Yosemite in Winter/Spring

Lava ice creeks and glowing waterfalls!

Trip Report Days 3-5: Alta Peak

On day 3 of our trip at Sequoia National Park, we hiked from Pear Lake to the base of Alta Peak. Along the way, we saw some spectacular views of the Sierra Mountains, including the Great Western Divide. We were supposed to camp at Mehrten Meadow, but we made a wrong turn 0.2 miles from our destination and ended up camping near the High Sierra Trail instead. Though it added a few extra miles to our hike, camping away from the crowds afforded us extra opportunities to spot wildlife, including marmots, mule deer, and California quail. On Sunday morning, we headed up to Alta Peak. We had originally planned on reaching the peak early in the morning, but we didn't realize we were heading in the wrong direction until we reached a trail junction 2 miles further out of our way. By the time we reached the peak -- after a long arduous climb -- clouds had completely surrounded the top and we had no view. We signed our names in the logbook at the summit and were disappointed to see everyone rave about the awesome 360 degree view of the Sierras. We had no time to complain, though, because thunder immediately chased us off the peak. We hurried back to camp, with ominous storm clouds above us the entire time. The weather cleared, though, and we managed to start a fire before nightfall. On the last day of our trip, we hiked back out to the Wolverton parking lot. It was sad to be going home, but we both looked forward to taking showers and eating greasy fast food and we promised ourselves we'd make the hike to Alta Peak again.

Trip Report Day 2: Pear Lake via the Watchtower

On Friday morning, we left Lodgepole Campground and drove to the Wolverton parking lot. The trailhead was fairly crowded, with several day hikers, two or three groups of backpackers, and one trail runner all heading out at roughly the same time in the morning. Along the trail, we played leapfrog with several of the other backpackers. Jess and I stopped frequently, taking breaks to filter water. Luckily, the mosquitoes were not nearly as annoying as they were in Yosemite a few weeks ago, so we could linger near the streams and enjoy the abundant wildflowers (e.g., Tiger Lilies and Indian Paint Brush) that surrounded each stream. We took the Watchtower Trail instead of the Humps Trail and were paid off with a spectacular vista at the top. Unfortunately, the Watchtower is closed much of the year, when snow and ice makes the cliff-hugging trail hazardous. When we reached Heather Lake, we couldn't resist diving into the crystal clear water and taking a quick dip. We hiked passed Emerald Lake and set up camp right next to Pear Lake. We tried our best to stay up and watch the stars, but I'm pretty sure we fell asleep well before sunset.

Trip Report Day 1: Bears at Sequoia National Park

Early Thursday morning, Jess and I drove south to Sequoia National Park. We left Oakland at 7:30 AM, so we could arrive in the early afternoon and secure two of the 25 daily first-come, first-serve Wilderness Permits for the weekend. Although we didn't need to get there quite so early -- we were the first two backpackers to register for the Lakes Loop and Alta Peak trails -- we made the most of our time by setting up our tent at Lodgepole Campground and taking the shuttle to the Giant Forest Museum. On the hike back to our campground, we encountered a few bears on the edge of Round Meadow. It was about 4 or 5 in the evening, and the bears were just waking from their afternoon nap. The cubs woke up first, eagerly exploring the edge of the meadow while staying close to the still sleepy big mama bear. Luckily, Jess and I just learned about the park's black bears at the Visitor's Center and thus were aware that these fellows were pretty harmless to visitors. They spend most of the day eating insects and berries, and take a nap during the heat of the day. But, my heart was still racing when the mama bear woke up and headed directly toward us. Thankfully, she had no interest in us and started clawing at a fallen Sequoia tree, foraging for insects.
The rest of the hike was beautiful, but not quite as eventful. The General Sherman tree -- the largest tree in the world by volume -- did not seem to warrant the hype and was a bit anti-climatic. We ended the evening by quickly cooking dinner back at our campground and attending a surprisingly informative and interesting presentation about fire by a park ranger.