In late June there can be quite a lot of snow even at this relatively low elevation

If you're not in a record breaking speed hiker mind set, you may even see some flowers



Or make some friends in the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, where we spent our third night in 1989

Just after leaving Tuolumne Meadows on June 30, 1989, we met this character in Lyell Canyon



Further up the canyon

Who needs a hiking pole?



Lots of snow towards Mt. Lyell

The trail at 10,600 feet, well below Donohue Pass



Those things were deep...

Donohue Pass, June 30, 1989

View towards Yosemite from our campsite south of Donohue Pass, July 1, 1989



Early season has some disadvantages... and check out the vintage GAZ stove ;-)

This log across Rush Creek has not changed much in 19 years:

1989:



2008 (from HD camera video), her kids crossing the same log

Banner Peak from Island Pass



Some of the 1000 islands below

Ruby Lake



Flowers on the trail down to Garnet Lake

Early morning after a bear-active night at Shadow Lake



Cassiope Mertensiana

Shadow Lake outlet



Mount Ritter from Shadow Lake




more when I get the next batch scanned.

Got a few more scanned.

Leaving Reds Meadow that year, we chose to head into Fish Valley and bypass the JMT on an alternate route: Fish Valley, Grassy Lake, Goodale Pass, Vermillion Resort, Mono Hot Springs, Florence Lake, then reconnect with the JMT at Muir Ranch.

Back in '89, the section south of Reds down the canyon of the Middle Fork San Joaquin was amazing. Now, it's very different after the Rainbow fire in teh mid 90s turned much of the area into ashes, even right at Rainbow Falls:

It was a baking hot day to hike down the polished granite. Even before the fire, there wasn't much shade on this trail once you got dwon to this area



This is what you're mostly walking on before the trail drops down to Fish Creek.

Saw this snake on the switchbacks on our way out of the vally up towards Grassy Lake - it was about 2 feet long



Later that evening we tried to keep the bugs down with some smoke

In the moring we found proof that the sounds we were hearing at night were from a bear (this was before the days of canisters - you never slept well with your food hanging on a thin branch...)



Before lunch we reached Grassy Lake, which is a real gem and there wasn't a soul around (because they are all on the JMT on the other side of main valley to our west). Too bad the bugs drove us to higher altitude. Only stopped for a few photos



more in a few days - gotta scan more.

Snake looks like a Rubber Boa. A very cool burrowing snake, found from the high Sierra to Point Reyes.

from the full size scan, the only part that's in focus (was low light f 1.8 shot, no depth of field)

Just above Grassy Lake

Reaching the top of a very steep snow field, which allowed us to connect with the Goodale Pass Trail without first descending to the JMT just east of us where it leads up to Silver Pass, just a few hundred yards away - we were headed to VVR via Goodale Pass and Graveyard Meadow. Perfect dry summer weather that day