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Tuolumne to Agnew Meadows, Day 3: Thousand Island Lake to Shadow Creek

Post Author:Rebecca
Post published:August 10, 2009
Post Category:Trip Reports
Post Comments:1 Comment

Banner Peak reflecting in 1000 Island Lake

We had an easy day ahead of us on Day 3, so we took our time packing up in the morning. Pavla went for a swim, I wandered around with my camera looking for wildflowers, and David fished a bit. I think we hit the trail around 10 am and headed south along the JMT towards Shadow Creek. When I went through here in 2007 I was flying and barely noticed how amazing this stretch is. Ruby lake is a stunning deep turquoise color, Garnet Lake has a million little things that make it unique and different, and the wildflowers were just popping.
Once at Shadow Creek we left the JMT and headed up the Lake Ediza trail. The plan was to find a campsite somewhere in the area and stay for two nights, dayhiking some of the less popular lakes in the area. We found a nice legal site just before Lake Ediza where we could have campfires (so we could cook any fish we caught!), and set up.

After setting up, resting, and eating, we decided to dayhike up to Cabin Lake, which is a bit off the beaten track. It was stocked with golden trout in 2000 and David wanted to see if there were any left. Rumor had it there was an unmarked trail heading up to the lake, but we couldn’t find it on the way up. A bit of bushwhacking, scrambling around rock, and persistence finally got us to Cabin Lake. Of course, once we were there we saw the use trail. Figures.

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Chilnualna Falls Backpack

Post Author:Rebecca
Post published:June 1, 2009
Post Category:Trip Reports
Post Comments:9 Comments

The passes are open but the high country isn't yet melted out. Where to go on a weekend overnight that will give me my Sierra fix, but avoid the unknown…

Precipice Lake

The High Sierra Trail (and more!)

Post Author:Rebecca
Post published:August 19, 2008
Post Category:Trip Reports
Post Comments:15 Comments

Last week I spent seven days hiking a loop through Sequoia National Park, going in along the famous High Sierra Trail and looping back into the tucked-away Mineral King from…

Sunset from Glen Aulin, Conness in the background

The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne

Post Author:Rebecca
Post published:July 8, 2008
Post Category:Trip Reports
Post Comments:9 Comments

The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is aptly named. The Canyon follows the Tuolumne river as it drops from the Meadows down to Hetch Hetchy, where the river empties into…

Grand Canyon Backpack: Six days through Bright Angel and Clear Creek

Post Author:Rebecca
Post published:April 5, 2008
Post Category:Trip Reports
Post Comments:10 Comments

Clear Creek Falls

“What wonders lie ahead?”

This is how Dave started us off on the trail every day of our six day trip into the Grand Canyon. Our group, (me, Paige, John, Dave (Paige’s Dave), and David (my Dave)), spent an incredible week exploring some remote corners of the Clear Creek canyon, while also enjoying some civilization at the Phantom Ranch down along the Colorado River.

View the extended entry for the trip report and links to pictures. It’s a long one, but I decided to keep everything in a single entry instead of posting a separate entry for each of the six days on the trail.

Day 1: Wednesday, March 26

South Rim to Bright Angel Campground via the South Kaibab Trail

We spent all of Tuesday, March 25 driving from the Bay Area to the Grand Canyon. After a late arrival and night at the Yavapai Lodge, we met for breakfast and last minute shopping at the store nearby. Having been warned about ice along the trail, I picked up a cheap pair of ‘shoe chains’ so I wouldn’t have to carry my bulky and heavy crampons. This ended up being a wise choice – I didn’t even need the chains, but at least they weighed significantly less than the crampons.

After picking up our permit, we left the car at the Bright Angel Trailhead and waited for the shuttle to take us over to the South Kaibab Trail. By late morning we joined the throngs of dayhikers heading down the the South Kaibab. Near Ooh Ah Point it was practically a waiting line. Fortunately, once we got below Cedar Ridge the crowds thinned out to a manageable level, mostly people hiking to and from the bottom as part of multi-day trips.

The last stretch of the SK, from Tipoff Point to the Colorado, is just stunning, zigzagging steeply through the Redwall layer. The trail spits you out onto the Black Bridge, where hikers and mules can safely cross the dangerous Colorado River. Some interesting sites lie on the other side – a grave for one of the builders of the Black Bridge, Ancestral Pueblo ruins, and a fresh sandy beach formed by the controlled flood of a few weeks ago.

A few minutes after crossing the Colorado we arrived at Bright Angel Campground and set up in site 31. From there we walked the ~1/4 mile up to Phantom Ranch where snacks and cold lemonade and ranger program awaited. The descent was really rough, especially on my calves and knees, so this treat was much appreciated. We came back later for a couple of rounds of cold beer and Yahtzee – I was the champ, of course!

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