Lower Cathedral Lake
I joined a group of hikers in Yosemite, except because there were already 8, I had to get hold of my own Wilderness Permit to go on the hike. I drove up early on the 3rd to see if I could get a permit for the next day, since the walk-up permits are released at 11 AM on the day before now. I couldn't get one for the 4th to enter at Cathedral Lakes trailhead, but the ranger offered me one of two at Tenaya Lake. I wasn't sure I wanted that, so had to go down to the valley to find some cell signal to consult. The ranger in the valley, however, mentioned that there was actually still one left for the 3rd. Half-dome Permit? Sure. I grabbed those and drove up to the trailhead to get started. She also mentioned that I needed to get 4 miles in before camping. By the time I got up there and sorted what gear I wanted and what I would leave in the car (and get anything smelling into the trail bear boxes), it was almost 6:15 PM. Early with that long a drive had turned out to be around 2 PM to enter the park. I wasn't the only one starting that late, another group came up behind me and headed in the upper lake direction at the spur to the lower lake. I took the spur to the lower lake and found a site in the last of the light after only 3.5 miles, but it turns out the ranger had been rounding up.
The next day, I packed up and headed down to check out the lake.
The group was mostly coming up on the hiker bus from the valley and one had to go over to pick up the physical permit before they set out. They were likely to pass the junction above between noon and 2 PM, but I wasn't sure if they would come down this spur. After a while, I headed up to the junction intending to go to a high point where there were some nice views for more painting. I got lazy as soon as the trail turned upward and settled down to read instead. Pack trains headed for the High Sierra Camp and many hikers passed before finally the part of my group that I had met came along. They were going for the lower lake after all, and in the light we were able to select much nicer spots near it. For the rest of the day, we explored around the lake and failed to pull any fish out of it. I walked around it, then returned to the outflow to sketch some more.
Then we cooked up dinner and had a sleep shortened a bit by the great streetlamp in the sky, which was just coming off being full and is awful bright.
The next day, I packed up and headed down to check out the lake.
The group was mostly coming up on the hiker bus from the valley and one had to go over to pick up the physical permit before they set out. They were likely to pass the junction above between noon and 2 PM, but I wasn't sure if they would come down this spur. After a while, I headed up to the junction intending to go to a high point where there were some nice views for more painting. I got lazy as soon as the trail turned upward and settled down to read instead. Pack trains headed for the High Sierra Camp and many hikers passed before finally the part of my group that I had met came along. They were going for the lower lake after all, and in the light we were able to select much nicer spots near it. For the rest of the day, we explored around the lake and failed to pull any fish out of it. I walked around it, then returned to the outflow to sketch some more.
Then we cooked up dinner and had a sleep shortened a bit by the great streetlamp in the sky, which was just coming off being full and is awful bright.