R02 TR: Wet in the Cathedral Range, July 25-31, 2021

[kpeter]

A beautiful trip and a beautiful trip report. You did quite well with the photography despite the wet weather. And I learned we have a few things in common, including Palo Alto, Big Agnes, and 40+ pound packs limiting us to 7 days! I also know what you mean about the beauty but lack of wildness in the Alps. I found much the same when hiking around Salzberg, with hiking huts at the top and farms at the bottom of every hike.

[LMBSGV]

An engrossing trip report will with lots of interesting and useful details. I've been considering a trip over much of the same territory and so will be coming back to read this again (and also possibly PMing for more details). You definitely made the most of your time despite the bad weather. Thanks for sharing!

[c9h13no3]

Nice report, your good writing reminded me that I kinda enjoy it too. Even though I am not good. :P

[stevet]

What a nice and highly scenic route. Though I hike most often in SEKI I was quite taken on my JMT trek of the verdancy north of Island Pass, and seeing your route, wow! I am going to have to spend some time in the Yosemite backcountry. Thanks for posting and providing some impetus to start planning this summer's adventure.

[Lumbergh21]

Thanks for the entertaining trip report, probablly more entertaining for me because I was out there at the same time. I was camped where the trail makes it's last crossing of the Lyell Fork just north of Donahue Pass when you were at Lake Ireland. I wish I had a photo of the hillside on the east side of the Lyell Fork at that trail crossing. It was a raging waterfall. Loved your photos. The sunset on Donahue was probably my favorite, but they were all good. When I stopped at Lake Ireland for lunch in 2020, I looked at that area towards Amelia Earhart Peak and wondered if it was hikeable for me. After seeing your photos, I really want to go there now. Maybe I'll give the Kuna Crest one last shot and try to include parts of your hike - weather and health ended my 2020 hike, and my 2019 hike only briefly touched the area . That area between Lake Ireland and the JMT in particular looks awesome and would fit in with the other places I wold like to visit.

[sekihiker]

I've been in the area only once, so this was a great virtual trip for me.
Rain doesn't have to ruin a trip and I'm glad to see you were able to flow with it.
Thanks for the the enjoyable report and all the neat photos.

[wildhiker]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

Thanks Wildhiker! We hiked past the trail crew that was "fixing up" the use trail to Budd Lake and Cathedral Peak about six years ago. They were turning what had been a rough track into a real trail. When we asked them about it, they explained that it was getting so much traffic that the Park System had decided to take the bull by the horns and fix it up. Wonder when they will do the same for the use trail from Pothole Dome down to the bridge towards Glen Aulin...

Yes Paul, the Budd Creek "use trail" did look like it had some constructed sections. It was in better shape than the Nelson Lake use trail, which has been around at least 50 years. That use trail from Pothole Dome towards Glen Aulin is equally old - I hiked it in the early 70s. After fixing up the Budd Creek trail and even posting a trail "sign", I wonder why the Park Service persists in omitting this trail from their official maps and calling it "cross-country only" on the wilderness permit reservation page?

An engrossing trip report will with lots of interesting and useful details. I've been considering a trip over much of the same territory and so will be coming back to read this again (and also possibly PMing for more details). You definitely made the most of your time despite the bad weather. Thanks for sharing!

Yes Laurence, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the territory of my trip and nearby areas. I've covered it all pretty well over the years.

Thanks for the entertaining trip report, probablly more entertaining for me because I was out there at the same time. I was camped where the trail makes it's last crossing of the Lyell Fork just north of Donahue Pass when you were at Lake Ireland. I wish I had a photo of the hillside on the east side of the Lyell Fork at that trail crossing. It was a raging waterfall. Loved your photos. The sunset on Donahue was probably my favorite, but they were all good. When I stopped at Lake Ireland for lunch in 2020, I looked at that area towards Amelia Earhart Peak and wondered if it was hikeable for me. After seeing your photos, I really want to go there now. Maybe I'll give the Kuna Crest one last shot and try to include parts of your hike - weather and health ended my 2020 hike, and my 2019 hike only briefly touched the area . That area between Lake Ireland and the JMT in particular looks awesome and would fit in with the other places I would like to visit.

I've only seen these ephemeral falls a few times in the Sierra - mostly because I avoid wet weather if I can! The one at the lakes on Maclure Creek was a big leaping waterfall. Although I could see it peeking out from under my tarp, I didn't try to get a photo because I had to keep bailing that big puddle forming in front of the tent! Amelia Earhart pass is really quite straightforward. It's mostly a class 1 walk over open terrain with some easy class 2 stuff near the top on both sides. The first time I did this pass back in 1991, it was on a family trip with our kids aged 7 to 12, who had no problems.

-Phil

[Harlen]

What a wonderful trip and Trip Report! I am so glad I came across it in the "active topics" area as I had been gone more than a week, and missed it.
We love many of the pictures of the Cathedral Range, especially those around Nelson and Evelyn Lakes. That's as far as I will get tonight, but we look forward to following the wildhiker along the rest of the way tomorrow.

You have a very "sunny" attitude toward a pretty dismal rainy forecast for your trip dates Phil:

I was monitoring the weather forecasts during the week before my trip. The weather service was predicting a slug of monsoon moisture to arrive during my trip week. This made me happy to be heading to the Cathedral Range, and not to higher crest areas to the south.

And as it turned out, at least as far as we have read, which is up to your Evelyn Lake camp, the weather has been pretty fine. Thanks for putting together such a great, and well written TR, with the nice map and all! Hasta mañana.

[Harlen]

wildhiker writes:

After sunset, I lingered outside as the dusk deepened and heard a couple of coyotes yipping on the far side of the Evelyn Lake plateau. I had neither seen nor heard any evidence of other people all day. I went to bed at 9:30 pm.

Paradise! Your trip shows the 3 Yosemite lakes where I've never been, and that I want to see more than any other-- Matthes, Evelyn, and Ireland. Beautiful photos of all of these Phil, I'd love to be there right now. But it looks so lovely in the greenery! Onward to Ireland....

[Harlen]

Wow! That open, meadowy country all around, from Evelyn to Ireland is really intriguing to us Phil. All of your photos from around Lake Ireland are just fantastic! Lizzie is very keen to hike there, and wonders if there is any fishing to be had in those lakes. Rlown mentioned good fishing in Townsley I recall; at least he seemed to know that lake well, which we think means good fishing. We are reminded of the high open country highlighted in giantbrookie's TR from High Emigrant Lake, only that was volcanic, and much more stark. This is an epic report with all that you experienced- the solitude, beauty and now on Days 4 and 5-- the weather!
you wrote:

I decided to setup camp under the presumption that a good thunderstorm was imminent.

The literal foreshadowing of another harrowing storm event. Your experience shows in how you read the weather, and always seem to set up in time, at least so far....

... A wet trip indeed, but each day began beautiful. I much prefer some weather over trips with clear blue skies throughout, but you did get more than your fair share of it. We're glad you didn't put your camera away on the last day, as those last 4 photos are all really nice.
I plan to shamelessly follow your route one day Phil, thanks for the inspiration.