Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Holy shit is right.
A historical movie showed how long it took them to find a route, weeks. Now, 4 hours.

 

Its official, all six High Sierra Camps will NOT open this season. Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, grill and store will open, but those opening dates are still unknown at this time.

@Seabass @Both Tacos

 

Thanks for the notice on this. Let me ask you this... am I still able to use Sunrise and LYV sites to camp at though, or at least the area right around them?

I'm also planning to camp at Tuolumne somewhere near the grill/store (for a couple hot meals and resupply) unless it's just not allowed. Would I actually get potentially chased out of any of those 3 camps by rangers if I decide to use them?

*edit*

Looks like LYV isn't on the list, so I'm assuming I can just find suitable camping in the area of Sunrise camp which is what I was going to do anyways. I don't need any facilities there, just a place to fill water.

 

By the time you'll be coming thru, the road should be open. (it opened to public for the 6ish miles from Crane Flat to South Fork Bridge. No access beyond (east of that). Sunrise and LYV should be no issue as they are technically open all year. Camping in Tuolumne has to be in the campground. All other areas are designated no camping. (if you have the Nat Geo maps, theres a large pink shaded area all around TM. Thats the no camping area). I'll see what info is out there in regards to using the CG. I know some of the PCT thrus are already passing by that area. Many have tried to hike north from TM, but are coming back because of trail impassability. (water crossings in the northern wilderness are just no do-able.)

 

Yeah the restrictions around Tuolumne are something I'm planning for. If the CG isn't open for use for some reason, I'll plan an alternate site as close to the store as possible/legal. Neither my NatGeo map nor my Tom Harrison map show the restricted zones, so I'll research that separately. IIRC, there's about a 4 mile restriction zone with the exception of the CG itself.

 

If you're coming up Lyell Cyn on the JMT, the last place you can camp is the area of the Ireland Creek trail jct. except the CG, theres no camping anywhere remotely near the TM area.

 

Not great, but here's the area. The yellow mark is the TM CG. Pick border is No Camping zone.

 

Valley Uprising is the title of the film you're talking about I believe.

 

I'll be heading north down Lyell Canyon. I'm camping below Donohue the night before so I have an easy downhill and flat finish to the day for the resupply and burger. I'm just going to stay somewhat naive and hope the CG is open (we're talking 8/22 anyways) but I'll look at getting as far out of Lyell as possible as I know that's an abnormally active bear area.

 

My day coming down from Donohue is pretty short and easy anyways, so I'm planning to be at Tuolumne at about lunchtime. 9 miles downhill/flat will go by very quick after having been on the trail for 2 weeks. That gives me plenty of time to push on after lunch/resupply for another 5 miles to get to Cathedral Lakes.

 

I would say its ok to plan on the CG being open by that date. Theres facility crews out there checking things already (even with 8-10 foot snow drifts in most of that area). they are sounding optimistic for early August. I'll be out in that area regularly once it opens, so Im sure we can figure something out for you.

 

They have it posted that the CG is opening in Aug. 1 at Tuolumne, but it's anyone's guess after the snow melts and seeing how it drains/dries to prevent damage. And who knows what damage still lies under the snow on Tioga Rd, including damage it will sustain from all of the runoff that is likely to cause more rockfalls and erode soil from under the road itself. As the summer progresses, I'll definitely be hitting you up for updates!

 

I got some good traction device practice this past weekend here in AZ up to Humphrey's Peak at 12,600'. The 10 mile trail still had a good 50% snow/ice coverage in the trees, including some drifts to climb that were about 8' tall still. Stepping anywhere off of the packed dirty snow had some nice 3-4' deep postholes from other hikers. There were some nasty switchbacks in some of the canyon that I didn't photograph that were at a 70 degree slope with some nice 30-40' dropoffs that got sketchy. People with microspikes were slipping, but luckily I had my crampons so I could kick some nice steps for me and the people behind me. I had my whippet, too.

 

thats reservations, subject to weather.
as for rock fall... thats why the road is only open to public up to South Fork. The road is cleared to Tenaya Lake. Rocks falling and having to be cleared daily... and theres two serious avalanche zones that still pose a threat. So far, theres no reports of major roadwork needed.
Theres still 15 miles of roadway to clear (though some of it has been hit by the sun and is mostly clear in the TM area.) Yose plows are at Tenaya Lake. Mono County is almost to the gate on Tioga Road.

 

I would suggest the side trip to Cathedral Lake instead of Sunrise HSC. Both are beautiful tho!

 

That's good news that they're already at Tenaya Lake.

 

Thanks, I'll consider the side .5 mile to Cathedral Lake as a definite plan B option. Posting up at Sunrise makes for a very easy next day to LYV so I can get some good rest before tackling HD the next morning. I want to hit HD on my last day at the crack of dawn to beat the crowds.

 

Cables went up this week!

 

Wow.

My friend is still in YOSE (Whitney, one that you met), and was hiking Panorama today and then a guy falls into the Merced on the Mist trail! It can't have been too far before she got there.