The 3rd 13neer

It was off to the races with Jim last Friday, after weeks of talking about it and planning it over beers. The goal was to find our way up the last of the three 13,000 ft peaks within the boundaries of Yosemite; we had both already been to Mt. Lyell and Mt. Dana, and now was the day for Kuna Peak. To get there you have to hike out of the park over Parker Pass, then work your way up Koip Peak Pass (the second postcard) which tops out at 12,250 ft!. After catching your breath, you then summit Koip Peak (the first postcard) 20 ft. shy of 13,000, then descend and follow the ridge over to the top of Kuna. What's interesting is that you are not in the park boundaries until your at 13,002 ft., marking the summit of Kuna and the park entrance again. Between the two peaks is wreckage scattered about from a military plane crash in the 40s or 50s, which you can see in the third postcard. A little spooky, and when you add the sonic booms that were occupying the airspace around us going up Koip Peak Pass from bombs being detonated across the desert in Nevada (we could see the smoke rising), it made the day a little more weird at times. Still, a beautiful day in the Sierras, which is all Jim and I were looking for. Enjoy everyone.

Clouds Rest

So, since I had the day off and the next day off is the dentist, I figured it was a good day to eat nothing but sugar GU's and sugar Cliff Blocks and head up from the Valley to Clouds Rest. I've come up from Tenaya Lake before, but never the 10 mile, 6000 foot elevation push sidewalk. The views are more superb than any from Half Dome, though the trail is never ending uphill. Here's a postcard in both color and B+W, with very little adjustments made. 20.4 miles in 6 hours and 4 minutes, but that's another story....Enjoy. Maybe another view tomorrow.

Red Peak Vistas

Here's some snapshots from the summit of Red Peak for those not ever going to make it there (including me, probably, ever again). In the top postcard you can see the south face of Half Dome in the center and the smoke from the Signal Fire out near Hetch Hetchy I believe. In the bottom postcard you can see all the Tuolomnee peaks rising all throughout. Enjoy.

Rojo Peak Pass

For those about to hike, we salute you. And for those returning to their cars after a long hike, hallelujah. What began as a crazy idea on our last hike, materialized on Wednesday: let's go out to Red Peak Pass 18 miles away, then summit the peak and come down the other side, then hike back. 36 miles, all in fourteen hours, leaving from Mono Meadow near Glacier Point. This time Rojo and I recruited our ultra-runner bartender, Kelly, to slow down and walk with us, and provide the transportation. The logistics are simple: leave the valley at 5:30am and start walking at 6:30am from the trail head. Never stop walking until you return to the car at 8:30pm, with headlamps on. Then drive down to the Curry Bar where beer and pizza is waiting. Then take a shower to get the dirtiest feet ever clean. Then fall asleep. Simple. Then over beers the next day begin dreaming of new hike from the north border of the park to the south border of the park.....

The Real Valley Loop...

...or the Rim to Rim Link-Up....or the Let's Do All the Valley Trails People Spend a Lifetime On in One Day trail...or the Labor of Love, as Rojo called it. What began as an idea a few years ago at work, finally came to fruition yesterday (when these snapshots were snapped). The goal was to go up and across the north rim, then cross the road and go up and across the south rim. After several talks we envisioned the best path: Leave a bike at the Mirror Lake bus stop; hike up to Mirror Lake then continue up the Snow Creek Trail; come down the Yosemite Falls trail and then cross the road and walk over Swinging Bridge to the 4 Mile Trail; go up the 4 Mile Trail to Glacier Point, then walk down the Panama Trail past Nevada and Vernal Falls; from Happy Isles walk back along the road to the bike parked at the Mirror Lake bus stop. A fully overcast day awaited us (but no rain) yesterday and by the evening it was a memory and a great story. I highly recommend it to everyone, with some practice first. The top postcard is one of the views from the north rim after passing over Indian Creek on our way to Yosemite Point: Half Dome rising with the Clark Range behind it- Mt. Clark, Grey Peak, and Red Peak with a touch of faded coloring. The second postcard is from the streets of the end of the 4 Mile Trail when it has leveled out and is turning a slight corner on its approach to Glacier Point- the whiteness is literally the low clouds we were in at that point of the trail and weather pattern. The final postcard is just a great view of the north rim and half of the terrain we covered from the Falls over rightward towards Indian Canyon and beyond- also a good view of some of the elevation gain involved. Enjoy anyone and everyone.