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On our wonderful 14-day unsupported trip, we looked to the north-west part of Yosemite National Park for places we'd long sought to visit, and a special place for our wedding.
We started at the Eleanor Lake trailhead and hiked through the Laurel Lake area to Lake Vernon, up to Branigan Lake, past Andrews Lake, and through Jack Main Canyon to the Otter Lakes.
From the Otter Lakes we traveled south to Ardeth Lake, then along the western rim of Jack Main Canyon to the Moraine Trail. From there, we went back to Andrews, and down the Branigan wash to where we married.
From Branigan, we cruised around the Lake Vernon basin area, and then returned to Lake Eleanor.
Our pack weights, including food and water for 14 days: Nancy - 33 lbs. 5 oz. Not including food: Nancy - 17 lbs. 10 oz.
Jason - 38 lbs. Jason - 9 lbs. 3 oz.
Avg. each - 35 lbs. 13 oz. Avg. each - 14 lbs. 7 oz.
About half of our trip was spend off-trail, which is what we prefer.
Nancy and I did this trip nine months ago but have been delayed on writing this trip report, so I thought I'd at least post some of our photos and maybe fill in the trip report later.
From the Otter Lakes we traveled south to Ardeth Lake, then along the western rim of Jack Main Canyon to the Moraine Trail. From there, we went back to Andrews, and down the Branigan wash to where we married.
From Branigan, we cruised around the Lake Vernon basin area, and then returned to Lake Eleanor.
Our pack weights, including food and water for 14 days: Nancy - 33 lbs. 5 oz. Not including food: Nancy - 17 lbs. 10 oz.
Jason - 38 lbs. Jason - 9 lbs. 3 oz.
Avg. each - 35 lbs. 13 oz. Avg. each - 14 lbs. 7 oz.
About half of our trip was spend off-trail, which is what we prefer.
Nancy and I did this trip nine months ago but have been delayed on writing this trip report, so I thought I'd at least post some of our photos and maybe fill in the trip report later.
We have our backpacking gear pretty much at the ready, but getting all of our food organized took some time. Not only did we have a lot of wedding details to work out, but we had all the trip details to contend with as well. This trip was our longest to date and was going to be unsupported despite its length, but at least we had a lot of experience with trip planning. Fortunately, we had also started keeping online notes on Google Docs for backpacking food preparation. I strongly suggest you start one. Some screenshots from ours are above.
RSS FeedBecause we were starting our trip in the Stanislaus National Forest, we had to get our backpacking permit from the ranger station there, which was insanely easier than getting it through Yosemite. The road to the trailhead was paved to just beyond Cherry Lake. Beyond that it is dirt, but passable, if one is familiar with off-road driving.
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The hike to Frog Creek trail was quick and easy. Click on the map photo above right to expand it; Here is the link to download a copy of it. We hit the trail on the east side of Eleanor Lake, heading north to the campground where the trail along Frog Creek intersects with the Miguel Meadows trail. Take special note of where these two trails intersect.
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At the time of our trip, no water was available along the Frog Creek Trail from Lake Eleanor to the junction with the Miguel Meadows Trail, so if you travel this route, be sure to fill up at Eleanor. The rest of the hike was very pleasant all the way to the Laurel Lake area.
 Map of the Frog Creek Drainage from the Miguel Meadows Trail to Lake Eleanor. Click to download.  |   |  |
Heading out to Lake Vernon, we almost stepped on this little guy. Nearer to Vernon, we had a chance to snack on a few thimbleberries! But just a few. Heading past Vernon, we wanted to find a route to the north side of the Vernon basin from the east side of the lake.
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This is part 1 of 4. Part 2 is here.
| Frog Creek From Eleanor To Miguel Meadows Trail.jpg |
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