The BLT Guidebook

If you are looking for a more detailed account of where we stopped, check out this post: “Tuolumne Meadows: Lyell Canyon and Vogelsang Loop.”

July 2020

It was 7 AM when we headed out toward the East Yosemite entrance- Tioga Pass. The winding road took us down into the basin of Mono Lake- the sky fading with the staple of Eastern Sierra colors. The lake was dry, drier than usual. I thought back to when I was younger, about 10 years ago now, and the salt formations were over my head and you could see them from great distances. With time, the landscape changed. There were less salt formations and less water, but the history was still there.

We stopped off at a gas station on the corner of Highway 395 and Tioga Pass. We walked into the store that was filled with Yosemite merchandise and camping equipment. On the other side of the store was a window where you can order breakfast burritos, good coffee, and take in the view of the basin from above.

Naturally, we arrived at Yosemite early even though we didn’t have to. With the current pandemic, we had a reservation. The rangers were positive and upbeat as they waived us in and we took in the winding pass, blue lakes, and the tree line that stretched out for miles. The nerves of the hike were building for me. I think about backpacking daily, but we hadn’t gone out in almost two years. Our other trips took priority. What was I afraid of? Wind, bears, sunburns, mosquitos, people, sleeping at night.

Out of the car, we walked along the trailhead for over a mile. We came to a crossing with the Lyell Creek running beneath our feet as we stood on the bridge. We were in the meadow-a spot we talked about for 6 years now. We took in all of the vegetation, creeks, trees, the way the sunlight hit the grass.

Up at the High Sierra Camp, the tents were taken down and the facilities were closed due to COVID. It never occurred to me that there would actually be backcountry campgrounds with facilities until then. Do all backpacking camps have this? On top of the ridge, the mosquitos were in full swing- trailing us like a snack. We got there in the early afternoon, so we decided to stay for one night. It was windy and desolate with a few people swimming in the icy water.

The wind was fierce. We crawled into our tent before the sunlight disappeared-hiding from the wind and incessant mosquitos. In the middle of the night, the darkness and sounds that go bump in the night were looming in. I opened the tent flap to find a well-lit, desolate meadow. My imagination was taking over. The moonlight casted itself over the grass to show every twig and shadow of a tree for a half mile. You could have been walking around in the daylight.

The morning brought no less wind, but we were adjusted to the altitude and kept moving in good spirits. Off trail, he found a lake that was known to have Golden Trout. We had the place to ourselves. In fact, we felt like we were alone in Yosemite- no person was seen for the majority of the day. Early afternoon we set off to find our next camping spots, crossing over into an Eastern Sierra Valley. We moved through the afternoon, only stopping for water breaks and fishing.

After we descended, we came to the next trail crossing. John Muir Trail. Just the name of it evoked excitement. We gazed around at the lush green grass, trees. The wind and mosquitos had been left on top of the ridge and we were ready to enjoy the creek running alongside the trail. Not even a half mile later and we stopped to set up our tent. There were a few more people scattered about- camping, walking. We still only saw a total of 5 or 6 during the whole day.

The day faded into the evening, one day ahead of our backpacking schedule. I gazed around, taking it all in. After dinner, we gazed up-the blue sky was turning it’s famous Eastern Sierra pink. Fly rod in hand, we took turns gazing into the water to see if we could see any trout. The real exercise in patience.

The last day was a beautiful hike out through the meadow, crossing only day hikers at the end. We stopped one last time to put the rod into the water. From the fork on the first day, you could see each mountain in the distance. Day hikers were stopping for lunch with their kids and putting their feet into the water. I thought about our lucky we were-mid-year in Yosemite with almost no one around. Every person on the water’s edge came here to visit one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We had so much in common with people we didn’t even meet.