Women Backpacking the Treasures of Southern Yosemite and the Ritter Range, California

The Trip

This section of the John Muir Trail, runs through the southern part of Yosemite National Park and the Ritter Range in the adjacent Ansel Adams Wilderness and offers some of the most spectacular scenery within the High Sierra. It is a unique combination of high canyons, sparkling lakes, and rugged mountain summits.

Our journey starts at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. We will walk through the big meadows of Lyell Canyon on our way through southern Yosemite. Our hike joins the John Muir Trail below the High Sierra Crest before Donahue Pass. Mt. Lyell, Banner Peak, and Mt. Ritter, all about 13,000 feet high, dominate the skyline. After crossing Donahue Pass, we will have the opportunity to enjoy more solitude and a secluded alpine basin before we finish our hike in the June Lake area.

Our trip in Yosemite will be on the ancestral and historic lands of the Numu (Northern Paiute), Me-Wuk (Southern and Central Sierra Miwok), and Western Mono/Monache peoples.

Day 1: We meet Thursday afternoon at a campground in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park (at approximately 8,600 feet elevation). We will spend time getting to know each other, organizing our gear, and splitting up the commissary equipment. We then set up a car shuttle to the end point of our trek in the June Lake recreation area, where we leave some of our cars. In the evening we have dinner at the campground; this is our first meal of the trip.

Day 2: We start our trip by eating a light breakfast at the campground, then we drive a short distance to the trailhead at Lyell Canyon and start hiking. This first hiking day will be a small 350-foot ascent through beautiful Lyell Canyon until we reach our first camp along Lyell Creek (8,900 feet). The total distance is about 5.5 miles.

Day 3: Today we will start our climb up to Donahue Pass and stop short of the pass (9,650 feet). We will camp below Mt. Simmons, Mt. McClure, and Mt. Lyell. We will enjoy the afternoon exploring or just resting in this wonderful area before tomorrow’s climb over the pass. Total ascent is 950 feet and we will hike approximately 5 miles.

Day 4: This will be a big day for us as we will ascend a total of 2,400 feet; thankfully our packs will be lighter. We will continue to follow the John Muir Trail across Donahue Pass (11,000 feet) and down into the open basin below before we do a final climb to secluded Marie Lakes Basin, which is nestled at 10,900 feet at the foot of mighty Mt. Lyell. The total distance is about 7 miles.

Day 5: We will take advantage of a relatively short hiking day and enjoy the morning at Marie Lakes. Once we leave Marie Lakes and hike a short distance, we will depart the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trail and follow the Rush Creek Trail. We will spend our last night together at Waugh Lake, 9,472 feet. The total distance is about 5 miles and the total descent is about 1,600 feet.

Day 6: Our last hiking day will be a 2,200-foot, 7-mile descent along cascading Rush Creek, passing a series of lakes until we reach our cars waiting for us at the trailhead at Silver Lake. We will return to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park where our adventure started.

The route and itinerary are a general plan and may need to be changed due to unforeseen conditions or circumstances. Snow conditions and runoff are always a big uncertainty on an early season trip. In addition, weather, progress of the group, campsite availability, and other factors may require the leaders to make adjustments. Participants need to be flexible.

Getting There

We plan to meet at a campground at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. The closest airports are located in Reno (about a 3-hour drive), San Francisco, and Oakland (both about a 5- to 5½-hour drive).

The leader will periodically send out a roster of approved trip participants well in advance of the trip to assist those who wish to share rides and/or rental cars.

We expect to get back to our cars by midafternoon. However, we cannot guarantee a specific time. To be safe and allow enough time for the drive out, we advise that participants do not plan their return flights before the next day.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

The trip price includes the first night’s car camping. Our first meal will be dinner at the campground that night. Our last meal will be lunch on the last day.

All meals and snacks will be provided. We will offer a variety of vegetarian friendly, easy to prepare meals, emphasizing a high nutrition-to-weight ratio. Since all food must fit into bear canisters, we ask that participants not bring their own food. If you have special dietary requirements, you need to contact the leader to see if your needs can be met. Participants will be responsible for bringing their own toilet paper and method of water purification (chlorine tablets, filter, steri-pen, etc). Trip members will share the responsibility of helping to prepare the meals, clean up, perform various camp chores, and carry all food and group gear — pots, stoves, fuel containers, etc.

Trip Difficulty

The rating of our trip is 3 on a scale between 1 and 5. Unfortunately, it turns out that all too often some participants misunderstand the meaning of that rating. It reflects an average and it also needs to be put in relation with the whole spectrum of backpack trips that the Sierra Club National Outings program is offering. The total distance of our trek is about 30 miles. Daily hiking distances range between 5 and 10 miles. The total elevation gain, including all up and downs, is about 3,500 feet; most of which takes place during the second day. Our highest elevation is above 11,000 feet, so altitude-related problems pose an additional risk. All of our hiking will be on established trails, though some sections are steep and rugged. 

