Stats

Start: Tent site before Donahue Pass – Mile 926.5
End: Cathedral Lakes (off trail) – Mile 942.5
Elevation Max: 10,944
Elevation Min: 8,551
Elevation Change: 3,085 up & 3,418 down
Average Heart Rate: 118
Walking Time: 7 hrs 51 minutes
Date: 6/6/2022

The Walk

I woke up and pulled my sleeping bag over my head. The sun was up early today and warmer than anytime yesterday. What a great sign for the day. I checked the weather and it said high of mid 60s!

I took a really easy morning and had breakfast. Enjoying the sun rays. At least four groups of hikers walked by while I was laying down or eating breakfast. Finally at 9:00 quest and I were packed up and ready to go.

We had the last major pass today. 3 miles away from Donahoe Pass. It isn’t the talkest or very steep, but it’s known for holding lots of snow and postholing. It was close to freezing last night. So I was happy to wait and give any icy rocks time to thaw.

We headed out and started the gradual climb up Donahoe Pass. It was around 1.5k feet over the three miles. Not bad at all. I was surprised to see no snow the first two miles. There was quite a bit of running water and the trail was often filled with water.

So I got practice jumping from rock to rock, trying my best to keep my feet dry. I did pretty good. The last mile was snowy and we followed footsteps when possible. A few times I used a map and the compass on my watch to orient and see which direction to go. The tall mountains help make that easy.

We were at the top in an hour and enjoyed the views of the last major pass. Crazy! The valley below was the most dense forest we’ve seen. I headed down the pass skidding along the snow.

Soon the trail was covered in water again. We had a 6.5 mile descent then a 6.5 mile flat walk.

The descent was filled with small water crossings. And the mosquitos picked up. They didn’t bother me much while walking, only when I’d stop to take a break. So that meant not many breaks.

The flat section was a welcome change. We hadn’t had a flat section that long for hundreds of miles. So we cruised and I threw in some music.

On the day we must have done 100 water crossings. Most of them were pretty small, one or two hops over. It was fun but exhausting. My feet were sore at the end of the day from all the rock hopping.

The walk was nice and we made it to the Tulomne ranger station 15 minutes before 5. Just in time to get our permits for Yosemite.

The rangers were nice and gave us a tip on an epic camping spot at Cathedral Lakes. We had to hurry because it was a mile road walk then 4.5 miles of trail. We headed out and soon realized it was also 1.5k feet of climbing.

We made it to the upper Cathedral lake and considered stopping. A ridge was another 100 feet up and I was hungry. But screw it. I might only be here once, and the ranger said the spot was great. Up we went. And I didn’t regret it.

Dinner and a sunset were divine. I had Annie’s rice and cheese from the Grocery outlet with some couscous and a few chunks of cheese cheese. Quite a combo.

I watched the sunset then got into my sleeping bag and waited for the stars to come. The sun doesn’t fully set until 9:30. The moon is almost half full, so the nights are getting brighter.