'Where is a good place to camp coming out of Hetch Hetchy on
the first day?'
I have not hiked up the up to Moraine Ridge so I don't have a
recommendation. I rarely camp in campgrounds. Bears investigate even
non-food items (They may harbor the scent of food because of their
close residence in the backpack) - one can avoid them only by camping
in spots no-one else camps. I find a place where I can get far off
the trail, a dry, flat place. I like a spot with eastern exposure so
the sun warms me up earlier. If I can find a place recently burned I
choose that because it has the fewest insects. Yosemite has had a lot
of small fires the last few years and has let them burn out. I don't
pitch a tent or cook food when I camp, just doss down, so I feel free
to camp anywhere.

'What about leaving Benson making your way back to Hetch
Hetchy. What is the best route and where is the best place to stop and
camp?'
You use an inapplicable word, 'best'. Yosemite has only a few
places to avoid, for me, because of their over-populated-ness or
wetness. I like the rest nearly equally. I loved Tilden Lake and had
it to myself. Benson has a crowd. Your route goes through Pleasant
Valley, which I found flooded on the bottom a few years ago and the
bridge across the creek out. I back-tracked to find a likely place to
cross, got very wet, had to tromp for a few miles through soggy
ground, fed a lot of mosquitoes. This may have changed. You can ask
the rangers. The alternative, a descent through Pate Valley into
Tuolumne, which I ascended on the same trip, also soaked me, and
covers more miles. I spent a few days wet on that trip.

'Our main destination is Tilden Lake and Benson Lake, so if
you have alternative routes of getting around that loop in and out
would appreciate that as well.'
I don't have anything not on the map. I wander around in
Yosemite, trying routes I have not taken before, expecting anything to
turn out good.

Your page refers to
http://171.64.169.61/.mh/north_yosemite_0800/index_web.html. That guy
wrote:

'An enjoyable hour (or two) of walking through this open
terrain led to a magnificent vantage point over Bear Valley. A series
of switchbacks led down through some lush vegetation into the valley,
where I encountered more meadows and played a game of hide-and-seek
with the trail for an hour or two. (A decent map would have been
useful here, but as I'd intended to stick to the trails, I was relying
on signs and a rather coarse map that proved quite useless in this
instance). After locating the trail again--in the obvious place on the
other side of the meadows--I made a gradual ascent through forest and
granite slabs'

I missed the trail on the other side of the meadow. A side
trail, more heavily worn, goes to a nice camping spot - I tried to
continue on the side trail. I worked it all the way down to the
Tuolumne and spent days working my way back. I went where no-one else
has gone before, though.

russell bell

--- Mark Griffith <mark.griffith@bea.com> wrote:
"We are thinking of June 21-26th. Very curious on
your thoughts on those dates."

Those are exceptional dates for Jack Main and probably
TilTill. But one never knows, snowmelt and all. When I
went I can't imagine there being more water and the
canyon was still navigable, but the overflow was calf
deep. I think scouts would LOVE that!

The problem with those dates is crossing Falls Creek
and encountering too much snow to access Tilden. No
one can know aforehand, it depends on the weather
Gods.

> There's a waterhole with wood around it, and it's
small. If you look you'll find it.
>
> "Any clues as to what to look for or where/how to
> find it?"

Yeah, give 'em some chocolate if they find it. I think
it's just about 100 yds south of the junction to
Laurel Lake. There are some flat spots to the right,
and there's a meadow to the left of the trail.
Personally speaking, water management is crucial from
Hetch Hetchy to here. Water-up at every opportunity
because pretty soon they're lost.

> > When I was there, it was early and the water was
> deep
> > and too cold. I wanted to make Tilden but I
> couldn't
> > cross at Wilmer (Wilma) and upriver there was
> still
> > too much snow.
>
"You talking Wilma Lake in the pic below:"
>
>
http://www.niffgurd.com/mark/scouts/2004/50miler/shorter/D3_high_res_large.jpg
>
Yeah, I'm talking Wilmer. Whoa... I just looked at
your route. Why would you leave Jack Main at that
supposed river crossing? There's no reason, no point
to it. Instead, continue up Jack Main, and past Wilmer
to the Tilden Lake cutoff (which I believe is a part
of the Tahoe Yosemite trail - another resource).

I met a kid and his beau who actually crossed Falls
Creek at that supposed low water mark. We all do
stupid things for girls, and complicate those by
youth. He survived three crossings (two packs and one
girl). But I wouldn't wish that on any scout leader,
so cross Falls Creek (if you can) at the Tilden Lake
trail below Chittenden Creek.

> In the routes above, not sure if to take the route
> in red as it is layed out
> in red to Wilma or whether we should take the more
> direct route, on the blue
> route just before blue and red meet.

Go Blue.

> >
> > Instead I backtracked, xc'd to Vernon Lake,(I
> camped
> > beside an incredible cascade, where Falls Creek
> drops
> > down a long granite esplanade) and made Tiltill
> that
> > way. Tiltill is incredible in the early morning,
> in
> > early season. There's an immense granite levee
> that
> > separates the upper meadow from the lower one. And
> > evening primrose were flowering everywhere. And
> there
> > are black oaks there, as well.
> >
> > When I was at Tilden, I came over Mary Pass from
> Tower
> > Lake - Tilden is indeed a special place were it
> not
> > for the mosquitos. It merits a layover day to
> explore
> > upcanyon or just to circuit the long lake. It
> would be
> > a shame to just blast up there only to blast out
> > again.
>
> We'll take it under advisement for sure.
>
> > Again, depending on your timing, the mosquitos
> here
> > can be murderous.
>
> Hopefully June 23 is early enough to
> >
> > If it's early season, you might beat the bug hatch
> but
> > crossing Falls "Creek" is a major hazard.
>
> Where exactly?
>
> Looks like we would be crossing at:
>
>
http://www.niffgurd.com/mark/scouts/2004/50miler/shorter/D2_high_res_large.j
> pg
>
> On the tail end of the blue route.
>

If it's early morning and after the mega snowmelt you
could make it, perhaps. But it's an on-site decision.
I tried, several times, before giving up. And it was
for the best. I saw a Vernon Lake engorged with water
- which I hadn't planned on visiting - and I got to
experience Jack Main on the down slope.

> > If it's
> > later in the summer, Beehive and Tiltill will be
> less
> > spectacular, Falls Creek will be more navigable,
> and Tilden
> > will likely have hordes of voracious bloodsuckers.
>
> >
> > I think you should lay-over a day at Tilden and
> scrap
> > the raft trip down the Tuolomne, personally. That
> > would make the haul down to Tiltill a lot more
> > palatable.
>
> Yeah, understood, probably is that the river trip is
> what some of the scouts
> will be looking forward to, so we'll have to see.

Most of 'em will be wiped out and longing for a Mickie
Dee's.
>
> Thanks for the advice.

My pleasure.
>
> Cheers
> Mbg
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- Skarm Niffgurd <mbgriffi@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > I saw your posting here:
> > >
> > >
> >
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yosemitehikes/message/311
> > >
> > > I wonder if you have any advice on some routes I
> am
> > > laying out for 50
> > > miler next summer with Scouts. When to go? If
> the
> > > routes look good
> > > and any advice or thoughts along the routes we
> have
> > > chosen.
> > >
> > > http://www.niffgurd.com/50
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > > mbg
> > >
> > >