After three nights in Camp 4 it was time to continue our 'trip of the big South West'. We had a lot of destinations on our agenda still, so it was time to move on. I knew for sure that we would be back for
Yosemite at some point. Who knows, maybe we will come back to do the
walk up Half Dome some day. Or plan several days of backpacking in the park. Or come spend a weekend in the valley around winter time. Or celebrate New Year at the legendary
Ahwahnee. Or do some climbing. Well, I probably won't but C might. The walls are very intimidating, I realized that once I faced them. Although I guess there might be some bouldering to be found within the park or some training walls ...
At the campground in Yosemite Valley I had chatted with a climber from a German group that had been staying a week up in Tuolomne Meadows which is above the valley, and she had been of the opinion that it was more pleasant up there, cooler at night but much less crowded and wider spaces to enjoy. We had already planned to spend a night up on the plateau and we now got going.
We drove up from the valley (great views on the way), and slowly the forest side of the park became more significant and high up from the valley the landscape opened up to meadows. At the beautiful Tenaya Lake we stopped and had our lunch. It was oddly cold there. We then continued further.
Arriving in Tuolomne Meadows, we checked out a climbing spot. It looked alright actually, but we couldn't find the topropes we were looking for. And besides, I was not in the mood for climbing. Then we started looking around for a place to sleep. The Tuolomne Meadows campground itself was full, but there are several others a bit further along the way. We drove past a couple more, seeking to find one that was a little more out of the way, and finally ended up at Saddlebag Lake, a little fishing lake at the edge of a wilderness area. The landscape there suddenly changed from granite mountains to very varied and colorful. The mountains looked volcanic. We decided this setting would do it for us and put up camp. Luckily, we got the last spot: a reservation that had been canceled.
We took a good walk around the lake (which indeed looked very much like a volcanic crater) and up another valley into the wilderness area. It was pittoresque and dramatic, with dark clouds gathering up and creating atmosphere. It was also a good deal more chilly than down in the valley, but we had reached an altitude of 10.500 feet too. A little bit into the walk my shoes began to hurt my feet and I could feel blisters forming. I guess I hadn't quite recovered from the long hike the previous day. Next time I'd wear sandals! So, it was a rugged hike, even more so because the terrain on the way back (around the other side of the lake) was extremely rugged. Reminded me of home ... But what a great, refreshing walk! So much easier to walk in cool temperatures.
We were expecting the night to be cold at this elevation, possibly below freezing. So we made ourselves an extra warm bed, spread our sleeping bags over our sheet, then the big mexican blanket on top.
After three nights in Camp 4 it was time to continue our 'trip of the big South West'. We had a lot of destinations on our agenda still, so it was time to move on. I knew for sure that we would be back for Yosemite at some point. Who knows, maybe we will come back to do the walk up Half Dome some day. Or plan several days of backpacking in the park. Or come spend a weekend in the valley around winter time. Or celebrate New Year at the legendary Ahwahnee. Or do some climbing. Well, I probably won't but C might. The walls are very intimidating, I realized that once I faced them. Although I guess there might be some bouldering to be found within the park or some training walls ...
At the campground in Yosemite Valley I had chatted with a climber from a German group that had been staying a week up in Tuolomne Meadows which is above the valley, and she had been of the opinion that it was more pleasant up there, cooler at night but much less crowded and wider spaces to enjoy. We had already planned to spend a night up on the plateau and we now got going.
We drove up from the valley (great views on the way), and slowly the forest side of the park became more significant and high up from the valley the landscape opened up to meadows. At the beautiful Tenaya Lake we stopped and had our lunch. It was oddly cold there. We then continued further. 
Arriving in Tuolomne Meadows, we checked out a climbing spot. It looked alright actually, but we couldn't find the topropes we were looking for. And besides, I was not in the mood for climbing. Then we started looking around for a place to sleep. The Tuolomne Meadows campground itself was full, but there are several others a bit further along the way. We drove past a couple more, seeking to find one that was a little more out of the way, and finally ended up at Saddlebag Lake, a little fishing lake at the edge of a wilderness area. The landscape there suddenly changed from granite mountains to very varied and colorful. The mountains looked volcanic. We decided this setting would do it for us and put up camp. Luckily, we got the last spot: a reservation that had been canceled. 
We took a good walk around the lake (which indeed looked very much like a volcanic crater) and up another valley into the wilderness area. It was pittoresque and dramatic, with dark clouds gathering up and creating atmosphere. It was also a good deal more chilly than down in the valley, but we had reached an altitude of 10.500 feet too. A little bit into the walk my shoes began to hurt my feet and I could feel blisters forming. I guess I hadn't quite recovered from the long hike the previous day. Next time I'd wear sandals! So, it was a rugged hike, even more so because the terrain on the way back (around the other side of the lake) was extremely rugged. Reminded me of home ... But what a great, refreshing walk! So much easier to walk in cool temperatures. 
We were expecting the night to be cold at this elevation, possibly below freezing. So we made ourselves an extra warm bed, spread our sleeping bags over our sheet, then the big mexican blanket on top.
No comments:
Post a Comment