John
Muir Trail, 2008
The
view of Half
Dome from Upper Yosemite Falls trail, Yosemite Valley in the foreground.
We
walked up on this bobcat hunting along the trail to Half
Doome. He was totally unconcerned about us! It was a National
Geographic moment to watch him stalk and pounce on a squirrel just
after this photo was taken. Our first day on the trail!
Day 2
on the trail, hiking north to Cathedral Lakes. From left to
right: Jim, John, Brett, Scott
Dana
Fork near Tuolumne Meadows was a great place for a swim.
Water temperature: pretty darn cold.
This black bear cub crossed our path several times as we hiked out of
Yosemite. He pestered several campers along the way, and we
almost got to watch him rip into a camper's bear can. In this
rare photo of a black bear, he is caught on film tormenting pine cones.
Upper
Tuolumne Meadow at sunrise; Lyell Fork meanders through the
valley bottom below. This was the beginning of an epic hike up to
Donahue Pass.
 "Here...
on the head waters of the Tuolumne, is a group of wild peaks on which
the geologist may say the sun has but just begun to shine...."
John Muir, The Mountains of California
Donahue
Pass, 11056 feet. We were feeling on top of the world here,
surrounded by crystal clear blue skies and mountain peaks as far as the
eye could see. While the hike until now had been the best of my
life, the remaining 8.5 miles to Garnet Lake would turn brutal!
"Mount Ritter is the king of the
mountains of the middle portion of the
High Sierra, as Shasta of the North and Whitney of the south
sections." John Muir, The Mountains of California
Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak at
sunrise from our campsite on Garnet
Lake.
Stellars
Jay in the campsite at Reds Meadow.
Dinner
at the restaurant at Reds Meadow, day 5. From left to right: Rodney,
Jim, Scott, John, and Brett. Rodney had just arrived from San
Francisco, and that Coor's was just what he needed to kick off a
grueling bout of altitude sickness. Dinner was a massive plate
of chicken fajitas with pie a la mode for desert, served up by our
buddy Heather.
We
left Reds Meadow after lunch the following day for a leasurely 4 miles
to Upper Crater
Meadow. This is the view looking north from the top of the Red
Cones. In the middle-ground is a swath of burned forest from the
1992 Rainbow Fire.
Purple
Lake. Kinda reminds ya of a Prince song, eh? Good.
Now that'll be in Your head all day. Camped here on day 7.
Decending into the aspens of the Bear Creek drainage, day 10.
Every puddle in the Sierras is
filled with trout.
Selden
Pass, 10880 feet. Day 11 on the trail. Marie Lake is in the
background, perched above the Bear Creek watershed below.
"Lakes are seen gleaming in
all
sorts of places- round, or oval, or square, like very mirrors; others
narrow and sinuous, drawn close around the peaks like silver zones, the
highest reflecting only rocks, snow, and the sky". John
Muir, The
Mountains of California
Virginia
Lake. Water temperature: cold.
Mule
deer along the bank of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River.
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