[pct-l] Question about Yosemite side trip

[Gary Wright]

On Mar 26, 2013, at 10:55 PM, Frank Dumville <fdumville at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> I haven't been there, but I have heard many suggest that nearby Cloud's Rest is as good or better than Half Dome and not so crowded. You could probably do that as a day hike for which you would not need a permit. 

While possible from other trail heads, I wouldn't recommend trying Cloud's Rest as a day hike if you are starting from the PCT near Tuolumne.

A thru-hiker certainly *could* hike a route such as Tuolumne -> Cloud's Rest -> Yosemite Valley, but it would be a long day and there are so many spectacular views along the route that I think even the most milage oriented thru-hiker would feel that they were rushing just to get to a campsite in the valley before dark.

FYI, if you get a backcountry permit in Tuolumne for your hike down to the valley it also includes a stay in the backpacker campsite in the Valley on the day of your arrival so you don't need to scramble for a place to sleep when you reach the metropolis of Yosemite Valley.

I've visited Yosemite Valley on two different occasions from the PCT.  Once I hitched down and back and the second time I hiked down via Cloud's Rest and Half Dome.   On both occasions I found the actual Valley experience a bit of a cultural shock.  After hiking through the High Sierra, the car camping crowds of the Valley were a bit jarring.  Set your expectations accordingly.

If I did this again, I might consider some alternate routes to hike back out of the Valley (e.g. Yosemite Falls) to re-join the PCT farther north rather than heading back to Tuolumne.

Radar