Labor Day Yosemite Trip Part 1

Mono Meadows- Our start point.

Time frame: Labor day weekend 2013, 5 day hike

Location: Yosemite National Park

Participants: Myself, Andrew, Michael, Jose

Oh, you want to backpack in Yosemite? Great! Oh, it’s on fire?

Even better.

While the Rim fire torched through north-western Yosemite, my friends and I had decided it was a great time to take a backpacking trip.
My friend Michael was coming to visit from Oregon, and what better way to spend quality time together than backpacking? We had considered going to King’s Canyon, but our (Andrew’s) heart had been set on Yosemite.

The original plan to travel to the northern side of Yosemite was derailed with the fire- The fire crews had finally started backfiring off the northern roads, which meant those roads were closed to public.

So, my friend Andrew decided we should head towards Red Peaks. There were no arguments from me, as I had never been. Unfortunately, our group couldn’t decide on a starting date. After much debate, we opted to start our trip in two groups, and simply meet at the destination. I would start on Monday with Andrew, while Michael and Jose would start Wednesday, and we would all hike out on Friday.

So I had packed for a five day trip, and packed heavy. I figured with only two actual days of hiking, I would go for the heavier pack setup and enjoy some comforts while I was out there.

Gear List
Item	Description	Grams	Oz	Lbs
Pack
Backpack	Osprey Exos 58 Medium(1190g)	1190	41.98	2.62
Rain Cover	Osprey UL Rain Cover	213	7.51	0.47
Pack Liner	Large Trash Bag	52	1.83	0.11
Pack Total Weight		1455	51.32	3.21
Shelter
Shelter	BCUSA 10'x7' silnylon tarp	371	13.09	0.82
Stakes	MSR Groundhog stakes x8	129	4.55	0.28
Guylines	Kelty Lighttease 50'- 37g	40	1.41	0.09
Bivy Sack	Mountain Laurel Designs Bug Bivy with stuff sack	193	6.81	0.43
Shelter Total Weight		733	25.86	1.62
Sleeping Setup
Sleeping Bag	Big Agnes Mystic SL 15 Long w/stuff sack	1090	38.45	2.40
Sleeping Pad	Big Agnes Q-Core SL Long	585	20.64	1.29
Sleeping Setup Total Weight		1,675	59.08	3.69
Weather Gear
Fleece	Patagonia R1 Fleece	335	11.82	0.74
Extra Socks	Extra Set	132	4.66	0.29
Rain Jacket	Arcteryx Alpha SL	379	13.37	0.84
Bug Headnet	Small Bug Net	20	0.71	0.04
Gloves	Harken Black Magic Full-Finger Sailing Gloves	65	2.29	0.14
Warm Hat	North Face Brim Beanie	98	3.46	0.22
Weather Gear Total Weight		1029	36.30	2.27
Cooking
Stove	Jetboil Sol ti	285	10.05	0.63
Bowl/Cup	Ziplock plastic bowl	79	2.79	0.17
Fuel	Jetboil fuel cannister	201	7.09	0.44
Eating Utensil	Titanium spork	20	0.71	0.04
Cooking Total Weight		585	20.64	1.29
Hydration
Water Bottle(s)	Nalgene Ultralight 32oz x2	218	7.69	0.48
Water Treatment	Platypus Gravity Works Filter	360	12.70	0.79
Hydration Total Weight		578	20.39	1.27
Hygiene
First Aid Supplies	Tape/Gauze/Bandaids/Meds	62	2.19	0.14
Medications	Benodryl	0	0.00	0.00
Personal Hygiene	Deodorant- Baking soda	25	0.88	0.06
Soap	Biodegradable soap 1fl.oz	49	1.73	0.11
Toothbrush/paste/floss	half toothbrush/travel paste/toilet paper/earplugs	65	2.29	0.14
Wetwipes	5x	32	1.13	0.07
Towel	Towel	72	2.54	0.16
Hygiene Total Weight		305	10.76	0.67
Essentials
Bear Can	BearVault BV 500	1151	40.60	2.54
Headlamp + Batteries	Princeton 105 + AAA x3	105	3.70	0.23
Repair Kit	Tape Needle thread rubber bands safety pins	22	0.78	0.05
Wallet	ID/cash/credit card	10	0.35	0.02
Essentials Total Weight		1288	45.43	2.84
Luxury Items
Journal / Pen	Pen 9g + Journal 236g	245	8.64	0.54
Music	iPod shuffle w/headphones	25	0.88	0.06
Luxury Items Total Weight		270	9.52	0.60
Items Worn
Base Layer	Synthetic T-shirt	153	5.40	0.34
Trekking Pants	Mountain Hardwear Mesa Convertible Pants- Large	419	14.78	0.92
Insulating Shirt	Synthetic Long sleeve shirt	119	4.20	0.26
Underwear	Swim Shorts	158	5.57	0.35
Socks	Long Merino Wool socks with Silk liners	132	4.66	0.29
Shoes	Merrell Mix Master 2	572	20.18	1.26
Bandana	Silk wild rag	27	0.95	0.06
Items Worn Total Weight		1,580	55.73	3.48
Carried Items
Trekking Poles	Leki Traveller Carbon Trekking Poles	329	11.61	0.73
Sunglasses	Sunglasses	35	1.23	0.08
Map(s)	Trail map	26	0.92	0.06
Compass/mirror/fire	Silva Starter 24g- Signal Mirror 23g- Bic 17g	66	2.33	0.15
Phone	Cell Phone for Camera	212	7.48	0.47
Knife	SOG Seal w/sheath	521	18.38	1.15
Carried Items Total Weight		1189	41.94	2.62
Water
Water Carried	64 oz	1891	66.70	4.17
Water   Total Weight		1891	66.70	4.17
Food
Breakfast: Cereal	Cereal- 55g per plus 1T sugar- 71g total per	358	12.63	0.79
Breakfast: Milk Powder	102g per- makes 4 cups- 2 cups for pbj.	511	18.02	1.13
Lunch: Pb&j	197 each	987	34.82	2.18
Breakfast: Fruits	Bananas x3	510	17.99	1.12
Breakfast: Fruits	Strawberries	498	17.57	1.10
Snacks: Candy Bars	Snickers snacks 17g per	174	6.14	0.38
Dinner: Meat	Dehydrated meat	371	13.09	0.82
Dinner: Spinach	Spinach	147	5.19	0.32
Dinner: Limes	Limes	158	5.57	0.35
First Day Lunch	240g sandwich, 40g chips,  23 oz can	1008	35.56	2.22
Iced Tea	Iced tea sugar mix	143	5.04	0.32
Food Total Weight		4865	171.61	10.73
Weight Summaries
Pack		1,455	51.32	3.21
Shelter		733	25.86	1.62
Sleeping Setup		1,675	59.08	3.69
Weather Gear		1,029	36.30	2.27
Cooking		585	20.64	1.29
Hydration		578	20.39	1.27
Hygiene		305	10.76	0.67
Essentials		1,288	45.43	2.84
Luxury Items		270	9.52	0.60
Items Worn		1,580	55.73	3.48
Carried Items		1,189	41.94	2.62
Water		1,891	66.70	4.17
Food		4,865	171.61	10.73
Pack Weight without food - 17.46 lbs
Pack Weight with food - 32.35 lbs
Total Weight Carried - 38.46 lbs

