Eastern Sierra hikes - 2013

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In August 2013, a small group of us moteled it for 4 nights at June Lake, Ca., a modest resort town just off 395 & not far from either Mono Lake or the east entrance to Yosemite National Park.   

note - on a pc or laptop you can zoom in & and out, but not on a smartphone.    

	Mono Lake again		Tufa at rest stop
		south of Lee Vining on hwy. 395		dusk arrival at June Lake

Our first walk was on the Yost Creek/Fern Lake trail that started about a mile SW of June Lake, closer to Gull Lake.

	trailhead, see note				White Fir
				Lodgepole Pine
	P&V at Fern Lake at 9,000 ft.		turnaround point view of June & Gull Lakes

note - L to R - Patrick, Jean, Victoria, Linda, Bonnie & Rich; I took the photo.

The second hike was at Mount Dana, the trailhead on hwy. 120 being just inside the east entrance to Yosemite NP.  I think we saved the entry fee by parking at a lot just outside and then walking in.  

From the trailhead to the top of Mt. Dana would have been a 3000+ ft. climb & beyond us. Our goal was to walk as far uphill as we could.  After about 1,500 ft. of gain, intense wind from the east made it impossible to go further. 

Thankfully, previous hikers had constructed low rock walls, which provided relief. 

After lunch we hiked back down. 

	near the trailhead		first look at Mt. Dana at 13,061 ft.		Tuolumne Meadows
		break time		Jean, see note
	Mt. Dana again		end of the climb
		Jean heading down		Meadow Barley

note - In the distance behind Jean was a very destructive fire, in a different part of the National Park.  It turned out to be historically bad, in terms of acreage destroyed, the ruggedness of the terrain making it hard to get under control.  

Parker Lake, our third hike destination, was a short walk with about 1,500 ft. of altitude gain.  The hiking group was larger today, as five people joined, making it 12 in all. 

In the 4th photo below, in the distance behind Bonnie, you can see Mono Lake, which photo helped me figure out where this walk occurred (I neglected to shoot trailhead signage).

	Patrick, Victoria & Bonnie on the drive		group photo at trailhead, see note 1
		Eastern Sierra landscape		Parker Creek
	Parker Lake at 8,500ft., see note 2		Victoria		R & L
		Geno		another view of Mono Lake on the walk back
	way out west		Rich brought some drinks in a cooler

note 1 - L2R: Patrick, Rick K., Geno, John, Kathy, Victoria, Linda, Dick F., Jean, Bonnie, Rich and the photographer = 12

note 2 - the most prominent peaks here are all close to 13,000 ft. 

On the drive home from June Lakes, I detoured to Yosemite Valley on hwy 120,  hoping to stay a night. There was a 90 minute traffic stoppage, to allow fire crews & equipment to pass through w/o hindrance. 

When I arrived at Yosemite Lodge, around 1 pm, rooms were available, so I called my wife and got the OK to stay for a night.   

	Tioga Pass Road (hwy. 120)		Tuolumne Meadows, see note 1		Tioga Lake
		roadside view of Half Dome
	traffic delay		see note 2

note 1 - the distant mountain near the center is Mt. Dana. 

note 2  - German bikers were enjoying an interaction with a woman Park Ranger, and someone said they were on a 10-day tour of California.   

After checking in,  I had lunch & coffee nearby and then walked a mile downstream along the nearby Merced River, towards El Capitan.    

	footpath		Half Dome		Merced River
		big floods cause sand bars		El Capitan, see note

note - El Capitan (7,353 ft.) has a 3,000 ft. vertical rock face.  

The next morning was overcast and after breakfast I headed home.

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