Retirement and The Bucket List: CR & HD
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:34 pm
Since I have an abundance of free time, wife had plans for my summer, (road trip through Utah to Colorado, doing the NP thing, then a side week in Pac NW/BC), and this past winter threw summer a few weeks late, I decided to take one last trip to Yosemite and get some bucket listers done: HD via CR, during the week. So, we took off on a Sunday, 9/18, for Lee Vining, stopped at TM to pick up a permit..(bad, bad NP people!), spent the nite in a motel, and hit the trail Monday am.
Now, since quota for Sunrise Lakes trail was full, but Cathedral Lakes wasn't, and gal knew of my 1st nites intention, she gave me CL TH permit, knowing full well how much farther it was to Sunrise from there. And since there's a path along the road from CL TH down around Tenaya to SL TH, guess what....I slowed down real slow and drove along watching the trees, scenery, and we just pretended we walked that 7.5 miles along the way to Sunrise TH.
I really had no intention of going to Sunrise Lakes since my conversing w/TT, of this forum's fame, and planned on spending the nite on or close to CR itself. So, in any event, we were off...and a good thing we parked at SL TH, as our exit was quite wet and cold...w/dropping temps and getting worse. An exta few miles would have been flat miserable.
The slog up the hill wasn't bad...we had a full year's worth of training and felt pretty good. Got around the roller coasters and took the branch trail up to CR after filling every available jug w/water for the night in the last stream along the trail. We actually spent the nite about a couple hundred feet below the top, just off trail under the lone tree remaining at that altitude. I couldn't believe how warm it was that nite, and how beautiful...actually slept w/flap open and head out most of the nite.
Next day, we took the 2700' plunge down the back side to Sunrise Creek camping area, set up camp, had a small bite to eat and then set out for HD. It's interesting seeing the early ones come back, listening to the stories, etc. as we made our way up. When we actually got to the base of the cables, wife had her first "U r nuts if U think I'm going up that thing"....attack. But she saw some people come down, women, and a few tried to talk her into it. Finally after a few minutes, she mustered the courage and we started up. The bad part was it was about 2:00pm and most of the traffic was coming down....and we were the irritants going up...or more importantly, more like hemoroids. We were pretty much stationary!
Actually, she started out ok...my preaching consisted of "one step at a time, grab a pole, take a break on a slat, then off to the next pole". But about half way up, she got hit w/an anxiety attack...grabbed a pole and started gasping.."I'm dizzy, can't breathe, feel really week". It took a while, but I asked a woman on the way down, about our age, if she could lend my wife some encouragement. (I told her, whispered...she's like our kids, you can talk to your blue in the face, they don't listen, but if they hear it from someone else, it makes sense". She looked at me and said, I know exactly what you mean....and then gave my wife some motivation to get to the top.)
Her biggest problem was that we had not eaten much that day prior to starting up to the top. I know she was lacking protein, overcome w/the situation and a bit freaked out. But, we got her back in motion and once we breached that mid way steep part, the rest was pretty easy. Unfortunately, those daily T storm build ups got earlier and closer each day...and once on top, it was getting pretty hairy...so even though I promised her time to eat and drink at the top, we really didn't get the chance...and had to beat it out of there. But coming down was a piece of cake and not a problem at all...mostly cause there was no one on the way up...a blessing there.
We did get a little thunder at camp, maybe a drop or two...but that was it.
Next day, Wed the 21st, we did the 2K up, the roller coaster, then the 1.? whatever down, 9 miles to get out of there, and the last mile was wet w/rapidly falling temps. All in all a good trip and when we got home after she told all her girl friends, hiking buddies, gym buddies and her daughters, she told me she was really glad she did it...
Overall...I think we're done w/Yosemite. Maybe if our first backpack trip would have been there, we might feel different...but our first was Graveyard Lakes/Silver Divide area. She still likes that the best...and I think I do too. Last year we went in through Isberg Pass...walked around the S/E corner of the Park...but there's too many people, not enough views, and too much tree walking...
But...a check on the BL and that's what matters at 60!
Now, since quota for Sunrise Lakes trail was full, but Cathedral Lakes wasn't, and gal knew of my 1st nites intention, she gave me CL TH permit, knowing full well how much farther it was to Sunrise from there. And since there's a path along the road from CL TH down around Tenaya to SL TH, guess what....I slowed down real slow and drove along watching the trees, scenery, and we just pretended we walked that 7.5 miles along the way to Sunrise TH.
I really had no intention of going to Sunrise Lakes since my conversing w/TT, of this forum's fame, and planned on spending the nite on or close to CR itself. So, in any event, we were off...and a good thing we parked at SL TH, as our exit was quite wet and cold...w/dropping temps and getting worse. An exta few miles would have been flat miserable.
The slog up the hill wasn't bad...we had a full year's worth of training and felt pretty good. Got around the roller coasters and took the branch trail up to CR after filling every available jug w/water for the night in the last stream along the trail. We actually spent the nite about a couple hundred feet below the top, just off trail under the lone tree remaining at that altitude. I couldn't believe how warm it was that nite, and how beautiful...actually slept w/flap open and head out most of the nite.
Next day, we took the 2700' plunge down the back side to Sunrise Creek camping area, set up camp, had a small bite to eat and then set out for HD. It's interesting seeing the early ones come back, listening to the stories, etc. as we made our way up. When we actually got to the base of the cables, wife had her first "U r nuts if U think I'm going up that thing"....attack. But she saw some people come down, women, and a few tried to talk her into it. Finally after a few minutes, she mustered the courage and we started up. The bad part was it was about 2:00pm and most of the traffic was coming down....and we were the irritants going up...or more importantly, more like hemoroids. We were pretty much stationary!
Actually, she started out ok...my preaching consisted of "one step at a time, grab a pole, take a break on a slat, then off to the next pole". But about half way up, she got hit w/an anxiety attack...grabbed a pole and started gasping.."I'm dizzy, can't breathe, feel really week". It took a while, but I asked a woman on the way down, about our age, if she could lend my wife some encouragement. (I told her, whispered...she's like our kids, you can talk to your blue in the face, they don't listen, but if they hear it from someone else, it makes sense". She looked at me and said, I know exactly what you mean....and then gave my wife some motivation to get to the top.)
Her biggest problem was that we had not eaten much that day prior to starting up to the top. I know she was lacking protein, overcome w/the situation and a bit freaked out. But, we got her back in motion and once we breached that mid way steep part, the rest was pretty easy. Unfortunately, those daily T storm build ups got earlier and closer each day...and once on top, it was getting pretty hairy...so even though I promised her time to eat and drink at the top, we really didn't get the chance...and had to beat it out of there. But coming down was a piece of cake and not a problem at all...mostly cause there was no one on the way up...a blessing there.
We did get a little thunder at camp, maybe a drop or two...but that was it.
Next day, Wed the 21st, we did the 2K up, the roller coaster, then the 1.? whatever down, 9 miles to get out of there, and the last mile was wet w/rapidly falling temps. All in all a good trip and when we got home after she told all her girl friends, hiking buddies, gym buddies and her daughters, she told me she was really glad she did it...
Overall...I think we're done w/Yosemite. Maybe if our first backpack trip would have been there, we might feel different...but our first was Graveyard Lakes/Silver Divide area. She still likes that the best...and I think I do too. Last year we went in through Isberg Pass...walked around the S/E corner of the Park...but there's too many people, not enough views, and too much tree walking...
But...a check on the BL and that's what matters at 60!