DrÄgÖnFlŸ: August 2009

serendipity: n. good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.

Serendipity happens.

Mono Pass is by far one of the "easiest" and scenic hiking trails in Yosemite National Park.

Friday, August 21, 2009
Our intentions were to camp at Porcupine Flats, a "walk-in" campground, and hike the North Dome trail on Saturday. When we arrived at the campsite, all sites were occupied or reserved. Just didn't get there early enough. Missed it by that much.

Abandoning our hopes, we proceeded to head east. My wife wanted to double back to check on White Wolf and even the dreaded Tamarack. The idea of doubling back would have been futile to say the least.

We knew Tuolumne Meadows campground would be full to capacity, but it was tempting to see if they had a spot available. Then again, nah. We are burning daylight.

We proceeded to venture outside the park to check on other campsites.

Full. Full. Full.

Running out of options very quickly.

We took a gamble and drove down the Tioga Grade towards Lee Vining. We knew of at least three campsites in the valley. Couldn't hurt.

If we didn't find a place to camp, we would try to find a hotel room for the night. Even getting a room on a Friday night was a long shot. If we couldn't get a room, we would rest up in the truck and head back into the park to see if any spots had opened up for Saturday.

After getting down into the canyon, we took the first right off Tioga Pass road onto Poole Powerplant Road.

We are trying to keep the positive vibes flowing.

We came upon Aspen Grove and drove in.

Nothing so far. We kept driving around. My wife spots a place on the right and I on the left. She spots Site 31, I spot a site directly across from 31. Hers has the stream, mine had the trees.

We stop to ask our potential neighbors if anyone had been there recently to claim it. Their answer was no.

Bingo! We are so here!

Earlier in the evening, we had stopped in Oakhurst to pick up our pizza at the Pizza Factory to take with us. By the time we had finished driving and setting up camp, the extra large half-pepperoni and half-vegetarian pizza was cold. Wouldn't be the first time we ate cold pizza. Eating pizza by a warm fire with the glow of the flurorescent lantern. How romantic!

Saturday, August 22, 2009
The next day, the weather was nice and brisk! Our breakfast consisted of miso soup and couscous and hot green tea. The pizza last night was a little too much. My wife made a bagel with peanut butter and jelly to take with us on our hike.

We got to the Mono Pass trailhead. My worse fear was trying to find a spot to park at this time in the morning. Boy, was I wrong. Ample parking. At least 1 spot left next to the handicap spot.

We got out, donned our gear, and started our hike at 9:30 a.m. Very few hikers were encountered on the trail as we made our way to the pass.

We were in awe of this place. Trees, meadows, a log cabin here and there, flowing water, fresh air. Nice!

We reach the pass at around 11:15 to take in the sights. We stopped to look at some of the log cabins left by settlers in search of silver in the high country.

We found an abundance of wild onion on the shores of Sardine Lake. We dug some up to cook with our chili and brown rice for our evening dinner. The onions were hot eaten raw, but once boiled and cooked with the brown rice they added to the flavor and texture of the entire dish.

The start...

The stream...

The stumps...

The stead...

My beautiful wife. Just beyond this point I just happened to be looking down on the ground when I spotted this huge piece of black obsidian. Given the nature of the creation of this igneous rock, I cannot comprehend how it got here considering the rocks here are metamorphic. A huge prehistoric volcanic blast? Maybe.

I did not have my altimeter, but I was wondering why I was feelling light-headed. This sign explains why.

Benchmark.

Oh, it gets better from here...

The pioneer cabins.

If you plan to go to Yosemite before the end of September, the best views are not in Yosemite Valley, which is sometimes obscured by smoke or haze, but at the higher elevations towards the north and east of the park.

I do not know the name of that peak behind me, but my estimate is that it is at least over 13,000 feet.

Benchmark

One of many silver diggings.

What is on the other side?

Mono Lake

Overlooking Mono Lake in the background down into Blood Canyon.

Sardine Lake

Harvesting the wild onions. They were hard to pull up by hand and kept breaking off at the base leaving the bulb and roots behind. We had to use our knives to dig up the roots.

To the cabins.

To think that a family lived here.

Fireplace?

Desolation.

Old mine shaft.

Another abandoned mine.

A whole lot of digging.

Flora.

Edible.

Tadpoles in the water.

Green frog. Not edible.

3.7 more miles to go.

The map.

The Ghost Mines.

Lee Vining Canyon. Down there...home for a couple of days.

Waterfall near Poole Powerplant.

A little slice of heaven nestled in the canyon. We would like to come here when the leaves change during the fall.

Basecamp

For the last time, put that camera away or else!

Wild onions.

Relaxing.

Wild onions.

More of Basecamp.

A light rain fell throughout the night Saturday night and well into Sunday morning. So much for a hot cup of tea. We broke camp and headed up ighway 120 to Tioga Pass Resort to get a hot cup of coffee and a scone to go. Then it was off to the park entrance and, after a brief stop at Tuolumne Grill for another cup of coffee, it was off to home. What a drive. The rain, the clouds. Fresh air. No bear or deer sightings. Not too many "tourons" (tourist morons) on the roads as well.

The storm was "freakish" in nature. No one ever recalled it being so cool and rainy in the month of August where temperatures soar into the high 90s and low 100s during the dog days.