Last weekend I spent three days in the Eastern Sierras. I was supposed to summit Mt. Whitney but my permiit was cancelled due to the recent fires. So, I decided to hike Clouds Rest which has been on my to do list for some time.
I had spent Friday night in Lee Vinning at the Yosemite Gateway Motel. It was pretty decent and had views of Mono Lake. Across the street was a place to eat BBQ, a market and a sporting goods store all conveniently located near the motel.
Saturday morning I wolke up at 4:30am and met some hiking buddies at the Tenaya Lake trailhead alka Sunriise Lakes Trail.
We started hiking at 7am and the skies were clear of smoke that morning. This was quite a relief after spending the previous night in an area surrounded by ugly skies and smokey air.
I really admired the entire trail. I was surrounded by beautiful trees and rock formations. The hike started out flat for the first couple of miles. The toughest part of the hike is the 1000 ft gain of switchbacks if you are out of shape. After the switchbacks, the route consisted of a series of ups and downs, lots of rock stairs and a couple of flat areas to take a break. Along the trail was a beautiful lake. I finally reached the saddle where a sign was posted that indidcated 2.5 miles to the summit.
I felt like it was more than that but probably because the path continued to steeply climb and in the distance I could see the summit which looked so far away.
Once I reached the ominous sign leading to the top, I felt excited as I looked up at the final push to the summit. It made me so happy to see all those cool rocks that I would be climbing on. This was definitely my kind of hike.
With every step I took, I could feel the adrenaline rush. I was not scared. I admired the steep drop offs on each side of the spine and coudl not wait to get to the top.
Filled with happiness, I soaked in the 360-degree views. Half Dome, Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan could be seen in the distance. Even though it was a bit cloudy the views were breathtaking.
I found two benchmarks, but no register.
I stayed there for an hour, ate my lunch and took the obligatory summit pics. I met hikers from all over the United States and had some pretty nice conversations as we all took turns taking photos for one another.
I can't wait to go back. I would highly recommend this hike.
Stats: 15 miles
gain: ~1800 (believe it or not it may feel like you did more than that)
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