I went out for a solo backpacking trip in Yosemite. It’s been quite a while since I went backpacking, so I originally started with the wise idea of taking an easy trip. It didn’t turn out that way. As I started studying the maps, one thing led to another, and I ended up doing a big loop from Tioga Road. I hiked from the Lukens Lake trailhead up to the Ten Lakes basin, over to Glen Aulin and down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and finally up and out to the trailead. It was a great route, including a high pass over 9800’ and a river canyon descending down to 4400’. I visited the beautiful Ten Lakes basin, which my Dad visited as a Boy Scout over 70 years ago. I walked through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, which I’ve wanted to see for years. The weather ranged from below freezing to 90 degrees, and there was fabulous scenery at every turn.
And there was a lot of walking. The loop measured 50 miles on the map, but worked out to 65 miles and 11,000 feet of elevation gain and loss by my wrist GPS (Garmin Fenix). My phone GPS (Gaia GPS) showed 53 miles and 10,000 feet. With a fairly light pack (27 lb at the start, with food for 5 nights in a bear canister), the walking was enjoyable. Unfortunately, I got horrific blood blisters on both big toes, which diminished the pleasure somewhat. All in all, though, a great trip!
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