Seemingly acclimated from yesterday's adventures, we awoke early and drove to the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead (also a shuttle stop) along Tenaya Lake and arrived to claim one of the last parking spots available at 7:45. Our goal for this 2300 foot elevation gain, 14+ mile round trip hike was to reach the summit around noon. Ambitious yet doable for us sea level dwellers.
It started easy enough, other than Ashley's dreaded stepping stone stream crossing. The trail remains flat, following the stream through a cool shaded forest. This stretch is purely meant to build confidence while approaching the first big climb, as well as a final respite on the way back. A mile in, a sudden incline (with no end in sight) reminded us why this trail is described as strenuous.
From that point forward, there were no easy stretches, climbing a punishing 1000 feet in a mile. Every few minutes required a break. Thankfully, the trail remained in the shade for the entirety of the climb. Wildflowers provided a colorful backdrop against the rocky, ever upward trail.
At this point, we were hoping the top included a Fountain of Youth, not just breathtaking views.
At the top of the first climb we stopped for a much needed snack at the junction to Sunrise Lakes Sierra Camp. A friendly marmot put on a show as he dashed around to find leftovers from previous hikers. We felt accomplished reaching this point until a group of ultra runners jogged by with ease.
Slightly rested, we continued the trail along a downhill portion with several stream crossings. Although we welcomed the relief from a downhill section, we were all to aware this meant the hike back to the trailhead would contain at least one uphill climb.
Upon reaching a fork in the trail, we were slight confused as to which way to continue. Already exhausted, we did not want to waste even a single step in the wrong direction. Fortunately, we quickly realized the "directional sign" consisted of some sticks spelling out "Clouds Rest" with an arrow pointing the way. We're grateful to whoever took the time to do this on a previous hike. The trail began to climb again and continued to do so until we reached the summit.
Eventually, the trail opened up and we no longer had protection from the trees. However, we could finally spot the peak, which encouraged us to continue. Once closer to the final climb, we enjoyed our PB&J picnic and chatted with others who were also preparing to make the final push along the narrow ridge.
Partially up the extremely narrow ridge, Ashley felt that she had seen enough (i.e. looking down onto Half Dome) and sat down. Nate continued on to reach the very end of the hike. So, technically, only one of us actually completed this hike, but Ashley got "close enough" to count it as a win.
Ashley entertained herself on the trip back by using one of this year's stocking stuffers - a life straw. It's probably meant for emergencies or legit backpacking trips, but she decided to test it by tasting the mountain stream water. The filtration system must work since neither of us got dysentery (or broke a wagon axle while forging any rivers).
You'll notice a lack of pictures detailing our hike back to the car as it was more grueling than enjoyable. Plus, our hands had swollen to the point where we couldn't form fists, so clicking the shutter was probably out of the question. We really just wanted it to be over. There was one memorable event from the return hike - the only wildlife we spotted on the trail. As Nate turned around to see how far behind Ashley had fallen, he calmly said "Oh, there's a coyote behind you." Ashley stopped dead in her tracks. Too scared to turn around, she actually didn't see the coyote and there is no photographic evidence because of the aforementioned hand swelling. Nate insists it just darted behind her without posing any threat. Ashley imagines that it was showing it's teeth just about to pounce until Nate startled it.
When we had made dinner reservations for this evening, we thought we left more than enough cushion after the end of our hike. We clearly underestimated how long it would actually take us to complete 14 miles in the high country (or overestimated our fitness levels).
Exhausted from the day's adventure, we slumped into our seats at the dinner table without having any time to clean up (we were the smelly kids - sorry to our tablemates). While sharing stories from the day, our tablemates (all Californians again) were quite impressed with our accomplishments, which definitely made us feel a little better about just how tired we felt. One of the college-aged girls described Cloud's Rest as her favorite hike, but described the first section as a Death March. Another gentleman told his wife that we had done "real hiking" that day. If these Yosemite regulars thought it was challenging then we won't argue with them or try to downplay it. It was hard.
Sunset at Olmstead Point
After dinner, Nate retrieved a bottle of wine from the Bear Locker and chilled it to an appropriate drinking temperature by suspending it in the river at camp. We weren't the only ones with this idea as our bottle joined four others already cooling in the water. Rustic California.
Rehydrated and rested, we spent our last evening in the high country stargazing in the nearby meadows. Tuolumne Meadows provided an easily accessible back country experience with serene hikes away from the crowds we would soon encounter in the Valley. Although seemingly popular with locals, it may be Yosemite's best kept secret.
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