Leon Turnbull Photography

So with the national forests in California all closed there is not much hiking to be done. A lot of people are happy about this, saying resources are limited, don’t want any new fires, etc. Here is the problem: backpackers do not start fires. Hikers do not start fires. Only idiots start fires. And arsonists. (both of which we have in California right now). Closing the national forests only punishes the responsible people. On the Labor Day weekend with all the forests closed, there were four new fires started in California, at least one of which was on (closed) national forest land. None were big, thankfully, but the Bridge Fire would have been devastating if it had taken off. Clearly, closing the national forests did nothing to stop new fires from starting (just as I predicted).

Yosemite National Park is open. Yay! No fires there. No bad air quality there. That means I could do a quick backpacking trip there on the weekend, if I could figure out a place to go. I had an idea: Illilouette Creek. I knew Illilouette Falls was flowing somewhat decent and I hoped to find a couple new waterfalls as well. When I arrived to pick up my permit the ranger said that the upper section of the creek was completely dry. I was very surprised to hear this but she had been up there herself recently so I had no reason to doubt her words. Thus there was no point in hiking to the upper falls as planned but the other one was on a different branch and she said it was flowing. Would the falls be decent? My new modified plan was to hike up to this waterfall and camp there. But …

It was 10AM when I started my hike at Glacier Point. My pack weight was just 30 pounds including all my camera gear. This is the lightest I have ever had it and honestly I see no possible way I could go any lighter than this. I used every item I was carrying. There were (obviously) hundreds of people at Glacier Point but once I got on the trail I saw no one at all the entire day. It is a funny thing in Yosemite. You can hike on, say, the Vernal/Nevada Falls trail and literally pass 1000 people on the trail. But hike on, say, the Illilouette Creek trail and see zero people. It is not a horrible trail either. (no trail in Yosemite is horrible). I had plenty of great views of Half Dome and also Liberty Cap and Vernal/Nevada Falls as well. Vernal Falls looked pretty bleak and I did not even recognize it at first. What is that waterfall down there? I have never seen it before. Oh, it is Vernal Falls. Doh! Illilouette Creek, however, did have some water in it. Since the other branch was dry I figured most of it would be from the Clark Fork. This was not the case. I arrived at Clark Fork Falls and it was pretty lame. Very lame. It was not worth taking a photo and it was not worth staying here to camp. I was bummed. I really wanted to get at least one new waterfall on this trip. Well, all was not lost. I could still see the big one the next morning (Illilouette Falls). I decided to hike back to Illilouette Creek and camp there. In the morning I would have a short hike up to Illilouette Falls.

I found a nice little spot by Illilouette Creek. It seemed like a perfect place to see a bear or mountain lion. I did not see any of those but a family of grouse came waltzing through my campsite in the evening. I saw more grouse when I got back to Glacier Point the next day but those ones were people friendly and let me walk right up to them with no worries at all. (within a couple feet). I also heard coyotes howling in the middle of the night. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before. I heard owls hooting in the night as well. (I have heard that before).

The next morning I got up in the dark and hiked up to Illilouette Falls. Obviously it is much better in the spring but nonetheless I thought it was lovely. A 379 ft. high beauty. Some waterfalls still look nice at low flows and Illilouette is one of them. (I was hoping Clark Fork would be in the same category but nope). I enjoyed my breakfast at the falls then hiked up to my car getting back to Glacier Point at 9:30am. I was home by 1PM. It was a quick but lovely trip to Yosemite National Park.

 

 

 

 

 

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This photo is what I am calling Middle Falls Creek Falls, at the inlet to Lake Vernon.

I got up very early. I did not want to be hiking in the heat of the afternoon so I packed up, ate my breakfast and hit the trail. After a short 500 ft. climb, it is all downhill (3100 ft. down). I felt like I was almost running down the hill (I was walking very fast), but I was not making good progress. I wanted to be back at the car before 11am, but I was not going to make it by that time. This is dumb. I slowed down for the last section down to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. It was hot now. Once I got down to the reservoir there were loads of people on the trail, all hiking to Wapama Falls. I saw a rattlesnake along here and a huge lizard. I don’t know what kind of lizard it was, but it was not one I’ve seen before. I tried to look up the species later but I could not figure it out. I made it to the car at 11:30AM. That’s not “too bad”, I guess.

