10 Lakes, Yosemite

Well, we survived our first backpacking trip and had an amazing time! We left Friday evening with a couple others from our group and met up with the others who left earlier. We camped Friday night in the Yosemite Valley backpackers campground. Sat morning we loafed around our campsite and got all of our gear together. Then Kevin and I had a chance to drive around a bit and take a few pictures before meeting up with others to start our big hike. Here is a picture of our entire group just before heading out.



Our original plan included doing a climb up half dome, but due to permit issues we decided to do a 6.3 mile hike up to 10 Lakes. It was a steep hike which definitely counted as our workout for the weekend. At one point I thought we were never going to stop going up until we finally reached the top where we could look down and see an AMAZING view of one of the lakes.

That view made all of it worth it! After setting up our tents and getting a fire started, a few of us went for a swim. It was incredibly cold, but it felt good to rinse off some of the sweat and grime from the day. Then it was time to eat!! Our friend Brian brought a pork roll with him. It was his birthday and his parents had sent it to him from Philly and he wanted to share a bit from his hometown. We ate so much food that night and still had a lot leftover. We were having problems filling our bear canisters which lead to a slight problem, but it all worked out in the end.

The next day our group sort of dispersed. Kevin and I stuck around a little longer with two others from our group because we wanted to take in a little more of the view. We found a better swimming spot and were tempted to swim again but decided against it. This is the lake we camped by and played in. It was absolutely gorgeous and we really want to come back again and spend a little more time exploring the other 9 lakes! There were a lot of small trout there and I wished we had brought a fishing pole.



We reluctantly started our hike back. The first 1.5 miles was rough since it was mostly up again, but after that it was all downhill and we made really good time. After getting back to our car we met up with Brian and Moria again and started our drive back. We stopped halfway through at Mountain Mike's pizza and it was delicious. I think we were all a little tired of trail mix, cliff bars, and beef jerky and ready for a really hot meal! We also stopped in Tracy, CA for drinks at Sonic. We don't have one in the bay area and it has been two years since I've been there. Also, three out of six in our group had never been to a Sonic ever!

It was an awesome trip, but it felt great to shower!! We want to go back, but we may stick to car camping and day hikes for a little while to avoid getting quite as stinky! I think a few of us are going to go back in May when the waterfalls are booming.