Ryan,

I've been following your thread for several months but had nothing significant to add. Glad all went well.

I'm about to take 17 days to hike the TYT solo starting 24 September with food drops at Lake Alpine and Kennedy Meadows. It's a slow pace compared to your's but I'm probably older than your dad (age is no excuse so let's just say I want to enjoy myself along the way).

I'm interested in your comments on the Summit City Creek portion of the trail. You characterize it a poorly maintained and overgrown, going on to indicate that it is somewhat dangerous. On another site I read a recommendation to "wear long pants" on this portion of the route. Can you provide some additional info on the trail condition as well as the climb out.

Thanks,
Steve Jones

today I finally got around to scanning and croping all my pictures from my trek last august (Im bringing my digital camera next time;P)

here are just a few of my favorites

**EDIT**

moved the gallery

Edited by ryanf on 06/05/2007 15:18:58 MDT.

just a note.

that sign in the middle actually says
BOND PASS
ELEV. 9800


I put this in because it was the entrance to yosemite on this trip, not because it was the high point. there was another pass over 10,000 feet, but i dident get a picturre of it

and thosee feet on the bottom are mine at the end of the trip. NO blisters, ingrown nails, or other problems the whole time,(my dad did not have as much luck) just very dirty feet and toe nails :D

Edited by ryanf on 06/04/2007 17:24:24 MDT.

Great pictures!!! Looks like an awesome hike. I really can't wait to hike out west. Any regrets on any of your gear choices?

congrats on the trip ryan. i just found your thread. those pictures look great!

quick question. i read the trip report from the two guys that was linked to this thread. they described a lot of trouble finding the trail in several spots. did you have much trouble finding the trail? did you use your gps much or mostly map and compass stuff?

thanks

Regarding unmaintained TYT: I've hiked all of the TYT from Meeks Bay to Summit City Creek and Lake Alpine to St. Mary's Pass. I have a friend who's hiked the TYT from Lake Alpine to Meeks Bay, in October. He said it wasn't difficult to find his way, even in the snow. You may do some route finding from Summit City Creek, below 4th of July Lake, to Camp Irene. Especially the North Fork of the Mokelumne River below Summit City Creek. I don't have any current information on the trail from Camp Irene to Lake Alpine. From Lake Alpine to St. Mary's Pass it's a good trail all the way to Clark Fork Meadow. Once you begin the climb out of the Clark Fork (west from CFM) you just need to follow the ridge easterly to St. Mary's Pass. There was a lone post at the top of the pass years back. If it's gone, just turn south before you start up the west face of Sonora Peak. You'll be above timberline and rout finding is fairly easy.

Good Luck on the trip. It should be fun.

Thanks Dennis,

this is actually an old thread, I completed the trail last august.

Like you said, the majoraty of the trail is on well maintained trails, and the off trail section above Clark Fork Meadow was one of the highlights of the trip. The trail ends in the meadow, so we had to climb up onto the ridge. It required some route finding, but the veiws from this section of the trail to St. marys pass were spectacular. This ridge was very easily followed.

The problems that we encountered were in the valley below 4th of July Lake and after summit city creek, the trails were completely overgrown and somewhat abandoned, and the walking along th mokelumne river was extremely difficult because it was surrounded by rock and boulders. the trail was marked my small stacks of rocks (ducks) be even still, it was very hard to follow. It requried some moderate-dangerous bouldering and bush whacking in this valley. and the climb out of it was probably the steepest of the trip, and there was a large feild of ice at the top, so we ended up having to go around it (we dident have crampons or ice axe) which required us having to traverse the slope, which was fairly difficult and dangerous considering the grade and us not having anything to arrest a fall.

but in the end, It was a great trip. other than about 18 miles it was on great trails. And I enjoyed the experience of the sierras.

Ive heard something about a Sierra High Route.
Im thinking about that for the future, it sounds simmilar to the TYT, just more southern, into the High sierra.

Please check out the gallery from the TYT

Edited by ryanf on 06/10/2007 16:37:41 MDT.

I enjoyed reading your preparation and your photos of your trip. I've hiked all the sections, some several times. I began hiking the trail segments as a Scout in 1973 and re-hiked nearly the whole trail leading a crew from my son's Troop the last few years.

The Summmit City Canyon to Camp Irene segment was a brush buster back in the 1970's too. Before the anti-cotton craze, we were thankful for our long Levi's covering our legs down to our workboots and Pivettas.

Back then I carried a red Gerry pack internal frame with horizontal zippers. It was small and compact and left little room for extras. We were ultralight before it was noticed by the outdoor equipment industry. We cooked over small fires and slept under the stars. We'd use the poncho as our roof or simply just got wet and built up the fire when the rain stopped before dinner to dry out. We were young and it didn't really bother us too much.

I'm glad to see you made the trip.9 days is a spectacular pace.

I have a few copies of the Thomas Winnet book and with the exception of the section from Lake Alpine to Clark Fork (Gabbot Meadow is now underwater by Spicer Res.) the guidebook does a good job. It's now out of print by Wilderness Press.

Thanks for jogging up some good memories for me. I'm going up the Carson Pass in a week.

I'd get one of them platypus as 2 liter - for the extra weight you get a big increase in the amount of water you can carry. Unless that didnt work with your pack somehow.

I am planning to hike the TYT in August 2009 and I appreciate all the information contained in this great thread from Ryan. Are other resources avaialable which I should consult in preparation? Thanks!