TR: Merced Canyon Figure Eight.Happy Isles/Echo Canyon/Happy Isles

[bbayley80]

Yosemite National Park. June 5-7 2020.

Well, first of all I hope everyone in the HST community is well, and starting to be unleashed a bit more in the wilds. I had the unique, incredible- no, unbelievable- opportunity to get out into Yosemite NP this past weekend on the very first day it reopened it’s gates to those holding either a Half Dome day use or a Wilderness Permit. I reserved my permit many months before the Coronavirus pandemic put us all on lockdown and as the months drew on I began to write this trip off as a non starter. My Recreation.gov campsite reservations were cancelled and refunded. My hopes dwindled. Then a fateful email! Not only would I be able to go on my trip, I would gain access on the very day the park was to open-June 5 for my planned stay in the Valley BP Campground. What was to ensue would be the most memorable trip not only to Yosemite-but maybe of my life.


DAY 0: Backpacker’s Campground. Upper Pines.

I left home around 1PM and rolled through the South gate an hour later-say what you will about Fresno, but she’s got her perks- and soon found myself driving through the empty tunnel to an empty lot at Tunnel View and on to an EMPTY Valley. It took a bit of detective work to locate the Backpacker’s camp-which I had known to always be outside of North Pines- but signage clearly(even more so now) pointed the way to the new location in Upper Pines. You were to park at Happy Isles TH and walk in. Easy. Last loop was all ours. Or should I say, all mine. I setup my tent, hammock, cracked a beer and relaxed and enjoyed the silence. As a few groups filed in here and there my buddy-NPS employee and former REI Coworker- popped by to share a beer and BS and catch up. We had a couple yearling black bears run by full speed just feet away(they have been enjoying the quiet too) while talking about my impending trip. We said our farewells and I spent the next few hours walking around the empty Valley-spying another bear, also without a care in the world, before turning in for the night.

DAY1: Happy Isles TH/just above Echo Valley. 12.5mi.

I woke early, packed up, had breakfast and was on-trail by 8AM heading along the familiar paved tread on the way to the Vernal Falls view bridge. There was one BIG difference. I WAS ALONE. I got to the bridge-empty- and proceeded up the Mist Trail alone(man that trail is steep! I always forget) to enjoy the top of Vernal by myself while I finally spied my first humans- a file of a fairly large group heading up far below. After a snack and a bit of a rest I headed up to the top of Nevada-passing just four hikers- and enjoyed Nevada for an hour all by my lonesome. Truly, truly an experience I will never forget. Prying myself away from such an idyllic situation, I continued past to Little Yosemite Valley and into the real meat of my hike. I had gone as far as what I’ll call ‘Lower Bunnell Cascade’ on a day hike the previous year but never any further through what would prove to be a gorgeous Canyon(thanks Maiathebee for posting your trip last year) I soon passed that cascade and into new territory. Lost Valley was cool as it winds around Moraine Dome and before long I found myself resting in the shade of a pine tree right next to a throttling Bunnell Cascade-which was such a powerful spectacle. After a snack and a rest I continued on past countless little drops, cascades and pools deeper into the canyon. A few miles past the cascade you cross the river and climb up and away from it before dropping again to a bridge that once crossed is a short distance from Echo Valley. The junction that’ll lead to either Merced Lake, to Tenaya Lake, or in my case ultimately back to the Valley. Knowing I would be camping at a dry site I tanked up at Echo Creek. Filling my 2L bladder and 1.5L worth of my 3L capacity Katadyn BeFree filter. This is where maybe the miles, the sun or my overconfidence on my Google Earth research proved comical. After seeing Maia’s shot of her gorgeous campsite I knew I wanted to aim for that, however I totally blew it and -long story short- ended up tromping through the woods for 20 minutes, dumping my extra water after deciding to just climb further up and camp at the tarns above Echo Valley, but then realizing that as I climbed along the trail through a huge open point that ‘ohhhh this is the spot!’ Well, I had found it. I think I camped a bit higher up on the same point, which presents a gorgeous view up canyon and out to far off peaks-Vogelsang and even Dana if I’m not mistaken. Only problem..I had dumped my water and had only 1.5L for dinner, cleanup and breakfast the following AM and it was now 5PM and cold! A cold front had moved into Yosemite and lows in the High Country would dip below freezing. I had no choice though. After dinner I made the walk of shame to those undesirable, warm(yes warm) little tarns to fetch some water. I made it back to camp in time for a Golden Hour and to watch big puffy clouds zip past Half Dome’s crown sticking up over the horizon knowing that would be my target for tomorrow. I slept well, managing to stay warm knowing that I was one of only a handful of humans in the backcountry of Yosemite.

