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| It's about 5 miles of uphill from this meadow west of Tenaya Lake! |
May Lake to Sunrise HSC Trail Description (from the The High Sierra Camps Website):
Starting Elevation: 9270 ft.
(2825 m)
Ending Elevation: 9400 ft. (2865 m)
1980' gain and 1990' loss
Approximate Mileage: 8.25 (13 km)
The High Sierra Camp trail
from May Lake descends to the old Tioga Road and follows it down to Tenaya
Lake, paralleling Highway 120 briefly. After crossing Tenaya creek the
trail rises gradually for awhile, then turns into a steep 1.5-mile set of
switchbacks up to the Clouds Rest junction. This is a hot portion of the
trail, but offers great views of Mt. Hoffman and Tenaya Canyon with its
polished granite. ...Continue on past Sunrise Lakes and ascend for
2 miles before a 1/2-mile descent to Long Meadow and Sunrise High Sierra Camp.
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| After a hearty breakfast we hit the trail ready for a long haul |
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| Wrangler with apples for her packstock |
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| Morning pack train heading down from May Lake HSC (Half Dome on horizon) |
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| Lauryn with a veteran Sierra Juniper on the old Tioga Road (now our trail) |
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| David at our only contact with cars for 8 days |
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| We lightened our loads by dropping off a few unneeded items at the bear boxes at Sunrise Trailhead |
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| Still 5 miles to go before we rest...mostly up-up-up |
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| This was the big hot slogging part |
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| Lower Sunrise Lake restored our spirits |
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| Wildflowers cheered us on the last uphill stretch before Sunrise HSC |
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| After pitching our tents we sought out the Dining Tent... |
Sunrise High Sierra Camp Description (from the HSC website):
Situated along a high alpine meadow, Sunrise High Sierra Camp is
accessible from either the Sunrise Lakes trail from Tenaya Lake or the
Cathedral Lakes trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows. Well-named for the
spectacular morning views as the sun creeps over the mountains, Sunrise
offers incredible vistas towards both the Cathedral & Clark Ranges.
Local peaks include Colombia Finger, Tenaya Peak, Echo Peaks, Matthes
Crest, and Cathedral Peak and are dramatic examples of Yosemite’s famous
granite formations.
Sunrise High Sierra Camp was the idea of Mary Curry Tresidder, the
daughter of “Mother” Jennie & David Curry, founders of Camp Curry.
Mary Curry Tresidder and her husband, Don, ran the private
concessionaire in Yosemite National Park for many years and were avid
enthusiasts of the Yosemite high country. Mary Curry Tresidder believed
that people should have better access to such a beautiful area and
became the financial backer for this final high camp. Built in 1961 and
the last of the High Sierra Camps, Sunrise completes the fifty mile
High Sierra Camp Loop.
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| ...and enjoyed another fine meal |
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| David and I climbed a dome after dinner for alpenglow on Matthes Crest and a view of Cathedral Peak |
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| Cathedral Peak, Echo Peaks and Echo Ridge |
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| Beyond Choo-Choo Ridge is Vogelsang High Sierra Camp (2 days away) |
The next posting is: "Trail Segment 4: Sunrise to Merced Lake" one of our toughest and longest days.
Happy Trails to You! Bob Hare
