Glen Aulin / Pacific Crest Trail, Toulumne Meadows

Saturday, September 22, 2001: There are two basic ways to arrive in Yosemite from Southern California - via Interstate 5 or Highway 99 (aka the "front" way) or via Highway 395 (aka the "back" way). The front route is by far the fastest way to go, but is, well, less than scenic. The back way takes about 2 hours longer but is, I promise you, one of the most scenic drives you can take in California.

Highway 395 heads northeast from Highway 14, crossing the edge of the Mojave Desert before paralleling the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. To the east is the Owens Valley, the western most edge of the Basin and Range tectonic province. To the west is the Sierra Nevada Fault and the Sierra Nevada. Millions of years ago the granitic plutons of the Sierra Nevada were once a chain of volcanoes similar to the modern Cascades of the Pacific Northwest. Uplift along the Sierra Nevada Fault has raised these plutons to lofty heights (+/- 14,000 feet) along the eastern side of the range, producing specatular views one can now enjoy via Highway 395. The slope along the west side of the range is more gentle, and produces a more subdued terraine. Hence the reason why you don't see the Sierras (most of the time) from either Interstate 5 or Highway 99.

We arrived in Tuoulumne Meadows at about 6pm. Fall was just begining to creep into the mountains, painting patches of red, gold, and brown on the hillsides. The air was crisp, the sky incredibly blue, and life was good. Until we got to Tuolumne Meadows Family Camp.

We had hoped that, by arriving after school had started, that we would miss most of the crowds. Well, the campgrounds were full (and at $18 a night, we were a bit surprised) but we found our site after only getting lost once and set up camp. Yosemite, like other National Parks, offers ranger-lead tours and other demonstrations for visitors to enjoy. Not many were being offered in Tuolumne Meadows this late in the season. The "Starry Nights" walk was one that was being offered the night we were there. This activity is best done on a clear night, as the ranger leads the group to a quiet spot away from the road. The group then lies down on the granite while the ranger points out various constellations, planets, and other astrologic features. Very cool. Dress warmly!

Sunday, Septermber 23, 2001: Because we arrived after 5pm the night before, we had to get up, eat breakfast, pack the backpacks, break camp, find the Wilderness Center, and pick up our permits before 10 AM. We made it with 5 minutes to spare. We got the permit and headed off to the trailhead.

Before leaving I got checked out our route with National Geographic's Topo!: Yosemite, Mammoth, and Central Sierra Wilderness Areas software. Very cool program, by the way. I printed out a copy of the area and the trail profile and it didn't look too bad. The guide books said that the route we were taking - Tuolumne Meadows to Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp - was an "easy 2-day" backpack. Perfect for two not-in-as-good-of-shape-as we'd-like-to-be hikers.

The first two miles of the trail are fairly level - +/- 50 foot gain/loss - as you pass through Tuolumne Meadows past Soda Springs and Parson's Memorial lodge. At about mile 2 you drop 200 feet in 0.5 miles as the trail meets the Tuolumne River. The next mile is again fairly level as you travers across plutons and pass through pine and fir forests. At mile 3.75 there is an absolutely FABULOUS place to stop, rest, and eat lunch. It's a ledge of granite that overlooks the Tuolumne River and the entrance to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. Breathtaking!

After this point there's good news, and bad news. The good news is that it's all downhill from that point on, and the scenery only gets better. The bad news is that you descend 650 feet in just under 1.5 miles, and it not straight down but rather a series of up and downs over a granite cobble trail (think of a cobble road, only on a trail). If you didn't stop at the overlook to rest - like us - you'll run out of steam quick unless you're in great shape.

As a result, I was too pooped to care about the scenery for the last mile or so. This was the first time I had been at a high elevation for anything longer than a few hours and I was feeling it! We stumbled gratefully into Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp, plopped down at the first campsite we came across, and crashed. We rested for a bit, set up camp, and ate what I think was the best meal I'd had in a long time. Originally we had thought to do a short (3 mile) hike to Waterwheel Falls, but the hike took us longer than anticipated. Intellectually we knew that it would take us longer to backpack someplace than hike it sans backpack, but experiencing it was something else! We did explore Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. It was larger than I expected - about 100 sites - plus canvas tents (which were taken down when we were there). The camp has bear boxes to store your food, plus solar bathrooms (no running water). Quite snazzy for a backpacking camp!

Monday, Septermber 24, 2001: After eating breakfast we broke camp and headed out. THIS time we knew what to expect. The 650 foot climb out of the camp was tiring, and I was still having problems with the elevation. And this time we decided to learn from our mistakes and stopped at the overlook for a rest and lunch. Today the weather was much, well, prettier than the day before. Bright blue skies, big puffy white clouds, cool breezes. The only catch was that the clouds were staring to come in awfully fast and the breezes were getting cooler with each passing hour.

In addition to having trouble with the altitude, I somehow managed to re-injure my heel. I'm still not sure what's wrong with it, but it feels like a bone spur. The only problem is the doctor (and x-rays) say it's not a bone spur. Anyway, about halfway out it began to bug me. Let me tell you, you feel really wussy when people you passed doing a day hike to Tuolumne Falls pass you again on the way out. The husband, my heel and I all made it back to the jeep safe and sound where I pulled the cooler out of the bear box at the trailhead and had a much deserved Diet Coke.

More photos of our Yosemite trip!

Trail info:

• Length: 5.3 or 5.8 miles, depending on the trail sign. Topo! software measures it at 5.05 miles.
• Time: It took us about four hours going in, and a little over four hours going out (that includes a half hour lunch break, so just under four hours hiking time).

Bibliography:

Schaffer, Jeffery P., 1999. Yosemite National Park: A Natural-History Guide to Yosemite and Its Trails. Wilderness Press, Berkeley.