Last summer wildfires swept through little Yosemite valley. They started the day we arrived for our annual hike. We saw the huge plume from almost 100 miles off as we approached the park from the east. That night as we partook of our communal meal, as is the custom at Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, we listened with great interest to stories from hikers that were being forced to give up their outings from the various high camps. Camps that we would be heading for the following morning.

One of the stories came from a hiker enjoying a beverage with great gusto telling us about the day long hike out form Merced Lake. In astonishment I realized that she had done two full days of hiking in the last 12 hours. In miles the total would have been around 18. The gain and loss of elevation would have been from 7,000 to over 8,200 with 9,400 feet hiking past Sunrise high camp in between! Stating with great emotion that at times with fire on the ridges just above, making it out at all seemed a remote hope during what was clearly a long terrifying day, I understood and could only imagine, having done these trails so many times myself, what that day would have entailed!

As it turned out for us last summer our adventure ended before we could reach Sunrise high camp. It was evacuated before we began our hike and since our week was the last of the season we knew they would not reopen even if that was somehow a possibility. Later in the week we found ourselves watching the fire from a distance at Washburn Point. The previous year we had hiked from Merced Lake to the valley floor and the terrain now burning was familiar to us. This year we’ll have the opportunity to once again experience the beauty of the high meadow at Sunrise and although the fire never reached the camp, with the drought that continues in California, I’m sure dry and warm will be part of that experience if not actual evidence of last year’s fire. We are anxious to get back there again!

The longest distance in miles between the high camps is Merced Lake to Sunrise, or the reverse. 10 miles!  In the prior it is mostly uphill, sometimes gradual with a climb at the end of the day out of Echo Canyon that makes the longest day seem just that ! In the other direction the toughest comes with fresh legs and raised spirits first thing in the morning after a sunrise shoot and breakfast. The drop into what a ranger years earlier had joyously described as “the banana belt” because Merced Lake is at the lowest elevation of any at 7,000 feet. Coming from over 9,000 feet it does feel like a different climate zone, maybe even continent! Personally I’ll always remember this same ranger making a loud gleeful pronouncement seemingly to no one as we entered camp. “I love to play Merced Lake!” he shouted. Later we learned around the group campfire that he had stashed a guitar for the summer in camp and indeed loved to play Merced lake for anyone and everyone within earshot. The scent of smoke from the fire, music coupled with glare off the moonlit granite and endless stars far above made for the perfect end of a long long day!

Merced Lake high camp is the largest by far. Some 22 tents sheltering 4 hikers in each. The mess tent a communal buzz of people headed in all directions since its placement is the furthest in and all trails connect it with all of the other camps and wilderness beyond. The closest populated destination is the valley floor 13 miles through little Yosemite valley, a wonderful but strenuous day that has in its path an area called the stairway to heaven followed by two of  Yosemite’s landmark waterfalls, Nevada and Vernal with views of Illilouette and Yosemite falls further down. The mist trail beside Nevada and Vernal falls is a heart stopping conclusion and a terror to tired aching legs and muscles as you finally approach Happy Isles on the valley floor.

Fallen Tree Merced Lake ………

The first year of the wonderful Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter. Matter of fact I think this was the first shoot. The filter enables long shutter speeds in daylight conditions that normally would prohibit it. It also will make possible any combination of shutter and aperature within 8 stops of light! An invaluable tool over the years. Here I came across beautiful light in late afternoon. The problem to be solved was the high winds that made the lake a series of almost white caps.  A 30 second exposure at f/11 gave the desired effect creating the reflected glow of the granite. Notice that there is no filter footprint or color cast which is true of all filters in the Singh-Ray line. Colors stay natural. This is most apparent here in the trees across the lake.

Next ……….. back up up and away!

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