Young Lakes
How Long: 16.4 miles
Found In: Yosemite National Park, California
Which Is: 4.5 hours east of San Francisco
Reader Story: This was my first hike out west and it left a lasting impression on me. I set out from Tuolumne Meadows with four friends early in the morning. It was a lovely June weekday, so there weren’t all that many people on the trail, and nobody after passing the cutoff to Lembert Dome. We stopped and ate lunch on a giant granite boulder while watching the sun glint off the white peaks of the Sierra to the southwest. The noble Cathedral Peak stood guard over its shorter cousins, Cockscomb and Unicorn Peak, to the east.
After lunch, we set off for the summit of Ragged Peak. Small, gnarled conifers, stunted by the harshness of the conditions — hot sun during the summer, strong winds, and icy cold during the winter — dotted the slope. We reached the summit, climbed around one of the spires and chimneyed up to the apex, no more than a square meter in size. Below us, the Sierra lay in all its resplendent beauty. To the northeast, we could see the three tiered Young Lakes, their deep blue reflecting the brilliant, cloudless cyan sky, contrasting the pale white of the granite peaks behind them. We carefully made our way down from the peak and then to the col, which led to the lakes themselves. Loose talus and scree gave way beneath our feet so we plunge-stepped our way down the slope, shouting with exuberance. We made our way down to the lakes.
Tired after our hike, we decided to take a dip. This was short lived, as the glacial-fed lakes still had snow around them, but the dive in invigorated us like nothing else. Every cell in our bodies seemed to be, for that one moment, completely alive. A few nips of whiskey and we were ready to head back. We filled our water bottles from the glacial melt. The water was cold, crisp, and clean. I have never had water more delicious. Our route back followed a different section of trail to the meadows. This one passed through Lodgepole pine stands, sentinels of the forest, as we rapidly descended. Finally, we reached our car in the late evening just as the sun began to set, the alpenglow alighting the mountains in pastels of orange and pink.
– Tomasz Falkowski
Learn More: Here (Yosemite National Park)
John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail
How Long: Various, readers did 55 and 34 miles respectively
Found In: Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, California
Which Is: 2 hours northeast of Fresno, CA
Reader Stories: Better late than never. I’m writing this quick while I’m at work. I got back last week from hiking in the Ansel Adams Wilderness with a friend of mine. We spent four days and 55 miles hiking the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. We came across a bear standing on its hind legs staring at us at night on the trail (didn’t take pictures of that, sorry); our gear broke left and right (including my pack, bladder, and water filter); a pack of coyotes surrounded our tent hollering; there were tons of lakes and plenty of great views. Great trip. We wish it could have been longer. I shot all these photographs on my grandfather’s Minolta SRT Super 35mm and developed them at my place when I got back. (So the color you see is the color you get, except for some scratch cleanup.)
– Toma Bowen
Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks on the John Muir Trail, going from north to south. To me, the trail that runs from Tuolumne Meadow to Red’s Meadow is one that should not be passed up by any self-respecting Gear Patrol reader.
