Yosemite National Park
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Lembert Dome to Glen Aulin Yosemite National Park |
DAY #1 - July 14, 2026
Mary won the High Sierra Camp lottery in 2025, but the camps then failed to open for the sixth consecutive year; so she got first choice this year for such things as changing an itinerary. Having stayed at Glen Aulin previously (Hike #??), I helped Mary to change the original route choices to something less demanding and potentially more scenic.
Just one problem presents itself — the planned route necessitates a nine-mile shuttle from the terminal parking lot to the trailhead, and the Tuolumne Meadows shuttle system has been inoperative for several seasons; moreover, online park information begets conflicting reports as to whether the shuttle finally is runnning again.
I am prepared to drop off the gang, drive back to the parking area, the hitchhike back as best I can; but we are most relieved upon learning that the shuttle is indeed operative. In fact, it shows up within ten minutes of our arrival, so we are off to a good start!
Dave, Mary, and Eileen at the trailhead shuttle stop
The trail begins across the highway at the base of Lembert Dome, which Eileen, Mary and I climbed just last year.
Getting started
Fairview Dome
The exquisite Cathedral Range, from Cockscomb to Cathedral Peak
"Glen Aulin", a Gaelic term for "beautiful valley", is correctly pronounced as "glee-anne oh-lain"; but trying that around here would beget only confused stares.
That guy probably just delivered our next two meals
The Tuolumne River appears for the first time
Arrowleaf Groundsel
Small-flowered Penstemon
Alpine Aster
This hiker recently met Mary's son, who is currently hiking the entire PCT
It rained a lot yesterday
I have been over on that rock a couple of times
Garter Snake
Dozens of cobblestone stairways await us
Crossing the Tuolumne
We actually could have saved one or even two miles of walking to this point, and I have done so in the past more than once; but the going would have been somewhat more difficult, and today's outing will not be that lengthy anyway.
It's a steep downhill from here
Crystal-clear snowmelt
Mary's cave
Leichtlin's Mariposa Lily
This Mormon Fritillary is a new variety for me
Oops! My camera battery has died, and sooner than was expected; it must not have been fully charged after all. I hope that two backup batteries are enough to last me.
Tuolumne Falls
Proof that Mary was here
Wavyleaf Indian Paintbrush
Where we were
Glen Aulin Camp is right at the bottom of the long series of cascades. It begins to rain on us about five minutes before we arrive, and while signing in for our lodging our packs must remain outside in the drizzle. That proves not to be an issue for me at least, however, because nothing important of mine gets wet.
The dinner chime rings promptly at 6:30 p.m. Today's entrée is salmon, which I have grown to accept after decades of rejection. The staff apologizes for its relative lack of coordination, this apparently being Aramark's initial foray into this end of the business; and the camp has been open for just a week. One unexpected benefit is that our upcoming sack lunches, which normally must be purchased, will be provided free of charge at this time.
Soon after dinner, many folks feel the need to rush over to the 'sunset lookout'. I take my sweet time, because it appears that sunset itself still is nearly an hour away, and there are virtually no colorable clouds in the sky anyway.
At the sunset viewpoint
§: Well, this was a good day, excepting the premature demise of my
camera battery. Another camper graciously helped us to start a fire in our
tent's potbelly stove, using wood that had just been chopped up by a camp staff
member. Later on, however, our tent filled with smoke; and shutting off the air
supply to the fire didn't really help. It turns out that someone had
propped a piece of cardboard against the side of the hot stove, and it had
slowly turned to ashes without benefit of a noticeable flame.
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