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| | | Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Loop, CA | | | |
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Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Loop, CA
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| Backpack | 63.03 Miles |
12,775 AEG |
| | Backpack | 63.03 Miles | 5 Days | | |
| 12,775 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | We did a portion of this hike 7 years ago in the opposite direction. At the time, we discussed coming back and doing it downstream. We added two days and made a loop of it instead of setting up a shuttle.
We drove from PHX to Lee Vining and spent the night at a bougie Karl-approved resort. I'm still not sure 9L thinks a room without mice or the lack of access to the next door occupant's meth supply is worth an extra $200, but it was certainly different from past trips.
 
Day 1 - Lukens TH to Ten Lakes 12.33mi, 3,098aeg, 5:53
We got to the BCO when it opened at 8 and set off for Lukens after going through all the typical formalities. Can we switch that part to wreck.gov too? 
The first 6 miles were new to me, passing Lukens Lake and hiking along the Middle Tuoloumne River before descending to the junction with the 10 Lakes Trail we had hiked with the girls in 2014. As anticipated, there were ample mosquitoes looking for fresh blood.
Despite being two months later than our 2014 trip, there was still a little more snow lingering this year after the record-breaking winter. We opted to pass by the initial lower lakes and hike an additional mile and climb up 400 feet more to shorten our day 2 hike a bit. This last mile climb was rough on all of us and we were happy to get to camp.
Day 1 Bonus 1.66mi, 329aeg, 0:56
Daniel and Abrianna hadn't arrived at camp so Ryan and I headed back down the trail for some photos and to see if we could find them. About halfway up the climb we met them and we split Abrianna's pack between us while Daniel stubbornly insisted on keeping his 50+ pounds all to himself!  ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
Day 2 - Ten Lakes to Glen Aulin 16.58mi, 2,537aeg, 8:05
When we finally arrived at camp, I declared that this was the most difficult backpacking day I had ever endured. With the forgiveness of time, that may or may not still be accurate, but it certainly falls in the top 5. Just a lot of miles. Dropping into South Fork Cathedral Creek is steep and rough going, despite typically delightful NPS trail construction. The climb out was dreadfully slow. I was off my game for sure.
There were some big snow fields as we crossed the north slopes of Tuoloumne Peak that obscured the trail, and I ended up taking an entirely off-trail option that avoided the tougher spots, but was also a little steep and climbery. We took an extended break at the pass where somehow Verizon had bomber signal, but the instaddicted among us were stuck jonesing with zero signal ATT. 
The rest of the way was 99% downhill, which was nice to know, but it was still 8 miles to camp and it took a solid 4 hours. There was a surprising amount of snow to cross in the area of the May Lake and Murphy Creek junctions, despite the lower elevation. Between the huge snow drifts there was plenty of standing water, mud, and of course swarms of the Minnesota state bird.
We camped at Glen Aulin where the HSC is closed for the 4th straight year, but the campground had a surprising number of visitors. If I had to do it again, I'd head down the Tuolumne river a quarter mile and camp there rather than in the camp. But we didn't plan on that, and by the time we reached Glen Aulin we were all exhausted anyway.
Day 3 - Glen Aulin to below Muir Gorge 14.81mi, 1,678aeg, 7:39
Daniel and Abrianna headed back to Tuolumne Meadow while Ryan, Karl, 9L, and I headed downstream along the river. This is just one of the greatest stretches of trail, river, canyon, scenery, wilderness, that exists anywhere. It's the reason for doing this trip. Not much else to say about that. Encountered a couple from Flagstaff that were day hiking much of the route in a toddak-style 28-mile adventure. With just daypack weight, it might be a fun route for those so inclined (not me).
We set up camp at a spot we saw as we passed by going upstream on our trip in 2016. Our lower elevation and a heat spell pushed the forecast highs to near 90, but we were shaded and along the river below a roaring cascade so when we arrived it was only in the upper 70s. We all took advantage of some frigid bathing conditions and enjoyed a balmy night at camp that only dropped to 65.
Day 4 - Below Muir Gorge to Hetch Hetchy Viewpoint 9.49mi, 3,019aeg, 5:36
With 16+ miles back to the trailhead, it would be possible to exit, but it's also over 4,000 feet of gain (is that why they call it the Grand Canyon!?) and today was supposed to be the warmest of the trip. So we got an early morning start and set out to take out a chunk of the climb and leave a shorter hike for the exit day.
As with the last trip, I saw a large, healthy northern pacific rattlesnake. Apparently 9L stepped on a different one a short time later. And like the last trip, others we spoke to had also seen rattlesnakes. Perhaps it's just a coincidence? Or just a healthy ecosystem for them. It's something I regularly keep an eye out for in Arizona, but sometimes become less vigilant in higher elevations out of state. Apparently this is not the place for that! Watch your step 
Climbing out of the Pate Valley is an aggressive ascent. Early on the trail passes through a zone of destruction from an avalanche over the winter. This is at an elevation below 5,000 feet so was quite surprising, but since storms dropped 4-5 feet of snow below 4,000 feet over the winter, the destruction here was at least plausible.
Finding a suitable spot to camp was a bit of a challenge because spring growth has overtaken a lot of the flatter areas and road access has only been available for about 2 weeks, so not many backpackers have "re-established" the usual sites. Thankfully, 9L runs uphill and had planted our haz flag on the best spot along the creek so when the rest of us arrived we only had some minor yardwork to do to set up camp.
Day 4 Bonus 0.76mi, 158aeg, 0:46
After a few hours of relaxing at camp for the afternoon we set off to summit the little knoll next to camp and enjoy the stunning view of Hetch Hetchy as the sun set over it.
Day 5 - HH View to Lukens TH 7.40mi, 1,956aeg, 2:48
Exit day was a relatively short trip with the plan of getting back to the car before noon to endure the long drive back to the valley. The upper part of the initial climb has experienced a fire since last we were here, though most of the flatter terrain after topping out is heavily wooded and healthy. The wetter, greener ecosystem here was again full of blood-sucking beasts. Apparently Karl and 9L each saw a bear up here, but I probably chased it away with my amplified chumpop as I searched for my lost earbud. 
We were all back to the trailhead before 10:30 for celebratory beverages, wet-wipe bathing, fresh clean clothes, and the drive back to the ball of fire.
Extras:
I treated my clothes with permethrin before the trip and found it to be absolutely critically important. I had very little problem with mosquitoes and only wore a head net for a few minutes at camp one time. There were plenty of people we saw who hiked with head nets all day. I also enjoy hiking in shorts and short sleeves and was successful at that. Others were decked out like they were doing winter sports covering every square inch of exposed skin. Add a spritz of 100% deet to your socks and cap and the problem was largely eliminated. Others in the group had far worse outcomes than I did. Permethrin is worth it.
The record-breaking snowfall last winter has left trails in a shambles. NPS has been pretty open about the fact that they haven't had a chance to get out and maintain even the more popular trails, and this was absolutely our experience. There was deadfall on every segment of our hike and a handful of places where there was simply no sign of the trail or route. It required climbing, crawling, rolling -- an attentive eye for signs of a trail, and often a GPS route to keep you heading in the right direction. It shouldn't be like this every year, but the snow load knocked down A LOT of trees, especially in the former fire zones. It may be many seasons before all of these trails are fully cleared.
Super thanks to 9L for planning as he often does, and Karl for providing the transportation. And extra admiration and kudos to Karl for being so dedicated to his PT recovery to get in trail shape for this one. I'm sorry I ever questioned if he'd be ready! |
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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