I stopped at Pizza Factory in Groveland for a late lunch (the real reason why I wanted to be down the hill earlier). It is the first time since COVID started that I have gone out to eat in a restaurant after one of my hikes. There are a variety of reasons, some obvious, some not, but one of them being that certain towns (especially South Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes) were telling people to stay away from their trails. Really, I am not allowed to hike on the “public” trails in your town and you don’t want me to spend money in your primarily tourist town? Then I won’t. Even after COVID is over. (spend money, that is – you are not stopping me from hiking in your town). I can’t imagine the restaurant owners approved of what their city leaders were saying. Anyway, before COVID I would occasionally go out to eat, especially after backpacking (not always). However, whenever I was in Yosemite, I ALWAYS stopped at Pizza Factory afterwards. I felt it was time to do this again. My reward after a long hard trek. Sweet.

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At 3PM I started my second hike of the day, this time going to the inlet of Lake Vernon. There is a trail on that side of the lake which goes (almost) all the way to the inlet. The last little bit is slightly brushy but I did not find it too difficult to reach the inlet. There is a waterfall here but this is not the main one I wanted to see. For that, I had to climb up the canyon.

I was not sure if this was even going to be possible or not. Would it be too dangerous? If the granite was too slick and steep, I would be sliding off into the roaring creek, and be dead. From my study of Google Earth the route looked quite do-able, but there were a couple sections I was just not sure about. I began the climb.

It was very easy! The granite was not too steep and it was very open and easy going and a very beautiful hike. I was going to make it. Wait, not so fast madman. Guess what, I did not make it.

I was so close. I could partially see the big waterfall. I could not get to it. There was a WALL of manzanita brush in front of me. It was thick as molasses. It was not far but there was absolutely no possible way to get through the stuff. Believe me, I tried. I tried to go up and around it. Nope. I tried to go through it at the bottom. Nope. I had to give it up. This is horrible. I came all the way up here and was almost to the waterfall but I could not make it. It was so disappointing. What could I do? I sat down and ate my dinner. This gave me time to think. Maybe there is another way. I could not miss out on seeing this huge waterfall. There is a side channel going up beside the main branch of Falls Creek. There was water flowing down this drainage. It is overflow from the main creek. Maybe, just maybe, if I could get to it (through the brush), then maybe, just maybe, I could climb up the creek to the top it. I decided to give it a go. What did I have to lose? My life? The brushy part was short and I walked through it along the edge of the cliff. It was not quite as thick right along the cliff. It probably did not want to live right on death’s door. I made it through the brush. After that, I was able to get down to the creek at the bottom. Now I had to climb up the side channel. This is one of the stupider things I have done recently. The rocks were wet and slick. I had to crawl through a narrow slot in the rocks. A couple times I had to put my feet right in the water to climb up the cascade. How would I ever get down? But I did it! I made it to the top and I made it to the bottom of the huge waterfall. If there was any more water in the creek, I could not have done this. At very high flows it certainly would have been impossible (when I was here the Tuolumne River was flowing at about 1200 cfs – this is somewhat high, but it usually gets a lot higher in a normal year).

Has anyone ever been to this waterfall before? It seems unlikely. There is a trail at the top of it but I could see no possible way to get down from the top. It looked very cliffy. The other side of the creek looked better (no brush), but I don’t see how you could get to it without having to cross Falls Creek. Perhaps at low flow Falls Creek would be crossable and then it could be done but the way I did it seems very unlikely anyone has ever gone this way. That brush is insurmountable, and at higher flows, crawling up the side channel would be impossible for sure. Maybe someone has made it up here at lower flows. Perhaps.

Falls Creek Falls is a huge cascade, about 400 ft. high in total. I was standing right near the bottom of the main section of the falls. It was enormous and magnificent. I was so happy! I did not believe I had actually done it. Now I had to wait about 30 minutes for the sun to go behind the ridge, then I took my photos and went back down. Going down that creek drainage was easier than going up (it seemed), but I was very careful. I hiked back down all the way to the bottom and took photos of the lower falls. Then I hurried back the trail to my camp, arriving just before dark. I noticed a couple more backpacking groups had come up today, but they were all camped on the north side. So again, I had the entire south side to myself. Why was everyone camped on the north side of the lake? The camping is far better on the south side of the lake, it is a lot more brushy and a lot more buggy on the north side. Anyway, I had an absolutely fantastic day and saw all the waterfalls I wanted to see. I went to sleep a very happy boy.

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It was time for my annual pilgrimage to Yosemite National Park. I always try to go here at least once per year. And of course, I try to see new waterfalls while I am there as well.

