A Little Magic Every Day: Circumambulating Mt Yogelsang -- Yosemite

Circumambulating -- sounds like a mouth full, but really it just means to walk around something. And yes, Mt Yogelsang is a high peak in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Mountains near Tuolumne Meadows. So we agreed on a family vacation -- going very slowly around Mt Yogelsang.

We drove up early to Tuolumne Meadows to get acclimated to the 10,000 foot altitude. We spent one night in the backpacker's campground and then set off to do (we thought) 5 nights on the trail. Our plan to go out the Lyell Canyon and back via Cathedral Peak changed almost instantly when we all realized that was WAY TOO much hiking and not enough time relishing the mountain and lake scenery. So we slowed down and revised our itinerary after several family meetings perched on granite rocks. We agreed on a 4 night loop exiting Rafferty Creek.

For me, this trip was a dream hike. I have always wanted to hike along the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. The weather was the best -- warm sunny days and freezing nights. But like magic, my sleeping bag was as good as advertised. Warm and comfy all night long.

Here Bryan and Alan are relaxing along the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River during a lunch break. Day 1 was mostly level -- and rocks, water, trees, and blue sky in view everywhere.

We spent our first night in a meadow near Ireland Creek. We had left the Tuolumne River in late afternoon and had begun the climb UP so typical of the Sierras. The next morning, Alan is up early and checking out the heavy morning frost on the tent. But in a bit -- after we had tea and the sun dried the tent, we packed up and walked on.

Day 2 was filled with views -- especially looking west and seeing Mt Yogelsang ahead. Along the trail we had views of mountains and trees seemingly growing out of granite. This is Bryan leading our way. We passed the High Sierra Camp at Yogelsang and then began the final climb of the day.

This was the view from the top. We could finally begin walking down!

At the bottom of the descent, Bryan spied a flat area tucked under a few trees. "Looks like a campsite!" Pretty soon we had the tents up and Alan and Bryan were into a game of cards.

Our meals on the trail are fairly simple -- granola or oatmeal for breakfast; peanut butter & jelly (or nutella) on tortillas for lunch; and a precooked, dehydrated entree for dinner. We have a dehydrator at home and so I can cook dinner, dehydrate it, and it packs in a small ziplock bag. Rehydrating it means boiling a cup of water, dumping in the meal, cooking for a few minutes and then ENJOY. Of course, any meal at this point would be fabulous.

Day 3 had a bit of everything. We walked generally downhill along (or above) the Lewis Creek. The Creek grew in size through out the day as smaller creeks flowed in. We had expected more meadow like spaces but found mostly canyons and rock slabs. I guess we learned that topo maps with a bit of detail can be more helpful than our large scale "park on a page" version!

We took a side trip to Bernice Lake -- oh my was this a fabulous place and I could have easily spent a day exploring above and around here. Too soon back to the trail though!

We had a view of the back side of Half Dome. I had never seen this side and again -- every step along the trail brought new views and angles to appreciate the spectacular scenery and light of Yosemite.

Day 3 ended with a climb. Up of course -- and all the way to Babcock Lake. We had originally planned to camp at the bottom of the climb, but found the space too cramped and close to the creek. So we fortified ourselves with energy shotblocks (they taste better than they sound) and UP UP UP we went. Bryan led our family -- and we kept looking at the dome ahead and trying to figure where the trail was leading.

When we saw the sign for Babcock Lake -- we had a great feeling of WE MADE IT!

We were camping that night at a low enough elevation to have a fire as long as it was in an existing fire ring. Believe me I found the best camp site at the lake -- and an existing fire ring. We stayed up (at least as long as our firewood lasted) to watch the stars and Milky Way.

Day 4 -- crossing a creek on our way to Emeric Lake for lunch and then along Emeric Creek to Brooks Lake. Another day of sun, mountains, granite, trees, and the trail.

Alan and Bryan walking along.

A Yosemite escalator -- built by the CCC in the 30s.

We mused about who would be on a Mt Yosemite like Mt Rushmore "Wall of Fame." Of course, John Muir, Ansel Adams, the CCC trailbuilders, Phil Frank (for fur and loafing in Yosemite), and the search and rescue teams. It is good to remember how these known and unknown individuals have contributed to so much enjoyment by so many. We are grateful to them.

Our campsite the last night by Brooks Lake.

We could not have legal fires due to the altitude. But at our campsite we found this perfect "mini" ring and twig pile left by a previous camper. We had a good laugh!!

Our campsite at Brooks Lake. Every night we camped without anyone else nearby. We had expected to share sites as it was a busy weekend (Labor Day) but found the solitude and quiet to be a special treat.

Hiking out on Day 5 gave us our last view of Mt Yogelsang and surrounding peaks. We had a goal of getting to Tuolumne Meadows by lunch for a meal at the Meadow Grill.