Now I’m planning for a Yosemite trip. I think I really need that. Throw myself out there and focus all my energy on surviving.
No social pressure! Just hug the bears!
It will be my very first backpacking trip. The desired point of attractions we would like to visit including the Sunrise Lakes, the Cathedral Lakes, and everything in between… That’s it. Oh well, there is a bit of constraint from our job, mostly Ziwei. He can probably take the Friday off but would really prefer to come back home on Sunday. So, although we both want to check out the cloud rest, but there isn’t enough time.
Another thing needs to be decided is to go one-way or round trip. In theory, there is a bus going between the Valley and the Tuolumne Meadows once a day — the hiker’s shuttle, something like that. So if we can take the west bound one Sunday afternoon from the Tuolumne shop to the Tenaya Lake, I believe the latter one is right around the sunrise trail head, we can do a nicely planned one-way trip. I would always prefer that rather than walk back the same route myself. But the reservation is confusing as it won’t give me a west bound only option. Weird. So we will need to call. If it won’t work out, we will have to head back from the Cathedral Lakes on foot. It will add about five miles to the total milage. I’m slightly worried because of the tight schedule and the fact that this is our very first backpacking trip. Hopefully it will turn out fine.
Potential itinerary and shuttle info:
Day1 (Fri): Drive to the sunrise trail head. Hit the trail before noon. Get to the sunrise camp or stop at any acceptable camping spot before 7:00 pm. < 5 miles.
Day2 (Sat): From the sunrise lakes/camp to the upper cathedral lake. Option one is to camp at the lower cathedral lake. I heard it’s really beautiful. Ok this is my top choice, so I will not give up unless the shuttle tells it’s impossible. 5-6 miles.
Day3 (Sun): Come out from the Tuolumne Meadows and get the bus. 3-4 miles.
Camp at the Cathedral Lakes: “At Lower Cathedral Lake work your way through the trees around the right side where you will pass through a number of good campsites. One particularly nice spot is on the small peninsula near the western end of the lake. More isolated sites are found along the western side. A couple of those sites are worth the extra trek around the lake.” cr:https://highsierratrails.com/cathedral/cathedral_destination.html
Bus schedule: 2:05 pm at Tuolumne lodge, 2:15 pm at the Tuolumne Store, 2:30 pm at the Tenaya Lake. https://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/guided-bus-tours/ Call 888.413.8869 to book.
I’m not that worry about the bus right now. The thing I do worry about is — permit. That’s right. Turns out the picked route is quite popular! Yosemite has this complicated permit system. The “24-week-ahead lottery” is way in the past. The 22-1 week reservation window has no permit left. My only hope is the 7-day-ahead 40% online permit release. We will set an alarm to fight the fight 7 am next Friday. Well, in the meantime, it’s good to find a back-up.
9x9 
Leave a comment