In July 2020, I completed an 85-mile loop through the northern Yosemite wilderness. This solo trek was one leg of a fundraising effort for Big City Mountaineers, and I’ll complete the second leg, a 75-mile loop through southern Yosemite, in 2021.
I headed out from Tuolumne Meadows on the trail to Glen Aulin on July 20.
The trip showcased the beauty of Yosemite National Park along a route that, at times, ran concurrent with the well-traveled Pacific Crest Trail, and, at other times, ventured deep into remote wilderness on trails that see few visitors.
I planned this trip to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of my first trip to Yosemite National Park, back in 2010. That trip was a revelation for me; the power and beauty of Yosemite Valley took my breath away and shifted my worldview. I wanted to use this trip not just to explore the corners of this special place that changed my life, but to raise money for an organization that provides wilderness experiences for young people, in the hopes that I can help others have a similar, transformative experience.
Over eight days, I was able to share with park rangers and fellow hikers how my first visit to Yosemite impacted me ten years ago and why I was out there now: to celebrate, and to help BCM offer that same kind of transformative experience to youths from under-resourced communities.
I met like-minded women, also traveling solo, who’ve dedicated themselves through their work to conservation and to introducing young people to the outdoors. I tried to spend as much time observing and absorbing as I did walking.
I leaned into hard climbs, and I relished the silence, one of the wilderness’s best gifts, because it is so hard to come by. Here are a handful of photos featuring highlights of the route. Enjoy!
Along the PCT from Glen Aulin to Miller Lake
The Glen Aulin area of Yosemite is rich with waterfalls that spill along the Tuolumne River.Granite features and lodgepole pines round out the scenery along the Tuolumne River. With nine days of food in my pack, I opted to camp the first night at Elbow Hill in Cold Canyon, 9 miles in. A few bucks joined me for dinner. I had mac and cheese. They had grass. A stroll to the far side of Miller Lake, where I camped on the second night. Lots of PCT traffic but beautiful!
From the popular PCT to the remote Matterhorn Canyon
After two days following the Pacific Crest Trail to Miller Lake, I turned north into the less-traveled, but absolutely stunning, Matterhorn Canyon.The view from Burro Pass, looking back down at Matterhorn Canyon and the hanging meadow that sits just below the pass. Just look at those craggy peaks! Alpine meadows like this one are a wonderland of granite, wildflowers, and bubbling creeks surrounded by mountains. Doesn’t get any better than this.
Into the Hoover Wilderness… and back into Yosemite
For part of a day, I crossed out of Yosemite into the Hoover Wilderness via Mule Pass.Descending toward Crown Lake from Mule Pass, penned in by sheer granite walls on one side, and lush meadow on the other. Back in Yosemite for a night of solitude in Kerrick Meadow. My traveling home for eight days. Love my Tarpent Notch Li!Tent life. Waiting out a rain storm in Kerrick Meadow.
Rejoining the PCT
South of Kerrick Meadow I picked up the PCT again, and passed this stunning, unnamed lake.Dropping down into the distant peaks en route to Benson Lake.A park ranger passing through at Benson Lake.
Into the Unknown: Rodgers Lake to Pate Valley
A 2,000-foot climb over three miles to get from from Benson to the lesser visited Rodgers Lake.Breathing hard. Solitude at Rodgers Lake. No one but the mosquitoes, that is. First of the trip — not bad!The trail from Rodgers Lake to Pate Valley is one of the least traveled in the park. It was largely very well maintained, with only a few overgrown sections to navigate with a bit of trail sense.
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River
Finding nowhere I wanted to camp after leaving Benson Lake, I just kept walking, dropping 5,300 feet from Rodgers Lake to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, knocking off 17 miles in a day. After a grueling, hot, 17-mile day, I was very happy to cook up dinner alongside a waterfall.The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne was a deceptively difficult stretch. So hot. Such mosquitoes. Thankfully there were a bajillion waterfalls to keep me going. Waterwheel Falls slams into a granite ledge, sending the water up and back. Even in July of a low-water year, you can still experience this unique, backwards flow of the water.It’s always so hard to go to bed on the last night of a trip. Stayed up late watching the sunset with a great trail friend, who snapped this photo of me with the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne as a backdrop.
Exiting through Glen Aulin
The last five miles of the route were the same as the first five, but it’s hard to complain with views like this. Staring across Tuolumne Meadows to the Cathedral Range was such a treat. It’s about this time of a trip where I start screaming, “Put me back in. PUT ME BACK IN!!” ($5 if you can name the movie.)
Hike Well 