Hetch Hetchy 5/26-5/30

Questions and reports related to Sierra Nevada current and forecast conditions, as well as general precautions and safety information. Trail conditions, fire/smoke reports, mosquito reports, weather and snow conditions, stream crossing information, and more.
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Maryl
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Hetch Hetchy 5/26-5/30

Post by Maryl »

Beautiful- got to Mather on Wed afternoon. On and off again rain. Stayed at the backpackers camp and headed out about 630am in bright sun with temps in the high 50s. Mosquitos were noticeable it very manageable - I'd give them a 2-3 on the Maverick Scale. Camped above the falls for day 1. Day two - the climb up and out to Tilltell Valley was met with two large trees to navigate around. One was more difficult and took some time. The valley was muddy and at one point was an ankle high water hike for about 100 yards. Lunch and a water refill then the climb to the top of Mt Wilson ? I think that's the name. The climb was a good workout but way manageable with all the pine. Once atop I was met with just about 50 yards of snow . The trail was visible and damp . Minimal mud. The descent to Vernon Lake was beautiful granite . Took a zero day at the lake- absolutely stunning. The waterfall was raging and the lake was pristine. Was going to head up to Laurel but ditched because some packers said Frog Creek Crossing was raging and the rest of the way was mud. Mixed that and instead did the last 10 miles thru Behive Meadow back to the Dam. It rained for a total of 2 hours up at Cernon Lake but other than that the weather was good.
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maverick
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Re: Hetch Hetchy 5/26-5/30

Post by maverick »

Thank you for the beta Maryl, this will help a lot of members considering this loop. :)
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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DonHobbs
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Re: Hetch Hetchy 5/26-5/30

Post by DonHobbs »

Thanks for the info Maryl. A small group of us are heading up for a five day trek. Easy and enjoyable. This info is great to know. We've got a heatwave now, so we'll see how much it has changed.
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sheperd80
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Re: Hetch Hetchy 5/26-5/30

Post by sheperd80 »

Thanks for the report, sounds fun. Were there alot of people in the area?

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