Tioga Rd. to Sunrise HSC

Our goal was to hit the trailhead by 8:00AM so the crew began stirring around early at the Dew Drop Inn... or whatever the hell the name of that dive we holed up in on Friday night was.  We milled around in the lobby waiting to pay our bill for about half an hour but finally had to give up and head to our main objective some 60 minutes west up Tioga Road.  The drive in is exceptionally scenic, lots of twisty roads winding up from about 5,000ft to the 10,000ft plateau that is Tuolumne Meadows.   Great sports car run except for the 1,000ft drop-offs on the left.  However, driving fast with eyes glued to the road was not our goal... this trip.  An array of tall, craggy mountains boxes the road as it ascends, demanding attention.

The day was crisp when we left the hotel in Lee Vining, perhaps 45deg.  However, on arrival at the ranger station in Tuolumne Meadows, it was colder than a WT in a BB!!  Most of us had on hiking shorts and immediately began regretting our decision.  Temps were in the 30's and Mr. Ranger didn't show up for another half hour.  In the mean time, we entertained ourselves by jumping up and down, running relays in the parking lot, and reviewing photos of bear destruction on the bulletin board.  Pretty amazing!  One shot showed a minivan that a bear had attacked... folded the passenger side door in half!!!  There was just enough room between the upper molding and the door frame to insert claw and fold along dotted line.   I can see the owner explaining it to his insurance agent.  "No Mr. agent, the van was not parked in south LA... No I wasn't traveling through Roswell and attacked by aliens.  It was a cuddly, cute furry animal that tore the door off and ate the seats... Oh, so the policy excludes road rage in National Parks..."  Tom was very glad he didn't volunteer to drive his BMW M3 and that we had rented vans for the trip up from San Diego.  But... Oh no!!... we didn't elect the extra insurance coverage!!!

And so begins the first day of our "walk in the park."

Day 1 Hike Agenda