Not the lightest load, but certainly reasonable. The gear I’ll review in a separate post. For now, I’ll say there were things I would change (some I have already), while many things I would plan to bring again.

We had arrived late Sunday night and camped out for passes. For what reason, I don’t know. There were few visitors thanks to the Rim fire. Since we had arrived at night, we couldn’t see the smoke, but that quickly changed with the arrival of daylight. Andrew and I got our passes, then headed for Mono Meadows- our designated start point. The smoke was visible in the distance but it didn’t concern us much, as our destination was in the opposite direction.

Smoke visible from the Rim fire.

Our plan would change, but at the time our goal was simple (sarcasm): We would hike from Mono Meadows to Lower Merced Pass Lake. Michael and Jose would meet us there, then we would hike to Red Peaks. After staying there one night, we would head back to Mono Meadows, backtrack to Half-dome, and climb it before we left. How we would accomplish all of that was beyond me, but it didn't really matter- I was there for the adventure.

From left to right: Starting point, trail used, and destination.

When we had arrived at Mono Meadows, it was amusing to see cars lined up to take pictures of a coyote that was on the side of the road. Living in the countryside, it's a common occurrence, but the little guy was so cute, I could see the draw.

Looks just like the one that killed my cat.

Since we had two days to cover the ground Michael and Jose would hike in one, we decided to take a few pictures near Glacier Point before we began our trip.

No caption needed.

Staring at our destination- the Red Peaks were to the right.

After wasting enough time, we decided to start our hike. I was eager to get away from the tourists and out onto the trails.

To be continued in part TWO!