look at the possible complications and choose a different destination that 1) I have more information about the actual status of the bridges and creeks instead of committing and then finding myself torn between wasting time/bailing, and risking my life 2) I am sure the road will be open - Tioga Pass is not currently, and is still being worked on, with no estimated date of opening, so that too is uncertain. The more uncertainties, the more likely it is I will be bailing early and wasting time. I don't like wasting time off. So I would call this one, were I considering it, based on that more than anything else. I'd go to Cherry and head out into lower elevations of the park. I'd go to Golden Trout. I'd figure out something that even if it doesn't avoid snow it will not drown me.

[maverick]

1. Am I likely to encounter heavy and/or icy conditions coming down to Pate from White Wolf? It is the north facing side of a very deep canyon, but the elevations are below 6500 feet when it gets really steep.

2. I know there is a bridge in Pate Valley spanning the Tuolumne, but does anyone have any experience with a heavy snowmelt down there? Is it likely to be completely flooded? A bridge would do me no good in that case! If it's likely to be flooded, I can avoid crossing the Tuolumne by starting at Hetch Hetchy and taking the Rancheria mountain route.

3. The return via Ten Lakes Pass is well over 10k for a while. I imagine it will still be very much buried. Anything around there I should be worried about...cornices, etc.?

Hi Zoltan,

I has been a while.

1. Morrison Creek will be a challenge. Parts of the Tuolumne past Pate will be interesting, but doable, will just have to climb a little to by-pass.

2. Bridge crossing should be fine, but just in case, time you crossing for the early morning, before the snow melt rises the water levels. Yes, you could go via Rancheria Mtn, but snow will be a bigger issue, there and the descent from Pleasant Valley, which may be flooded, making it a maze of floating tree limbs and knee high water (skeeter city and bears).

3.That area will have plenty of snow, several feet. The whole section from Polly Domes to Ten Lakes, and beyond, will be an adventure, better brush up on your cross-country skills, spikes and trekking poles at the very least will be helpful.

[Wandering Daisy]

Still have to cross Paiute Ct if you go in Rancheria. Very difficult. High flows of 2010? Washed out bridge below waterwheel falls. I did a trip report for loop via ten Lakes just after Tioga pass opened a few years ago.

[Zoltan]

Thanks everyone for your replies, this is one of the reasons I love this site so much, there is so much to be learned.

Your responses have certainly given me pause. I had forgotten about the Return Creek ford, and thought the Morrison crossing would be close enough to the source to be relatively safe. I expect there will be even more water in late June, as it is likely closer to peak melt, particularly with new snow predicted this weekend.

I will think long on this one, but AT's point does ring true to me. I don't mind uncertainty so much, but I don't want to spend a week wading through snowmelt and potentially life-threatening crossings. Snow I don't mind so much. Guess I'll go back to the drawing board and keep this as a maybe. Thanks again everyone,
Zoltan

[rlown]

Heed those responses especially this year.

[Dave_Ayers]

I have a different view, though not more positive than the other posters. Personally I find the Morrison Creek crossing trivial and the Register Creek wade fun. The bridge over the creek coming down Rodgers Canyon was rebuilt after the big 2011 snow year and I recall the new one being high and dry. My 2013 photo from on that very bridge indicates that it was well above the Creek in May when there was a fairly high flow.

IMO, the real issue is the passibility of Muir Gorge where the trail is low down next to the T and there isn't an easy alternative passage. Around 6/25/11, the depth gauge above Hetch Hetchy was at ~16-17 feet which would indicate that the water in Muir Gorge would be a few feet over the trail and not safe to walk/wade. I imagine this year might be similar.

Regardless, I wouldn't personally go down to Pate Valley in late June due to potential heat at only ~4,000 feet. Of course, many others are not so heat averse. But for me, late May or early June in a dry year is optimum for the WW to GA trip.

The snow on the northward slopes from the May Lake trail junction over towards Tuolumne Peak and Ten Lakes tends to clump in drifts. I can be fairly annoying going up/down over the melting snow humps, then along wet/muddy trail in between them. The big highlight of this section is of course the view from atop Tuolumne Peak. Snow may reduce the fun of that cross country climb in late June this year.

[scap]

It looks like after this cool down and odd weather that there might be a heat up which may melt a lot more snow and making this trip more possible without feeling like a duck the entire time. Most likely you are going to get wet in certain sections, the bonus is the waterfalls will be raging and a treat to see. The downside is no swimming holes most likely.