Vogelsang
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Our second trip of the summer of 1999 simply had to go better. I had recently passed my Ph.D. proposal, and the weather and mosquitoes were better than our trip to Ragged Peak. We got a late start up the Rafferty Creek trail toward the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp. The climb is fairly mild; 1000 feet or so right off the bat, with much of the remainder being a steady climb up a dusty, well-used trail through the high meadows of Rafferty Creek. The views here were pleasant, if not spectacular.
The winter of 1999 was mild in terms of total snowfall, so the streams and meadows were already dry, meaning fewer mosquitoes. We reached Vogelsang Lake (10,000'+) in the early afternoon and soon set up our campsite on the southwest ridge of Vogelsang Peak (11,000'+). I had no idea how beautiful Vogelsang Lake would be until I crested the lip and saw it for myself. The small glacial cirque is walled in to the north and south by Fletcher Peak (almost 11,000') and Vogelsang Peak, respectively. To the east is Vogelsang Pass. The views to the west are absolutely stunning. We could take in a good part of Tuolumne Meadows by looking down Rafferty Creek valley, which we came up on. The views to the south were also impressive, looking down the valley of Fletcher Creek.
We both photographed the sunset, and as usual, our photography didn't fully convey the blissful hour or two of calm, quiet air and abounding alpenglow. We wanted to take in the Perseid Meteor Shower, and lugged all the photographic equipment to make some cool time exposures. Unfortunately we failed to capture a single meteor on film, although we saw a huge fireball which was out of the camera's scope.
After a good night's sleep, we packed up and made the quick hike to Vogelsang Pass. The views of what we'd already seen were great, but the views to the south and east were stunning. A large hanging valley terminates near Parsons Peak and the rugged peaks of the Sierra Crest. Great views of the Clark Range, with the attendant bright red rocks (Red Peak is one of Clark's companions), can be found to the south. Energized after taking in some great scenery, we made quick tracks back to the car, cooling our feet in Tenaya Lake before the long drive home.
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Department of Geophysics Stanford University |
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