Lukens Lake Yosemite National Park |
September 29, 2016
I pull into the Tioga Pass entrance station at 8:30 a.m., still
uncertain as to whether I will attempt to conquer Mount Dana today.
There are clouds in the sky, and the ranger says that it might rain this
afternoon, and rainstorms are a big deal on Mount Dana. Because I
still feel somewhat out of sorts, that is all the impetus I need to wimp
out and postpone that adventure yet again.
Plan-B is two or three short walks to new places. This is the first.
An unusual admonishment at the trailhead
I have not bothered either to bring a walking stick or even to put on my boots. No particular challenge is anticipated.
The far side of the lake looks passable, so I will go over there
A serendipitous find:
On the walk back I pick up the usual fragments of litter, then run across a sandwich bag smack dab in the middle of the trail. How could that be? I surely would have noticed it earlier. Finally it dawns on me that I must have dropped it myself. Surely enough, a pocket in my pack has not been zipped shut. Horrors! I hope not to do that again.
§: This trail was about what I expected, albeit perhaps a bit milder.
It is suitable for all types of people and all types of footwear.
Another half-mile walk would have accessed the Middle Fork of the Tuolumne River, which I would have done earlier in the season when the water levels were higher.
Scenery | |
Difficulty | |
Solitude |
July 2021: Most of the trail has burned, up to the south side of the lake.
By looping around the top of the lake, one can traverse some undamaged turf. |