Someone recently mentioned they were attempting to hike every trail in Yosemite National Park (about 800 miles). I thought that would be an enormous achievement if he completes it. I would not want to do that. However, I thought that maybe I would like to see EVERY waterfall in Yosemite. That would be an even greater monumental achievement than hiking every trail. It is probably impossible because some waterfalls are likely very inaccessible, and also I am getting old. I don’t have too many years left in me, I imagine. Thus far I have seen 70 waterfalls in Yosemite out of 139 that I have catalogued, so that is about 50 percent. Baby steps. If I just continue each year on my pilgrim’s progress, I will get a little bit closer to that goal.

This year I saw four new waterfalls and a couple of them I can’t imagine anyone has ever seen before. It was an incredible trip. The destination: Lake Vernon in Hetch Hetchy.

I way overestimated the time it would take to drive to Hetch Hetchy. Google Maps said it would take 3 ½ hours. It only took 2 ½ hours (I was not speeding!). I arrived at the gate at 7:30AM, 30 minutes before it opened. Ah well, so I waited. I was first in line.

I got my permit and I was on the trail by about 8:30AM or so. I have never hiked up towards Lake Vernon before. It is interesting because there is old pavement on this very steep trail to the top of Wapama Falls. At some point in the past they built this road and drove up here. I cannot imagine how you could drive up here (or why). It is interesting.

It is a steep climb. The total elevation gain is 3100 ft. to Lake Vernon in 11 miles. A couple speedy groups passed me. One group of three that was going to Lake Vernon and another supersonic hiker who was going I don’t know where. It took longer than anticipated and I did not arrive at Lake Vernon until 3PM, and by the time I setup my camp and ate dinner it was after 4PM, so I had no time to go to the first waterfall as originally planned. I would have to see all the waterfalls on the second day. I just relaxed at camp, strolled up to see the lake, and took it easy. The other group was on the other side of the lake so I had the entire south side all to myself (and it is a big lake). It was absolutely gorgeous.

I saw no bears at Lake Vernon. I was disappointed. This is supposed to be one of the hot spots in Yosemite for bears. Nada for me. I did see a falcon that was hanging out near my camp. I think its nest was nearby on the other side of the creek, so that was cool to see.

I slept very well. My campsite was right beside the roaring Falls Creek. There are many campsites at this lake, but I chose to camp by the creek instead of by the lake. I would rather listen to the sound of a rushing creek, than the quiet of the lake. That’s just me.

I got up very early, in the dark. It is two miles down to the Lower Falls Creek Falls and I suspected it would take two hours, but I was hoping for less. It took exactly two hours. It was much more difficult than I expected. At first it was very easy going, walking along the open granite rock. Then it became very difficult, climbing up and down cliffs, and through brush, and crossing difficult streams. It was a lot of work and when I finally got down to the waterfall, I could see it was already in the sun. Was I too late? Well, the lower part of the falls was in the sun but the upper (main) part was still in shade. I climbed up beside the waterfall (more hard work) and reached a ledge where I could see it and photograph it. Lower Falls Creek Falls is a magnificent waterfall, dashing through a narrow slot in the canyon in a few tiers. Awesome. One down, three to go.

I ate my breakfast at the falls and filled up with water, then made the long trek back to camp. I went a different way back up, hoping it would be easier, but it wasn’t. It took two hours going back. This is a tough one to see! Back at camp, I made my lunch and rested. I had four hours to recover before heading out on my next hike…

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Sometimes it is not all about the waterfalls. Sometimes it is about the scenery. That is what I am telling myself anyway.

I plan all my trips around waterfalls, of course. Sometimes it does not work out as planned. Especially this year, 2020. For my big Fall backpacking trip, I was not planning to go to this location, I had a different trip planned. The fires. The smoke. That put the nix on my big plan this year. For my alternate trip, Plan Z, I chose northern Yosemite National Park. This was pretty much the only place in all of California where the air seemed all right and not too smoky. There *are* waterfalls here that I had not been to before, and I thought they would be flowing decent, at least a few of them. And you can’t go wrong with Yosemite. I go to Yosemite every year, but this year, I had not been to Yosemite because of COVID-19. I thought I was not going to make it this year, but then Plan Z came into being, and off I went to my favorite national park.

I hiked in from Twin Lakes on the eastern side of the Sierra, hiking through the Hoover Wilderness, over Mule Pass, and into northern Yosemite National Park. I arrived at Twin Lakes on Friday evening. If I arrived any later I would have been out of luck. Apparently, you have to pay for parking here. You should not have to pay for parking at a wilderness trailhead, and I did not think I had to pay. I have hiked here before and I did not pay (though maybe, I was supposed to pay?) There are no signs about parking or about paying for parking, and I was not sure where the trailhead parking was, so I asked the attendant at the campground kiosk, (who was about to close). He told me I had to pay $15. Well, crap. Even though I thought I was being screwed, I payed the $15 and parked. (I don’t think I was being screwed, but I also think there should be free wilderness trailhead parking).

