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  1. #1
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    Yosemite Backpacking trip

    I am planning to take a backpacking trip to Yosemite in September. The question has come up regarding whether we can do the following day in the middle of our trip or whether it would be too strenuous. We were planning to start the day at Sunrise Camp and then hike to Little Yosemite Valley while hitting Clouds Rest on the way. Has anyone here done that route before and if so can you offer any guidance? We are all in pretty decent shape, but there are some concerns in the group about if we are biting off more than we can chew.

  2. #2
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    The real concern will be the weather and the elevation. If the weather turns, going to Clouds Rest is a bad idea - lightning strikes the tops of these granite high points every month of the year, and just last month there were hundreds of lightning fires up and down the Sierra.

    Whether or not you can do the route depends on a number of factors. Has the group hiked above 6,000 feet before, and if so, has anyone had symptoms of elevation sickness? Do you all hike a lot? Do you hike at elevation with heavy packs regularly? If not, you may find that hike a challenge.

    The trails are well maintained and none of them are steep. Walking up Clouds Rest can be a frightening experience for those not accustomed to exposure - steep drop offs on either side of a span that narrows to about 50 feet.

    The other, larger concern is food storage - don't underestimate the Yosemite black bear. Don't leave anything that goes on your skin or in your mouth, or any trash, unattended in this area. Don't turn your back and walk away from food left out. The area is heavily used, and the bear population here is very actively seeking hiker's food - they won't hurt people but they will do pretty much everything to get food, including stealing a pack left unattended for a few minutes while you go to pee. You MUST use canisters from Yosemite's approved list of containers. Hanging food or using Ursacks is a really bad idea - these bears have been teaching their cubs how to defeat such things for decades. Thus, there is a truly hefty fee for not using a canister in Yosemite. And the rangers hike the trails in this region daily - many, many tourists and hikers day hiking and backpacking here until fall.

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the response. Weather would change our mind quickly as we would definitely want to play that safe and we don't push weather. No one in our group has experienced altitude sickness before and we are all relatively young and in shape (late 20's early 30's). My wife and I have been to Yosemite numerous times as we used to live in Southern California (just recently moved to the midwest) and have hiked half dome, but haven't done this particular hike route. We did half dome as a day trip so we didn't have 30-40 lbs of stuff strapped to us which can make a world of difference.

    We were planning on renting bear canisters in Yosemite so we have that taken care of as well.

    We were planning to tent camp during the trip, but I'm trying to convince my wife we might want to Hammock Camp (more comfortable, lighter etc.) - she's a little uncomfortable as we haven't done it before and it would be trying something new out for a multi day trip.

    Itinerary is as follows:

    Day 1 - Tuolomne Meads to Cathedral Lakes - Camp at Cathedral.
    Day 2 - Cathedral Lakes to Sunrise Camp - Camp at Sunrise
    Day 3 - Sunrise to Lower Yosemite Valley via Clouds rest - Camp at Lower Yosemite Valley
    Day 4 - Day trip to Half Dome - Camp at Lower Yosemite Valley Again
    Day 5 - Hike down to the Valley stay at Yosemite Lodge - shower and drink beer

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