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| Sunrise High Sierra Camp is at the bottom of Long Meadow |
Sunrise HSC to Merced Lake HSC Trail Description (from the The High Sierra Camps Website):
Starting Elevation: 9400 ft. (2865 m)
Ending Elevation: 7150 ft. (2179 m)
610' gain and 2730' loss
Approximate Mileage: 9.5 miles (15.5 km)
This trail begins with a gentle stroll the length
of Long Meadow with views of the granite peaks all around. Soon the trail
switchbacks up a small ridge before it descends to the Cathedral Fork of Echo
Creek. It parallels Echo Creek for several miles, mostly through forested
areas and the vegetation gradually changes from lodgepole & hemlock trees
to Jeffrey pines, chinquapin and manzanita at the lower elevations. After
the junction in Echo Valley the trail flattens out through an old burn, and
then climbs past granite pools to Merced Lake. Continue along the north
shore of Merced Lake to find the High Camp at the far end.
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| The Loop Trail in Orange |
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| In the morning I get up to enjoy the sunrise at Sunrise |
I revisited the spot where in September 2010 I had rephotographed a view of Columbia Finger captured by Ansel Adams around 1960. Clearly, he was here earlier in the summer, probably July, when the water was higher. I was struck with how little the vegetation margins and pool bottom had changed in the intervening half century.
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Back in time to catch the hot pre-breakfast drinks |
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| ...and hot oatmeal to get us down the trail to Merced HSC |
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| We take the turnoff towards Merced Lake...just 9 miles to go and the day is young |
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| A curious yellow-bellied marmot |
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| A glacial erratic sculpture dropped here by a melting glacier 10,000 years ago |
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| We meet an ultralight ultrafast backpacker who covered three times what we did daily for months! |
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| Humbled by our meeting with the friendly uber-trekker we amble our way downhill |
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| The main part of our hike was down the Cathedral Fork of Echo Creek |
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| Our lunch rest stop to cool our feet and dry our socks in the sun |
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| A quiet part of the Cathedral Fork |
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| Junipers on the canyon slopes |
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| Lauryn crossing the lower metal bridge over the Cathedral Fork |
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| Down, down, down.... |
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| View up Merced Canyon |
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| David crossing Cathedral Fork in Echo Valley |
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| In Echo Valley with quaking aspens |
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| Heading up Merced Canyon |
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| Cascade of the Merced River |
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| Historic barn at Merced HSC |
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| Swimming hole at Merced HSC |
Merced Lake High Sierra Camp Description (from the HSC
website):
This high sierra camp is located along one of the largest lakes in
Yosemite in a granite basin surrounded by ridges and domes. Because of its
lower elevation, the camp is relatively warm and has slightly different
vegetation, such as large white firs, aspen, Jeffrey and lodgepole pines.
Merced Lake High Sierra Camp is also the furthest camp from any
trailhead. With roughly 14 miles (23 km) of steep hiking to get to
Merced Lake from either Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows, most visitors
choose to stop at either Vogelsang or Sunrise first, and then continue on to
Merced Lake the following day.
A short distance from the lake and with a small cascade
and perfect swimming pool at its edge, Merced Lake High Camp is
popular for rest days along the High Sierra Camp Loop. Guests relax by the
lake, swim, or enjoy the day hike to Washburn Lake. This is a fun
destination for fishing for rainbow, brook and brown trout.
Merced Lake’s first recorded name was Shadow Lake, so named by John Muir
as he explored the headwaters of the Merced River. By 1901 the lake
was mapped by the USGS with its present name. Merced Lake High Camp was
originally the site of a patrol outpost for the US Calvary built in 1905
but then became one of the first three hikers’ camps built by Desmond
Park Service Company in 1916. The terrain allowed for a large camp with
two rock and canvas buildings for the kitchen, dining and lounge and
two rows of guest tents. Row boats were packed in by mule for guest
use. The camp remained open for two summers, but was closed in 1918 due
to the Desmond Company’s financial difficulties. The camp reopened in
1922 as a boy’s camp complete with tennis, baseball and basketball
courts. Activities still enjoyed by today’s guests such as fishing,
swimming, hiking & horseback riding were also offered daily. The
Curry Company expanded Merced Lake High Camp to its present size in
1928. The tennis, baseball and basketball areas returned to forest
floor, and the camp opened to hikers and saddle trips of all ages. The
original barn and ice house for the camp are still in use; however the
kitchen was remodeled to its modern configuration due to a fire in the
early 1980’s. Boats were discontinued in the 1990’s by request of the
National Park Service in order to keep the scenery around Merced Lake as
wild as possible.
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| Campers' laundry. I couldn't believe how much trail dust my socks could hold! |
We had some time to relax and do laundry before dinner, then early to bed. This was a tough day, even though it was mostly downhill. The next day was entirely up to Vogelsang and would be our biggest challenge. Fortunately we were well acclimated and conditioned and had our trekking routine and pacing down pat.
Happy Trails to You!
