 |
| Tuolumne Falls above Glen Aulin |
Tuolumne Meadows to Glen Aulin Trail Description (from the The High Sierra Camps Website):
Starting Elevation: 8775 ft. (2675 m)
Ending Elevation: 7800 ft. (2378 m)
310' gain and 1020' loss
Approximate Mileage: 8 miles (12.9 km)
This is a gentle hike
descending along the Tuolumne River with views across the meadows toward
Unicorn Peak, Cathedral Peak & Echo Peaks. ...The High Sierra Camp trail to
Glen Aulin passes Soda Springs and winds through a lodgepole forest and meadows
for approximately 4 miles before crossing the river and dropping down a mile of
switchbacks paralleling a series of cascades to Glen Aulin High Sierra
Camp.
 |
| The Loop Trail in Orange |
 |
| Checking and double-checking our gear at camp on D-Day |
 |
| Bob, David & Lauryn hit the trail fresh and enthusiastic with Cathedral Peak silently blessing our adventure |
 |
| We met rangers packing in gear for trail work |
 |
| David contemplating the Tuolumne and the Cathedral Range from Unicorn Peak to Fairview Dome |
 |
| Our first view of the Glen Aulin Valley was from the twin footbridges |
 |
| Couldn't resist dropping our packs on the beach and cooling our hot feet |
 |
| Back to the business at hand...It gets steep here |
 |
| We arrive at Glen Aulin and White Cascade |
 |
| After setting up camp we relax before dinner |
Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp Description (from the HSC website):
Glen Aulin is one of the easiest camps to hike to as the trail from Soda
Springs follows the Tuolumne River and its meadows most of the way.
The camp is set alongside the 80 ft. high White Cascade and its lovely
pool. Campers enjoy catching the sunset from a nearby promontory with a
view of Mt. Conness. Located in a geological wonderland, Glen Aulin
offers a great view down the Tuolumne River and the Grand Canyon of the
Tuolumne. A popular daytrip down to Waterwheel Falls passes through
this unique granite canyon with California Fall & LeConte Fall along
the way.
The original camp was located in the flat, peaceful valley just
downstream from the present location. This valley was named by James
McCormick, a USGS topographer, in 1913. The correct Gaelic spelling is
Glean Alainn,
for ‘beautiful valley or glen’, but McCormick spelled it differently to
aid pronunciation. In 1923 Glen Aulin was chosen as a likely spot to
add a hikers’ camp and the Yosemite National Park Company built the camp
in 1927. Mosquitoes proved to be too annoying and the camp moved to
its present site alongside the White Cascade. The original rate was a
dollar a day and a dollar per meal.
 |
| Aaah! Baked Salmon. All the camps have the same menu on the same day so you get something new |
 |
| After a fantastic dinner Lauryn declares she likes backpacking the High Sierra Loop |
 |
| High Country cameraderie watching the alpenglow beginning on Mt Conness |
 |
| David seeking a good shot |
 |
| Morning light awakens the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne |
 |
| I call this Glen Aulin Promontory. I climbed it after dinner to photograph the alpenglow on Cathedral Peak |
 |
| The call to breakfast...hot drinks served before |
 |
| Morning rainbow on White Cascade |
 |
| Our easy day hike was through the Glen Aulin Valley to California Falls |
 |
| I loved the serpentine crenulations made by millenia of water wear |
 |
| An old rock avalanche reclaimed as old beauty |
 |
| Bracken |
 |
| We couldn't resist this quiet swimming hole on the way back to camp |
 |
| My alpenglow photo from Glen Aulin Promontory. Tuolumne Falls and White Cascade lower right |
I left dinner before dessert so I had a chance of bushwacking it up to Promontory Point in time to catch the soft evening light on the falls of the upper Tuolumne River and Cathedral Peak. I cut it very close. I quickly climbed about 800 feet and was still 200 feet short of the summit when I saw the light was quickly leaving the falls so I took the above shot. I quickly started down knowing I had the security of a good headlight but using the twilight as long as it lasted. I turned it on just before I intersected the Pacific Crest Trail. Soon I saw a headlight ahead of me. It was David who had come to meet me. He and Lauryn had saved my dessert for me. What a deal, a fantastic view, a good picture, a fine adventure...and I get my dessert to boot!
Back at our campground I shared my dessert with some Russians we had joined around their campfire. We went to bed in our tents early to escape the mosquitoes and to prepare for our second segment of our High Sierra Loop--covered in my next posting: "Glen Aulin to May Lake."
Happy Trails to You! Bob Hare
