Honeymooning in Yosemite

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Goat
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Re: Honeymooning in Yosemite

Post by Goat »

Maverick, thank you for the excellent insider info. I had actually seen the thread you linked. There's a few good ones on fishing beta if one were to search for Boothe Lake in the Fishing Hole. I will keep Vogelsang peak in mind if we are not in a rush heading from Ireland to Bernice. I've always been curious about Washburn and wish I'd made the trip on a backpacking trip in 2011 with a buddy. We may take an extra day to explore and of course fish it. We'll be sure to take the high trail for Clouds Rest if coming from Merced. I have a feeling this is going to be an awesome trip!

Elizabeth, If Rafferty Creek trail is similar to the trail heading out of Lyell toward Ireland, I can imagine that it is rather uninspiring. The 1.5 mile trail that cuts over toward Ireland, on the other hand is quite unique once it levels off. I would recommend it. No trees for protection around the lake, but plenty of level ground and a really nice alpine feel up at 10,700.

Thank you, of course for the congratulations. Life is good with an always ready hiking partner.

Image
Its tough to get the whole lake in a picture since the approach is level with the lake. I got this on the way out x-country toward Evelyn.
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oldranger
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Re: Honeymooning in Yosemite

Post by oldranger »

I'm a little confused. What is your exit point? Heading up Lyle canyon to Ireland then working your way to clouds rest and half dome on a 4 or 5 day trip seems more like a death march than a honeymoon. Another alternative would be to head up to Elizabeth lake then take the user trail toward Nelson lake but instead tun west off trail to Mathes lake where you can fish and probably have the lake to yourselves. Then it is an easy walk to the trail that leads to Sunrise and the hundreds of people you will encounter on the rest of your trip. Also wondering if there is an issue getting a half dome permit.

Mike
Mike

Who can't do everything he used to and what he can do takes a hell of a lot longer!
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AlmostThere
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Re: Honeymooning in Yosemite

Post by AlmostThere »

You're looking at some really busy popular places. There are camping restrictions in many of them... Knowing the fire restrictions and not succumbing to the lure of illegal fire rings will help. Proper food storage also essential. Rangers travel those trails all the time looking for reasons to write tickets.

A fire last year burned sections around CR and LYV - there are some un-scenic areas there.

Remember that a fallback (and a gorgeous, never disappointing, easy option) is Twenty Lakes Basin out of Saddlebag. Get the permit at the Tuolumne Wilderness office, no quota, rent a bear can - it's national forest but above treeline so no place to hang things properly - and wander the lakes basin, avoiding Conness Lakes and other no-camping areas to set up a tent. No fires, superlative scenery.
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Re: Honeymooning in Yosemite

Post by Goat »

I just wanted to follow up and thank everyone for the input. We had a great time backpacking on my now wife's first multi-night trip. We stayed flexible and got to see some amazing places. She's already looking forward to the next one. The itinerary went like this:

Entry: Cathedral lakes trail to lower Cathedral Lake. We left the car down in the valley and took the free coach up to the ranger station. Hiked to the lake and spent an entire 24 hours soaking in the area.

Day 2: Cathedral to Upper Sunrise Lake. We hiked later in the day and had the whole place to ourselves. Swam, had a fire, and caught a few brookies for dinner. They were hiding out in deeper water due to the heat. Though I admittedly wasn't too excited about this location, it turned out to be really nice.

Day 3: Sunrise Lake to Clouds Rest. Rained on the way up. Soaked in the views from the summit in complete solitude, then went down and found a great spot in the trees overlooking Tenaya Canyon.

Day 4: Clouds Rest to Washburn Lake. 11+ miles, but mostly downhill or moderate incline. The sky opened up and dumped rain and hail in the afternoon. Rain Continued into the night. We were alone again at Washburn, but the weather tested our resolve. Luckily, I am resistant to cold, and had hot chocolate, soup, and spicy chili to smooth things over with the wife. The next morning I caught rainbows and brookies (first 4 casts, first 4 fish). Even the wife caught one on her first cast.

Day 5: Washburn Lake to, well a few miles down the Merced River. We planned to hike closer to Little Yosemite in order to hike Half Dome the next day. But, as soon as the clouds came back, we pitched the tent by the river to wait it out. We waited... all day. It turned out to be a good time, stuck in the tent together.

Day 6: Downstream of Merced Lake to Happy Isles. Our last day we followed the Merced down to the Valley. Walking past Half Dome, we were thinking it would have been fun (we had permits), but had come to grips with the fact that the weather chose our final itinerary. She wants to come back and, instead of following the conga line up the cables, climb Snake Dike (score!)

Where are the pictures? Well, I managed to loose my camera somewhere between Yosemite and the end of our trip. Huge bummer,but more reason to go back.
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