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DAY TWO: Camp above Echo Valley- Happy Isles TH(via JMT) app. 12mi.

Waking to a frosty tent I was thankful that I was up high and that the sun’s first rays were already peaking over the surrounding hills. Soon enough I was basking in full sun on my granite perch overlooking the canyon below. I was soon on-trail and looping back towards the Valley, peering down at the previous day’s trail winding along the river. It’s a very tight ‘8’ , allowing you peeks of where you had been-but just from a much higher perspective which I always appreciate. The return to Nevada Falls was honestly not the most scenic mileage I’ve ever seen as it passes through mostly through a fairly recent burn zone and is a tangle of deadfall and overgrown in places. However, I couldn’t help but chuckle and marvel as I looked down to the trail and realized that the only other print on the ground were deer prints! I followed them for miles before finally seeing another boot print at the junction for Cloud’s Rest. I started running into a pretty steady stream of Half Domers plodding their way up through the forest and was soon back at an empty Nevada Falls. I enjoyed lunch and filtered some water and watched a few groups of backpackers cross the bridge heading back down the JMT from LYV-all wearing a look of disbelieve and appreciation for the empty scenery. After peeling myself away, I made quick work of the JMT-keeping an eye out for any fuzzy friends, but no luck. Back in the Valley, I stopped at the backpackers camp for a snack and made a cup of coffee and after a change of clothes and a dirtbag sink bath I was off-but not without a stop by Cook’s Meadow to sit by myself and watch the clouds and the crazy sway of Yosemite Falls for a little while. It was so good, with all that going on, to get out into the backcountry again-and to be able to luck out the way I did with being able to experience it the way I did was such a bonus!

Click here for a little movie edit I did from the trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWCz4m7R3dU&t=13s

thank you-and enjoy!

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[Jason]

Fantastic! That's an amazing trip and opportunity. The video was really nice too. My first ever trip to Yosemite was in March or April of 1997, right after they opened the park after the floods. It was surely more crowed than what you saw, but it was still incredible and I have yet to see it anything like that again. Thanks for the report!

[torpified]

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing the solitude.

[wildhiker]

I'm feeling a bit envious that you got this masterpiece of nature all to yourself...sort of like winning the lottery! I've hiked that trail many times and there are always hordes of dayhikers at least as far as Little Yosemite Valley. But I've found that I actually don't mind them. This is one trail where you find people of every age, size, color, and condition enjoying their national park, and that itself is a wonder of nature.
-Phil

[balzaccom]

Wonderful. I've given up on LYV as a camping spot---but you clearly had the best of both worlds!

[LMBSGV]

As Phil said, I am envious. It's wonderful you were able to properly appreciate this unique experience. Thanks for sharing.

[Wandering Daisy]

Although I do not particularly like Little Yosemite Valley campground it has logistical advantages. I can drive from my house and get there from either Happy Isles or Glacier Point the same day, even if I do not get on the trial until 1PM. Perhaps those more fit can make it the farther campsites, but I am pretty well done in by the time I get to LYV. It is really no different crowd-wise then camping in the Valley at the Backpacker's Campground, plus it is at no extra cost.

But I too do not really mind the day-hiking crowds on the trails; I do hate the traffic messes. I am now fond of doing loops from Glacier Point just to avoid driving in the Valley. I have gone up the Merced many times at peak water flows and it never disappoints me.

[bbayley80]

thanks all for your comments!

very well said Phil-every single person on their way up to Half Dome had a smile on their face! they may have been hunched over, panting and dripping sweat..but smiling non the less! the outdoors-especially our National Parks are for ALL, and it stokes me out to see them all out experiencing their Park!

[bbayley80]

Wonderful. I've given up on LYV as a camping spot---but you clearly had the best of both worlds!

doesn't hold a lot of appeal. i've never camped there, and not sure if i ever would. usually cruising through on a longer day hike, or as Wandering Daisy mentions, looping something from Glacier.

However, i do see the appeal - both logistical (as Wandering Daisy mentions) or as an 'easy' first time trip for a lot of people. a good setup for a lot of people hitting a Half Dome sunset or sunrise. and i mean..come on-it's still Yosemite!! i wouldn't turn it down .

[The Other Tom]

Nice trip report. Thanks for posting. Interesting to see the iconic landmarks without people. Great pics.