John Muir Trail 2012 Day 2 7-15-12
We started our day at 8am with temps in the low 40's, another splendid night under the stars. We had leftover soup for breakfast then packed up our camp and drove up the nasty dirt road for the last time on this trip. We made a quick trip out to the permit office to grab our wilderness permit for tomorrow, but found a huge line. Extra permits are released each morning at 11am, avoid the office at this time if you have a reservation. Not wanting to wait, we headed over to the Tuolumne Meadows store to poke around in the backpackers bin. This bin provides a spot to leave any extra gear or supplies you have to the benefit of other hikers that may need your extra stuff.
Our destination today was the top of Gaylor Peak. We arrived at the Gaylor Lake trailhead near the Tioga Pass ranger station station and started our hike. The trail starts out steep but well graded on a popular trail, and reaches a high saddle above Gaylor Lake. At this point we headed east on a use trail towards the obvious summit. The clouds promised a good day for photography, and the cool breeze felt wonderful.
We finished the climb to the summit over some loose shale and scree and then along a long ridge. The views are fantastic for the ammount of work you have to put in. Tioga Pass and Mount Dana loom large to the south, Gaylor Lake and the Yosemite High Country to the north and west.
We took our time on the way down, enjoying the weather and views. Wild flowers dotted the trail and butterflies rode on the breeze, a brilliant day in the high country. Getting back to the car, we made it back to the permit station and walked right in with no line. Stopping by the store for some beer, we made our way to the Tuolumne Meadows Backpackers Camp.
The Tuolumne Meadows Backpackers Camp is designed for people without a vehicle that are just passing through or about to start a wilderness trip. It is $5 per person to stay and is very casual, just plop your tent down wherever you find a spot. If you are early enough you can grab a spot with a fire ring and a table. We did laundry, had some wine and an awesome dinner, then a fire. A perfect end to the day!
The total for our hike was:
6 miles
6 miles
Peaks Climbed On This Day:
Gaylor Peak 11,004'
Gaylor Peak 11,004'