{"id":7869,"date":"2024-06-20T02:51:54","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T02:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whitethaiger.net\/hikers\/?p=7869"},"modified":"2024-09-01T23:09:33","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01T23:09:33","slug":"grand-canyon-of-the-tuolumne-june-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whitethaiger.net\/hikers\/2024\/06\/20\/grand-canyon-of-the-tuolumne-june-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, June 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brian had some extra spots on his permit for the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne hike to see the spring runoff and invited us to join him. On the way to Yosemite and on the way home I hiked some peaks<\/a> I had had on my wishlist for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

On the way to our meeting point outside the park, we stopped in Oakhurst at their visitor center to enquire about the traffic into and inside the park. Hwy 41 and Glacier Point were very busy and slow, but Hwy 140 via Mariposa was not busy and inside the park there were also no traffic jams. So we decided to cruise through Yosemite Valley and have our lunch there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(click on any image to enlarge \/ start slideshow)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 1 (6.56 miles, 377 ft up, 1168 ft down)<\/strong>
We drove up Tioga Pass Rd to the White Wolf turnoff. Unfortunately, the road there was closed and we had to leave Brian’s car along the road. We then continued to Tuolumne Meadow where Srisuda and Brian started the hike at the Glen Aulin Trailhead. Max and I shuttled Max’s car back to the White Wolf road and started our hike about 2h after the others. The slightly complicated car shuttling was necessary since we would leave in different directions and our truck only has two seats. Coming up with the solution reminded me of the “Wolf, goat and cabbage problem<\/a>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trail started at around 8,600 ft and is fairly level for a few miles while it follows the wide river. Then it drops rather quickly and waterfalls appear. We ended the day at a very nice campsite that Brian knew from previous hikes. As soon as we put our packs down a backcountry ranger popped out of the bushes and asked to see our permit. Everything was in order and we chatted with him for a bit. After setting up camp we all cooled off in the river and then warmed back up on the warm rocks in the late afternoon sun. Max had carried beers in and we enjoyed those. Dinner was around the campfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 2 (7.38 miles, 528 ft up, 2677 ft down)<\/strong>
In the morning we had coffee on the glacier-polished rock above camp warming up in the first rays of the sun. This became a habit and we found similar rocks at the other campsites to do the same. On this day we passed the biggest falls on the trip, California Falls, LeConte Falls, and Waterwheel Falls. At LeConte Falls we took a long lunch break enjoying this big fall with all its “waterwheels”. The river scenery was stunning and we stopped frequently to admire it. Pictures only reflect part of the waterfall experience, see the video below<\/a> for motion and sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camp 2 was another spot Brian knew and we again dipped into the river and warmed up on the rocks in the late afternoon sun afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 3 (10.9 miles, 2572 ft up, 2484 ft down)<\/strong>
Same morning routine: coffee on the glacier-polished rock above camp and warming up in the first rays of the sun. This was our longest hiking day and it led through a very diverse stretch of river. This included dense forest with fresh ferns and lots of mosquitoes, the spectacular Muir Gorge bypass, and then the first part of the climb up towards White Wolf. The Muir Gorge is so narrow that no trail fits in there and the park service created a bypass which includes some great trail building along a cliff. We also had to cross Register creek with water up to my knees (see the video at the bottom of the post<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before leaving the river and starting the climb to White Wolf we took a break at the footbridge over the river to have some snacks and to cool off in the river. I spent about 6 minutes in that frigid water and brought my core temperature down noticeably. I felt cold even after walking for a while. Once the real climbing started though, I got hot in no time. Between the 4 of us, we encountered 6 rattlesnakes that day! None of us could recall a day hike with that many rattler sightings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp was at a nice, flat spot overlooking Hetch Hetchy reservoir. There was a great glacier-polished rock to enjoy the sunset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 4 (7.53 miles, 2674 ft up, 410 ft down)<\/strong>
We started hiking to White Wolf early, but not before enjoying our morning coffee on the glacier-polished rock above camp. The first 1000 ft of elevation gain was quite steep, but it was in the shade. The entire hike up to White Wolf and then Tioga Pass road was well-shaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another memorable adventure in the Sierra Nevada!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Register Creek crossing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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