Carrying a heavy (40- to 45-pound) pack for several days, especially on prolonged uphill stretches, is a strenuous aerobic activity and is not suited for everyone. In order to enjoy this trip, participants need to be in excellent physical condition. Regular aerobic exercise (such as treadmill, running, swimming, biking, or hiking) during the 3-4 months before the trip is essential. The best physical preparation for a backpack trip is doing serious day hikes. Make sure your hiking boots are well broken-in. Include in your conditioning plan an occasional long walk or hike, while carrying a loaded backpack on unstable terrain. As well as endurance, you need leg strength; be able to lift yourself and your pack the equivalent of two stairs at a time.

In order to enjoy the trip, we plan to start hiking early in the morning after a short and light breakfast most days. It is definitely a good idea to get acclimatized; if possible, arrive a couple of days early and go on easy day hikes in the area. There is plenty to see and do.

Participants who are new to backpacking, but otherwise strong and fit, are encouraged to apply. The leaders will work with you and help with appropriate gear selection and trip preparation.

Equipment and Clothing

In addition to all of the food, the Sierra Club will also provide all cooking gear (stove, fuel, lightweight pots, and pans), chlorine tablets for water treatment, a group first-aid kit, a tarp, and bear-proof canisters that we will use to store our food.

The following is a list of the gear and clothing you will need to provide and carry for the trip. More details will be provided in pre-trip bulletins. The leaders will be more than happy to give advice on selecting the proper equipment, so please feel free to contact them before you go out and spend a lot of money. Novices who need to purchase all or most of their equipment should be aware that this might be a considerable expense.

Required:

• Backpack (internal or external frame)
• Comfortable hiking boots. They should provide good ankle support and need to be well broken-in.
• Sleeping bag (temperature rating 25°F or below)
• Sleeping pad (foam or ThermaRest)
• Tent with rain fly and ground cover
• Rain gear (pants + parka)
• Fleece or wool jacket
• Warm hat
• Gloves or mittens
• Hiking or running shorts or lightweight pants (1-2 pairs), no cotton (e.g. jeans)
• Light-midweight long-sleeved shirt (no cotton)
• T-shirt (synthetic)
• Comfortable clothes for camp
• Change of underwear (cotton or synthetic)
• Long underwear
• Change of socks (hiking socks and thin liner socks underneath to prevent blisters)
• Sun protection (sunglasses + sunscreen with SPF-20 or above + sun hat)
• Personal first-aid kit (moleskin or adhesive tape for blister treatment, Tylenol)
• Personal toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, biodegradable soap, your own toilet paper). Women should bring extra tampons, even if it is not the time of your regular period.
• Eating utensils (plate, cup, spoon, fork)
• Insect repellent
• Water bottle(s) or canteen (two quarts total recommended)
• Lightweight headlamp or flashlight
• Map
• Whistle
• Water filter or purifier

Optional:

• Sandals or Tevas (nice in camp or for stream crossings)
• Bandana (handkerchief)
• Bathing suit
• Hiking poles
• Lightweight camera
• Fishing gear

You should carry a rain cover for your pack to protect your clothes. Sleeping bags need to be wrapped in a plastic bag to stay dry. If your tent is not freestanding, we recommend bringing some cord to tie it down, because staking might be difficult in some places. If you have a large tent (for more than one person), you might want to consider sharing it with another trip member in order to keep your pack weight down.

All participants should try to keep their personal pack weight below 25 pounds (not including hiking boots and water). The weight of the commissary gear is about 15 pounds per person. We will weigh all packs before we start, and people whose personal gear is too heavy might need to leave some non-essential items behind. Please think ahead about what you want to bring.

Please also keep in mind that you must have the additional capacity in your pack for about 1½ large grocery bags. This will be the volume of the commissary gear for each person. Most of it is sturdy (non-compressible).

Your gear will be much easier and safer to carry if it is tucked away inside your pack and not dangling on the outside.

References

• Tom Harrison Trail Maps: Ansel Adams Wilderness, available at outdoor stores or at www.tomharrisonmaps.com.
• www.nps.gov/yose
• http://johnmuirtrail.org/

Conservation

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, encouraging grassroots involvement. Our Outings seek to empower participants toward greater understanding, advocacy, and participation in the goals of the Club.

We will discuss the history of the Sierra Club and the role of Outings in furthering the cause of conservation. The Sierra Club’s history is steeped in the efforts to preserve endangered habitat and wilderness. The Club was instrumental in expanding protection for Yosemite a century ago, establishing Kings Canyon National Park, and passing the Wilderness Act over 50 years ago. As Club members, we have reason to be proud of these accomplishments when we hike through the region.

While the area we're visiting has been protected, it continues to be threatened by outside forces such as climate change and pollution. We'll have an opportunity on our outing to discuss such threats; the importance of large, protected areas for habitat resilience; and what we can do to support work on these issues. Participants are also encouraged to share information about other environmental issues such as those in their local communities.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.