Dream hike

Yosemite means quite a lot to me. It always will. I spent two summers there, '98 and '99.

The hiking is the best in the world. Blue skies, granite, meadows, pines, peaks and lakes... John Muir called it the "Range of Light."


First, some of my favorite Yosemite scenes. Here are the famous Half Dome cables - grab on for a white-knuckle climb up to the summit!


First time on top of Half Dome. Absolutely mind-boggling to be up there.


Yosemite must be the most beautiful place in the world.


And most importantly, I met a certain someone there!


Here's the hike that closed out my '98 summer. It was the perfect grand finale... Tuolumne Meadows to the Valley, via Vogelsang and Merced Lake. If I remember right, my roommates were planning it and I really wanted to go. But it was late in the summer and I had to work a 6-day week... which meant I had just one day off and had to be at work at 2:00 the next day. That gave me 8 daylight hours for 20 miles of high country hiking. Eventually I decided to go along, because, well, you only live once.

This would probably be #1 on my dream hike list... to retrace my steps and see it again. I'll never forget it, that's for sure!


Trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows.


Crossing the Tuolumne River, just born out of the mountains. I still can't get over how much snowmelt we had that year. I think my pack was broken, so I had to hold it like this.


Dave and Jason on the Vogelsang trail.


Looking down into Tuolumne - not the best photo. Wish you could have seen the panorama.


Vogelsang Peak from the meadows on the trail.


Vogelsang High Sierra Camp.


Fletcher Lake, up above Vogelsang.


Townsley Lake, one more lake up. Absolutely unbelievable scenery. That's Jason out on the snow.


Our campsite at the east end of Townsley Lake. Best campsite ever.


A cirque above our campsite. Don't you just want to scramble up and see what's over that ridge?


We did keep going up and up, off-trail, completely in awe of this place.


Looking toward Tuolumne, high on the ridge, at sunset.


Sunset over Vogelsang. Breathtaking!


I set my alarm for sunrise and took off for the Valley. I was a little nervous about going such a long distance by myself, in the middle of the wilderness, but I had gotten my confidence up over the course of the summer. I took this photo because you can barely see the top of Half Dome in the distance.


Vogelsang Peak, early morning.


Finally I made it to Vogelsang Pass. This picture doesn't nearly do it justice. I wish I'd had a digital camera back then and could have spent some time trying. There was something completely surreal about being in the heights of these remote mountains, no sound whatsoever, early morning, just me.


Headwaters of Lewis Creek, which eventually becomes the Merced River. Like I said, it was a VERY wet year, and there were a couple places where I had to plunge into the frigid water up to my waist to get across. Luckily I made it and didn't get my pack wet!

This was such a cool, mysterious trail. I was running out of film and didn't take any more pics of this part, so I only have faint memories of it. I just remember being sure that I'd run into a bear at some point. (I did later, on the more populated trail.) And I remember the complicated trail work and staircases, way up there in the middle of nowhere... and water cascading everywhere around me.


This was my first view of Merced Lake, and a BIG sigh of relief. This meant civilization and more people on the trails, which is always good psychologically. I was so happy to see it. Took forever to get down there, from what I remember.

The film ran out there, so I don't have any pics from the Lost Valley and the Mist Trail. Maybe someday we'll go back and I can fill that part in.

In case you're wondering, I stepped onto the pavement of the Valley floor at exactly 2:00. I still had to take a shower (obviously), so I got there for my shift at 3:00. Only an hour late. I'd say it was worth it.