It was after 6PM. My plan was to hike up to Barney Lake and camp the first night. I would arrive at the lake well after dark. I saw one deer just as I started the hike, the only wildlife I saw on the whole trip. The hike took longer than I expected and I did not arrive at the lake until 8PM. (sunset was about 6:30PM). There were quite a few people on the trail, coming down from the lake, even after dark. There was also someone camped at the lake (in the best spot), but I found another place to setup camp, and went to bed.

I got up early, packed up, and continued my hike. First stop: Robinson Creek Falls (pictured here). This was the only waterfall on the entire trip. It was not flowing very decent, but I took a photo anyway. It is a big waterfall and would be impressive at high flow (if you can get to it at high flow). It was also quite difficult to get up close to. There is a large rock slide beside the creek. The boulders were huge. This, as I found out soon enough, would be the main theme for the trip: Enormous rock slides. I managed to find a path over the rocks and to the creek, but only by squeezing through a very narrow slot through a couple large rocks. If I was two inches wider I would not have made it (I am not kidding – on the way back I almost could not squeeze through). Once at the creek, I had to cross over to the other side of the stream to photograph the waterfall. In high water, this is not going to be possible, but the waterfall certainly would be much better if you could find a view of it.

So what can I say about the rest of the trip? Are you still reading? This is going to be long, and there are no more waterfalls. But as I said, the scenery is impeccable. It is Yosemite National Park.

Mule Pass is at 10,500 feet elevation. I started at 8300 feet at Barney Lake. It is a killer climb. It was not so much the high elevation, but it was my 40 pound backpack. I think that is what really did me in. This was intended to be a 5 day trip, but I ended up cutting it short because of the lack of water. On the west side of the pass, there was quite a bit of water flowing in the streams, even the small unnamed streams. I thought this was a good sign. Piute Canyon should have a good, decent, amount of water in it. Wrong. On the east side of the pass, there was no water at all. On the descent, I was starting to worry that Piute Canyon would be completely dry. I was almost out of water, and if that creek was dry I would be dead (literally). Also, the smoke was starting to roll in to the canyon from the south and it was starting to get noticeably bad. I chose this area because there was no smoke here! Ugh. I prayed it would clear up by evening. (and thankfully, it did).

I arrived at the bottom of the canyon. I could not hear the creek flowing. This could be really bad. It was a half mile up the canyon to where I planned to camp beside the waterfall. As I continued and approached closer to the creek, I could finally hear a trickle. Whew. I would not die. But it was definitely not flowing much. Not nearly enough for a decently flowing waterfall. This was very disappointing to me. I really thought this creek and waterfall would be good, even this late in a dry year. I camped beside the almost dry waterfall. I was tired. I slept well.

What would I do the next day? I did not want to go home yet. I decided to explore down Piute Canyon. Maybe there would be more water in the creek downstream. The hike started off tremendously well. There is no trail, but it is easy hiking and when the canyon opened up it was incredibly beautiful. Then I came to a dead end. THE SLIDE. I don’t know when this rock slide occurred, it was a very long time ago, but it is absolutely MASSIVE. It spans the entire canyon, from one end to the other, and up the other side (over a quarter mile wide). The rocks are absolutely ENORMOUS, from one end to the other. I could find no easy way past them, and I spent a couple hours trying to do it. This is no simple rock hop! I finally gave up. I think that it can be done and I just did not go the correct way, but I was tired, and I decided it was not worth the effort because of the lack of water. It was time to go home.

I ate my lunch, then proceeded back up to the top of Mule Pass and down the other side. I stopped at Robinson Lake for the night. There was no one there when I arrived (so I got to choose the best spot). Someone came up later, however, and camped near by. I told him I was coughing a lot and would probably be keeping him awake at night. I think the smoke was causing me to cough so much. (it was not horrible, but there was still a little bit of smoke in the air). I hope I did not keep him awake, but I probably did. I did warn him, however, so it is not my fault; he could have camped further away. Anyway, I enjoyed the beautiful alpenglow at the lake at sunset. The next day was a very long and tiring slog back to my car at Twin Lakes. Thankfully, it was all downhill. I arrived at my car at about noon and got home by dinner time. Pizza again (thank you, Tara). It was a good time in Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite National Park.

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