Jennie and I hiked in Yosemite National Park.
We parked at the May Lake trailhead near Tioga Road. We started
out around 10am. Bugs started flying around us as soon as we got
out of the car, so we applied bug repellent immediately.
The trail starts rising gently immediately. There's a High Sierra
Camp at May Lake; as such, the trail up to the lake is used by
mules to bring up equipment and supplies. Of course they leave
their mark on the trail.
Mount Hoffman is visible to the west while hiking on the trail.
After just 1.2 miles, we were at the lake. There are several structures
here, including drinking water and toilets. There's nothing too
special about the lake, other than the sight of Mount Hoffman
towering above its southwestern shore. To me, the lake seems less
special than, say, Elizabeth Lake, because it lacks a feel of
remoteness.
May Lake backed by Mount Hoffman
We skirted the southern end of the lake and started up the Mt.
Hoffman trail. We walked up and around rocks as we passed by patches
of snow. A short while later we reached a crest with a meadow
and the sound of water tumbling down toward the lake.
May Lake as seen from further up the trail
The trail continues around the meadow and then starts switchbacking
northwest up a rocky slope. Stacks of rocks showed the way. I
saw one stack of 12 rocks -- the most I've ever seen on a trail.
Hikers probably try to stack them higher just for fun. There are
a few trees here and there, but they thin out after a while. Views
started to open up. We could see Half Dome, Mount Dana, and most
points east or south.
Half Dome as seen from the Mount Hoffman trail
There were a fair number of other hikers attempting the ascent.
Most people probably just hike to May Lake, but there were at
least 20-30 people who reached the summit that day.
Heading up the switchbacks
After the switchbacks the trail heads up to the summit plateau.
We encountered a solo hiker who was coming down. I verified that
there were several summits which were worth hiking up. He told
us to avoid hiking up to the real summit, however -- the one with
the antenna on top -- because he said the rocks were too dangerous
and not worth it.
View looking south from near the summit plateau
The summit plateau is surprisingly flat, considering how steep
the sides of the mountain are. Apparently it used to be a much
larger plateau, but glaciers dug out the sides, making it steep.
We started out for our first summit -- the most northeastern one.
After a brief rock scramble we were on top, looking down at May
Lake and across to Mount Dana and Gibbs. Marmots scurried about,
hoping to find food.
The first summit we visited
Mounts Dana and Gibbs as seen from the first summit
We descended that summit and went to the slightly lower southeastern
summit. Along the way we passed through a field strewn with grasshoppers.
One grasshopper with a baby grasshopper attached itself to Jennie's
trekking pole strap and wouldn't let go until she flung it off.
The southeastern summit involved a bit more rock scrambling and
the use of all four limbs. Soon, we were on top, with a similar
view. If we'd been short on time, I would have chosen to climb
only one of them (either one would do, but I'd probably just do
the northeastern one).
As we crossed the summit plateau to another summit, I saw a marmot
eating some grass. I tried to get close for a picture, but it
slowly inched away from me, until it scampered underneath a bush
to get away from me. I gave up and left him alone. He shortly
came back out and started eating again.
The "true summit" as seen from the northernmost summit.
The northernmost summit is the easiest to attain. It's not visually
much of a summit, but it is technically a high point. It also
provides great views. Instead of May Lake, the views are of the
Ten Lakes area, far below to the north. It also provides a nice
view of the vertical face of the westernmost summit.
Close-up of the true summit
We walked down to the base of the western and highest summit.
There was a large group of people at the top. After some discussion,
we decided to go for it. As we clambered up the rocks, I decided
the hiker we saw earlier must have taken a bad route -- it really
wasn't too bad. Fifteen minutes later, we were on top. 10,845
feet above sea level. The views aren't that much different than
the one on the northern summit. If you really didn't care about
reaching the highest point, the other summits would suffice to
provide the views.
The summit marker
After a brief stay, we started our descent. The trail down from
the summit plateau is gravelly and easy to hike down quickly.
Unfortunately, this turns into the rocky switchbacks which provide
more ankle-twisting possibilities. Somewhere along the way we
missed the trail we took. We ended up descending an extra 50 feet,
then ascending back up to the meadow I mentioned earlier. The
group in front of us made the same mistake.
After that, it's a pretty straightforward descent. We saw kids
playing in the snow patches. A woman reading a book next to the
lake. Backpackers camping next to the lake. Soon we were going
back down the dusty trail, back to the parking lot.
Return to Mount Whitney trip report.
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