Tricia and I did the Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows hike on Saturday and Sunday (helped as always by Vicki, to whom - if I mind my manners for a few more days - I will have been married to for 21 years come Thursday!). We had great weather; even the Rim Fire smoke was totally gone until the wind shifted on Sunday, half an hour after we got to The Meadows (and things then got pretty smokey).
We did the 27.8 mile trip in two days since it is too soon in the school year to take Tricia out for a day. It worked out well, Saturday we did over 16 miles and then had an easy, even cruiser Sunday during which we hiked just under 11 miles by 12:15 in the afternoon.
After spending Friday night in Mammoth, we got over Minaret Summit before the shuttle bus becomes mandatory and then had breakfast at Reds Meadow. After eating we drove back to Agnew Meadow where it was still cold enough that Tricia got ready in the car and so Vicki "stole" her too-small down jacket to stay warm:
I on the other hand wore my brand new jacket (the result of an "oh-shit" moment driving down the night before and remembering that I had forgotten to pack that item - thanks if you read this Erin of Mammoth Mountaineering for helping us on an emergency basis after normal hours!!):
Unlike the John Muir Trail, the PCT takes the "High Trail" to Thousand Island Lake. This trail has some of the most magnificent views in the Sierra, to the west, looking at Banner Peak, Mount Ritter and the Minarets (right to left in the following photo):
Tricia and I really flew up this trail. We made the 7.8 miles to Thousand Island by just after noon. We ate lunch there and then posed for photos:
Here's a view looking back toward Mammoth at the High Trail, San Joaquin Mountain and Two Teats:
With the day's milage half done, we looked forward to crossing Donahue Pass and entering Yosemite:
By the time we neared this pass we had hiked nearly 15 miles for the day and were feeling a little tired:
But we made it, rested for a while and then continued:
Just over Donahue appears one of the most sublime views in the Sierra, the wonderful Lyle Canyon of the Tuolumne River (our next day's hike):
We made our way another two miles then to a small, unnamed lake beyond the pass, but still above the main part of Lyle Canyon:
Once there we relaxed as the last sun of the day faded onto the surrounding peaks:
I got Tricia to laugh at how her long underwear matched the color of our water bottle:
Then we made a tent-less, stove-less, but very comfortable and pretty bivy (these were the lightest packs either of us had carried for quite some time). There really is something life-affirming about hanging out at 10,000 feet, in warm sleeping bags with your 11 year old, watching the Milky Way slowly appear in the night sky:
