Yosemite Valley to Tenaya Lake via Snow Creek trail

Yosemite

12/7/02 - 12/8/02

[Images] [Panoramas]

Route map An overnighter at Tenaya Lake, which despite its short distance ended up being the toughest hike I've ever done. I'd originally intended to head up to at least Mildred Lake on Saturday, bag Tenaya Peak either that afternoon or Sunday morning, and return via Clouds Rest--possibly with a detour to visit Tuolumne Meadows if there was time.

As it turned out, I discovered on the trip that the sore throat I'd experienced on Friday was actually an indication of the flu, not just a normal cold as I'd hoped. After only managing to reach Tenaya Lake by Saturday evening, I could barely summon the energy to stand the next morning, and had to abort my plans, returning instead the way I'd arrived (the Snow Creek trail). It took a good ten hours to walk just fourteen or fifteen (mostly downhill) miles back to my car!



Images

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12/7/2002
North Dome and Washington Column from the valley floor. Clouds Rest and the Pinnacles from the Snow Creek trail. Snow Creek, from the trail junction after the switchbacks finally abate. Looking north up Snow Creek.
An icy stream crossing. Clouds Rest. Clouds Rest. Tenaya Canyon, with the Pywiack Cascade barely visible (the dramatic drop in the canyon, about a third of the way from the left of the picture). From this vantage point, Tenaya Canyon looks harder than the class 3-4 scramble described by Secor; the only possible descent route I could imagine would be to scramble up (west) before reaching the cascade and to work one's way back down into the gorge proper via the easier forested terrain and granite slopes to the west.
Tenaya Peak. Clouds Rest from Olmsted Point.

12/8/2002
Tenaya Peak over Tenaya Lake on Sunday morning. Polly Dome over Tenaya Lake. Mount Hoffman visible in the background of Tenaya Lake. Clouds Rest.

Panoramas

Tenaya Lake in December.



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