Clouds Rest......

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wingding

Clouds Rest......

Post by wingding »

I was looking for a hike on a maintained trail to one of the peaks in the Sierra for this weekend so that I can hike in sandals if I need to due to toe problems. I think I found at least one - I'm going to head up to Yosemite and do the hike from Teneya Lake to Clouds Rest tomorrow. If that goes okay, I'll try to hike out to Mount Dana on Sunday. I haven't done any hiking in that area, so I'm looking forward to it and I'm looking forward to doing some hiking after almost 3 weeks off the trail.

I'm hoping to come back with some nice pictures to share.
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Trailtrekker06
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Post by Trailtrekker06 »

Have a great time, Kathy! Hope your toe heals up soon!
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madeintahoe
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Post by madeintahoe »

Kathy...Don't know if you have left yet for Yosemite....I loved the hike to Clouds Rest...I did it about 12 years ago and from Tenaya Lake. Also have done Mt Dana...that is a beautiful hike..the views are great, especially looking down to Mono Lake.

Good luck with your toes....the sandals should work pretty good, My friend got blisters on a backpacking trip we did...and she had to hike in her sandals the rest of the trip and out Shepherd pass wearing them, she did fine in them
Have a nice time out there :D
wingding

Post by wingding »

I drove up to 395 to Yosemite on Friday and was lucky enough to be in Bishop the same time as Sooz (Trailtrekker), so we had dinner together.

I drove into the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead where I was going to start my hike to Clouds Rest on Saturday morning. I was asleep in the back of my truck when I head a loud knock on the window of the shell on my truck. It was midnight and there was a park ranger outside my truck with a flashlight who wanted to talk to me. He informed me that I couldn't sleep for any longer than 30 minutes at the trailhead and would have to leave. He ran the plates to my truck and didn't like that my truck isn't registered in my name (company truck), so he ran my driver's license to see if I had any outstanding warrants. No warrants, so I was okay as long as I moved along. He suggested I drive 20 miles east to the park boundary and camp anywhere I wanted along the road in the Inyo National Forest because, "Inyo doesn't Care." I took his suggestion and made the drive to one of the first pull-outs past the park entrance and went back to sleep.

I woke up early yesterday morning and headed back into the park and put my sandals on to see if I could hike to Clouds Rest. It was a really good trail all the way and hiking in sandals was easy. On the way down there were sections where I really had to watch where I put my feet because of the sandals. I decided that Mount Dana wouldn't be a real good idea until I could wear hiking shoes.

The view from Clouds Rest is just wonderful. It's about 14 miles round-trip with 3000 feet of gain if you add up all the ups and downs both ways. I think it would be fun to go back and make the trek all the way from Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest and then continue on to Half Dome and Yosemite Valley. I think I might do that next year and then stay in the Valley at the lodge overnight before taking the shuttle back up to Tenaya Lake.

Anyway - I took a dip in Tenaya Lake after my hike and headed home instead of camping near the park because the park was soooo noisy and crowded with tourists. It was so nice and quiet when I started my hike at 7 am - such a contrast.

Pictures of my hike to Clouds Rest:

http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/1795766

The view was a bit hazy - there was a fires somewhere in the area:

Image
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BSquared
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Post by BSquared »

That is a truly lovely hike, isn't it? I did it about a hundred years ago and absolutely loved it. Let's see, must have been the 60's, because I was buzzed by an F-4 on the peak (so close I could read the small print: "fast-acting door..." sheesh!).
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Post by Shawn »

Really nice photo's Kathy.

I bet it was hard to get back to sleep after being hassled by the ranger though.
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hikerduane
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Post by hikerduane »

It's not that Inyo doesn't care, in the park you have to camp a mile from the road if not in the backcountry or a campground. I crash at the bpers campground at TM, $5, I just keep forgetting to bring my flashlight when taking in the sights just before dark. In most National Forest's, you can do dispersed camping anywhere. Tahoe has "Camping and campfires in campgrounds only" signs posted though.
Piece of cake.
wingding

Post by wingding »

hikerduane - The park ranger was the one that said, "Inyo doesn't care." He also told me that they didn't want people sleeping in their vehicle in the park because they usually keep food in with them. I had my food in one of the bear boxes at the parking area, so I took my food out of the bear box and left. Of course I ended up just outside the park with my food in my vehicle with me - didn't make much sense to me, but I did what I was told. Maybe the bears know where the park boundary is and stay within it? :)

I don't think Inyo National Forest has the staff to send people all over the place at night to shine flashlights in vehicles.

Shawn - You're right - I struggled to sleep the rest of the night on Friday night. I slept until 10 am this morning - it felt great.
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Post by Trekker »

I did Cloud's Rest in '93 as a BP trip from Tuolumne Meadows via Cathedral Lakes with my youngest brother. A couple of things stand out about that trip!
1. I have it on video, at least until the upper Sunrise Lakes; shortly thereafter, my brother said he was too tired from lugging his video camera all that distance, and I went on alone.
2. My pack weighed somewhere in the vicinity of 85-90 lbs!!! :eek: I was living in Houston, and my brother was back east, we met in LA, where I used to live, and I threw in cans of Dinty Moore beef stew, etc. in my new 40th anniversary Kelty Super Tioga!!! :retard: Ah, the wonders of experience and lightweight gear! :lol:
3. The flies were terrible; the worst I've ever seen! The pack trains had pooped all along the trail from Cathedral Lakes to Sunrise, and the sun had cooked them quite nicely and driven the flies into a frenzy! :\
4. My brother had brought a CO2 pistol, ostensibly to protect him from bears (along with a "bear horn!!") I did not know this until the second day.
5. We ran into some French tourists that had gotten lost and had no water, maps, etc. (that seems to happen a lot in Yosemite!)
6. I shared the summit of Cloud's Rest with a troop of Boy Scouts (there seems to be no getting away from these guys!
7. On the way back from Clouds Rest, I ran into 3 Mexican guys who had brand new gear and had gotten separated from their boss, who had bought the gear and taken them on this trip,and were heading in the direction I had come from. Lucky I asked them where they were headed; they were going the wrong way, and would have ended up who knows where with no maps between them (this was their first ever BP; they were in good shape, but...) I had them follow me back to where their boss was camping; he was standing there laughing his head off!! What a horses you know what!
8. The views were stupendous! Looking down into that canyon was awe-inspiring! :notworthy:
9. I had a FANTASTIC time!!!!! :D
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Post by Snow Nymph »

After doing the Whitney/Muir dayclimb, I was all over the road so I pulled over and jumped in the back to sleep. A CHP knocked on my window (loud) and had a flashlight in my face. I told him I was too tired to drive, and he said it was ok. He was just checking to make sure I was ok. I couldn't sleep after, so I drove another hour and pulled over somewhere around Crowley Lake and slept til the morning. :retard:
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free . . . . Jim Morrison


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