Raisin Lake, Yosemite National Park, CA
August 29-September 2, 2016
MAIDEN VOYAGE
May Lake
This trip was the first I had taken back to Yosemite in a really long time and was even more special because it was my first backpacking trip. I had always been someone who thought that backpacking wasn’t something I would ever do or want to do, only really tough and ultra-outdoorsy people went backpacking. I had seen these folks on my various car-camping trips and they seemed like wild animals. Well, I guess I am now one of those wild animals, and the feeling is glorious.
We decided that our maiden trip would be short and sweet, one night in the backcountry and then some wholesome valley frolicking. The trail to Raisin Lake begins at the May Lake Trailhead off of Tioga Road. We hiked a little over a mile to May Lake, which is a High Sierra Camp, and paused here to take in the beautiful scenery. We then continued on for another two miles to reach Raisin Lake. The trail itself was not incredibly strenuous, but we definitely felt the effects of the elevation and it seemed like we would never reach the lake. Luckily, we had amazing vistas to admire on a trek that seemed to last for an eternity.
We finally arrived at a beautifully serene lake and immediately felt like we had completely left civilization. Being my first backcountry trip, the feeling was unlike anything I had experienced before, like we were the only people on earth. In reality, there was another couple at the lake, but we barely felt their presence.
We went about finding a perfect spot to set up camp and started a campfire. We had a wonderful dinner of steak(!) and sat back to watch the stars emerge from the growing darkness. The vastness of the night sky made me feel tiny and the surrounding stillness was palpable.
Raisin Lake
Late night water-filtering
The next morning was gorgeous and we spent it leisurely bumming around the lake. We finally got around to breaking camp and headed out back towards May Lake.
We arrived at May Lake and hid our backpacks under a knocked-over tree trunk before heading out on our hike up Mt. Hoffman. We had actually misidentified what we thought was the peak of Mt. Hoffman, but realized our mistake and after an intense climb that included some rock-scrambling, finally made it to the top. We were rewarded with an epic panoramic view of the surrounding landscape and felt our efforts were well worth the amazing vista.
Top of Mt. Hoffman
Eventually, we managed to pull ourselves away from our existential awakening and headed back down, getting one last glimpse of May Lake before making our way to Yosemite Valley. We made stops at Yosemite Falls and Mirror Lake, which were both completely dry, as well as Taft Point and Glacier Point, where we watched the sunset and attended an amazing astronomy talk by Yosemite Interpretative Naturalist, Dakota Snider. It was truly inspiring.
To cap off the trip, we finished with a climb up the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls.
Yosemite Falls
Taft Point
Taft Point
Glacier Point
Vernal Falls