Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Yosemite National Park

August 19, 2010 — Day 2

Breakfast is at 7 o'clock, after the usual round of hot drinks.  Once I have consumed an array of oatmeal, fruit, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon, it is time to get started.  Just five minutes are needed to cross over 'Sunset Point' into a flat, verdant area designated on the topo sheet as Glen Aulin.  The camp itself was built over here originally, then relocated to a spot less popular with mosquitoes.

Just below the camp

The granite rock ahead looks like a giant sentinel of sorts, seemingly protecting the entrance to the canyon's treasures.  Because no one else seems to have named it, I will do so.

Henceforth, this is "Guardian Peak"

Within another ten minutes it has become too warm to continue wearing a sweatshirt; perhaps I should have known better than to bother with it.  Due to limited space in my daypack, I stash the thing behind a rock.

The trail alternates between a stroll among ferns and a scramble over boulders.  A couple of mosquitoes are buzzing around, but they don't bother me.

Easy going, not-so-easy going

Broadleaf Lupine
Rose Thistle

The usual suspects are scurrying about

A nice cascade comes into view, so I grab a shot of it.  It is too early in the morning, though, for good picture-taking toward the east; so I decide to postpone most photo-ops of the various falls until the return leg.

Le Conte Falls has its own waterwheels

Some hikers don't like the cobblestone-like construction of the steeper sections of this trail, yet it is necessary in places to protect the path from water erosion and to minimize maintenance costs.  The steps are not much fun to go down but are easily negotiated uphill, and they do make for a good-looking path.

Uphill, downhill

After a thousand-foot drop in elevation, Waterwheel Falls comes into view.  I cannot see much from the trail, and there is no easy route over to where the action is.  Normally, traversing granite slabs is a cakewalk; but when the rock has been polished by flowing water, it becomes deceptively slippery.  I learned that fact the hard way recently, down at Tokopah Falls.

I must get closer nonetheless.  By angling downhill through the pines, then back up atop grass clumps and flowers (sorry, little guys), I am able to get some shots of a couple of the famed waterwheels.  In the spring, the unusual effect is much more pronounced, with sprays flying up to a reputed forty feet in height; but today the views are pretty good anyway.

First look at the famous attraction
The whole place is a garden

The base of Waterwheel Falls

The 'wheels' are up to eight feet high

Downstream from the falls

Slippery walking
Bigelow's Sneezeweed beside the river

I investigate the route below the falls, but it drifts ever farther from the river.  Concluding that no better vantage point of this area is available, I start back up the trail.  In retrospect I should have continued down another mile to the next footbridge, and taken in the additional sights; there was plenty of time.

There are countless little photogenic spots

Lying above yet another no-name cascade is a big pool with a special feature:

Spiked Water Milfoil clings to the overhanging bushes

By now this outing has become a ritual pattern: climb up trail – scramble across slabs – take pictures – marvel at just being here.

A group of hikers approaches from the direction of camp.  The apparent leader stops in front of me; looking awe-stricken, he askes, "Have you ever seen anything like this in your life?"  I admit that I had not.  Then he continues, "Does another place like this even exist?"  I admit that I am unaware of one.

The reddish-brown coloration of the wet river rocks, combined with the dark green hue of the gentler pools, make this canyon special.  It is not just the awesome concentration of watery splendor, but also the colors themselves that set this area apart from many other Sierra locations.  One doesn't tend to think of 'Yosemite' and 'red rock' together, yet that's what this place is all about today.

This is why I go hiking    ⇔

It is early afternoon now.  Photographically speaking, it would be best to wait another couple of hours for best lighting; perhaps next time I will do just that.  Today, I seem compelled to move on to the next gorgeous setting, and I don't have to move very far.

A portion of the California Falls ensemble

Another stairway, another superlative view.  The next one proves to be my favorite spot of the entire trek.

More of California Falls

Getting up close is essential to a compleat hiking experience

There are no scenes like this during times of high water

Back near the big meadow, I spot a couple of unusual items that previously went unnoticed.

Remains of a very old wooden trunk
An infrared sensor triggers a nearby flash camera

Old Glen Aulin is pretty much free of mosquitoes today

A hiker friend had assured me that I would see a lot of animals on this trip, but that has not happened.  Fortunately, a couple of unsuspecting subjects do hold still long enough for me to record their presence.

Sooty Grouse

A male Boisduval's Blue

There are some unusual flowers as well.

One-seeded Pussy Paws
Aged Sierra Stonecrop

A final huge cascade appears near trail's end.  Above it is another big pool.  Just beyond that, I pick up my hidden sweatshirt that has been watched over by — you guessed it — Guardian Peak.  This completes my odyssey.

This magnificent spectacle also is deserving of a name: Cinnamon Cascade

Yes, this is the same river

Tuolumne Falls above White Cascade
Back near camp

Tonight's meal consists of potato soup and green salad, followed by roast pork, veggies, rice, and rolls.  Dessert is more chocolate cake, this time with a white sauce.  I elect to sit with a new group of people, who have new stories to tell and new experiences to share.  One couple from Florida acknowledges some difficulty in preparing for a hike in Yosemite, because the maximum elevation in their home state is just over 300 feet.

A staff member once again reminds us all to minimize our water usage.  It seems that just a little too much sewage can overflow the camp's leach pond, causing some contamination in the Tuolumne River, which flows directly into Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which just happens to be San Francisco's water supply.

There is talk of replacing the modern sanitation devices with pit toilets, or possibly even shutting down the camp altogether.  Having previously detailed my feelings regarding the Hetch Hetchy debacle (Hike #83), I'll not do it again; but it does seem likely to me that somewhere along the line, the water is being filtered and cleansed.  Where's the beef?

After dinner I don't bother to check out the sunset, because there is not a cloud in the sky.  Also, no one seems inclined to start a campfire; so it's off to bed early.  Phyllis, who had had reservations for just one night, is replaced by Michael, whose entire family is in the next tent.  He elects to read by a dim light until after I have gone to sleep.

Inside my tent

§: The Tuolumne Canyon waterfall walk is stunningly beautiful.  This three-mile stretch of cascades and emerald pools has no equal in my experience, nor in my knowledge.  At a time of higher water the falls themselves might be more spectacular; but they would not be as easy to visit, and in my opinion might not be as pretty, either.

This was the most fun I ever had on a hiking trail.