Wawona Trail: Women Who Wander

2 Day Out & Back from Bottom to Top of Chilnualna Falls

Quick Stats: 11 miles (photo above drawn with All Trails App)

  • Day 1: Chilnualna Trailhead to the top of Chilnualna Falls (5.6 miles, 2,425 ft. elevation)
  • Day 2: Head back the same way (5.6 miles, 2,425 ft. descent)

All Girls Trip… All Badass (see fire)

Meet Viviane. A collector of fallen pine cones and chipmunks’ leftover mini acorns.

Stocked with gummy bears, nutella packets, and a delicious freeze-dried lasagna feast, Viviane and I set out at 6am and killed it on our intense 2,425 ft. ascent, making it to the top in only 4 hours. Sure we stopped for snacks of banana chips and trail mix about a hundred times, and we couldn’t pass a flower or rock formation without snapping a hundred pics, but we made it to the deliciously gushing part of the waterfall just as the sun started to make us sweat in all the unpleasant nooks and crannies.

Highlights & Lessons from the trek:

  • Older women don’t mind taking off their pants and underwear in front of everyone and jumping into cold swimming pools. This nude heroine will forever live on in our hearts and memories.
  • If you drop your go pro down the mountain – and it takes the most horrific tumble imaginable – it will still work, flawlessly.
  • It’s easy to become best friends after 5.6 miles of girl talk

After a quick nap under the shade of massive trees at our camp site with a view overlooking Yosemite, we ventured toward the waterfall’s luscious swimming pools.

Without our packs we scrambled quickly through labyrinths of thorny bushes and uneven granite bulges and followed the whooshing sound of numerous small waterfalls. Looking to your right you could see the river endlessly in the distance. Where does it begin? To your left your eyes follow little pools as they descend like slides and ladders toward the gaping grand view of the Wawona region, luscious with pine trees and silhouetted mountain domes as far as the eye can see. Plopping down our little day packs under a tiny tree we shed our sweaty tank tops jumped into the icy cold water, shrieking in supplication to the Yosemite gods for the healing powers of water at the hottest point of the day.

After spending a couple hours swimming, journaling, and reading our kindles, we headed back to set up camp and cook a fancy feast fit for us femme fatales (so we believed ourselves to be after 15 hours in the wilderness). But not before we had two face offs with the most bold and impertinent crows backpackers have ever encountered. (THEY ATE EVERY LAST ONE OF VIVIANE’S SNACKS!) Honestly, we weren’t even mad: we were just impressed that they had stolen oh so much without even the smallest trace of any wrappers or plastic bags left behind. Though I swear I could hear them violently snickering as I caught sight of their black feathers slowly receding into the sky. Thankfully we were leaving the next day so I could share with Viviane some of my precious Cashew Lara Bars and BoBo’s Coconut Oat bars. What else are friends for? Once we cleaned up all the clothes, trash bags, and random shit the crows had taken out of our packs and strewn all over the campsite, we could enjoy the setting sun and glow of the warm fire.

Thinking of planning a trip like this at Yosemite? Or want to join us on our next hike?

If you want more exact trail details, message us at trailswithfriends@gmail.com & we’ll hook you up with the info about how to get permits, where to park your cars for trailheads, etc.! Happy hiking!

Inyo National Forest

Every time we get out into the wilderness, we revert to untamable kids: a group of lost boys and girls roaring through miles and miles of deserted, quiet landscape with our laughs and songs, our splashes into lakes and wolf-howl imitations, our high and drunk stories around the campfire and shouts at shooting stars. (Ok, we are usually like this in the cities too.)

5 days from Walker Lake Trailhead to Agnew Meadows

Quick Stats: 35.5 miles (photo above drawn with All Trails App)

  • Day 1: Walker Lake Trailhead to Sardine Lakes (4 miles, 2,244 ft. elevation)
  • Day 2: Sardine Lakes to Parker Pass to Alger Lake (9 miles, 2,887 ft. elevation)
  • Day 3: Alger Lake to Clark Lakes (6.5 miles, 1,500 ft. elevation)
  • Day 4: Clark Lakes to Ediza Lake (9 miles, 1,870 ft. elevation)
  • Day 5: Ediza Lake to Agnew Meadows Campground (7 miles, 650 ft. elevation)
  • Day 6: Party not over… super fun night in Mammoth Lakes at charming breweries and delicious restaurants, live music and margaritas, late night espresso shots around bonfire, and real bed and showers!

Check out our video from the trip:

Into the mountains…

Matt’s Favorite Highlight

“It was the first day on the trail with the wind at our backs, and the sun in our faces. We hit the trail with elevated spirits. Hours in we were met with thunderclaps and rainy clouds. Not faltered in the least, we found a little patch of coniferous trees to bed down in for the night. Amongst the symphony of nature, we enjoyed a hot cup of tea while embracing the contrast that makes nature so beautiful.”

Matt’s Secret Treat

  • South African Style beef Jerky – aka “Biltong”
  • Delishfish – A healthier alternative to Swedish Fish

Jenna’s Favorite Highlight

“Day after day of breathtaking views. I enjoyed being disconnected from the outside world for a few days, and being connected and grounded in nature and relying on one another to make it through the wilderness. I also loved our hammock cuddle sesh while we made dinners!”

Ian’s Favorite Highlight

“Hanging out on the beautiful shores of Alger Lake. Swimming, reading, fishing, chilling, and taking in the scenery!”

Ian’s Secret Treat

  • Dried Mango slices

Linnea’s Favorite Highlight

“On the last night, when Jenna and I were delirious from pain and intense hikes, we snuggled into the hammock together, drank wine and made dinner with our feet dangling like kids on a swing set, and rolled around laughing at the crazy and hilarious moments from the trip.”

Linnea’s Secret Treat

  • Sweet & salty banana chips

Meditations & Memories from the Trail

Every time we get out into the wilderness, we revert to untamable kids: a group of lost boys and girls roaring through miles and miles of deserted, quiet landscape with our laughs and songs, our splashes into lakes and wolf-howl imitations, our high and drunk stories around the campfire and shouts at shooting stars. (Ok, we are usually like this in the cities too.)

Quarantine restrained everyone, but I think nature helped most of us rise above the lockdowns. Like many people, we 4 set out at the end of the summer before another anticipated season of closures and shelter-in-place measures, to play and explore in a large colorful space, and to enjoy the intimate company of good friends with no one else around. I suggest getting into backpacking if you want to start looking for an awesome, therapeutic way to heal during pandemics. Leave the car behind, leave the conveniences behind. Just you, your boots, and your backpack (and your best friends).

Fun times with fantastic friends: lil’ snippets

  1. Fishing for the first time while backpacking. Having raw fish on triscuits and cooking fish for dinner with mountain sage
  2. Surprise rain storm within the first few hours of the hike. Linnea forgot her rain jacket this one time!! Everything cold and wet while trying to set up camp and make a fire. Enjoyed a beautiful warm cup of tea and took a long nap till the rain stopped.
  3. Incredibly hard hike up a strange volcanic looking mountain made up of small individuals rocks, so slippery and slidy!
  4. Descending into a shire-like place, green meadows in between a valley of massive red rock mountains
  5. Jenna surfing down rock hills with Costco sandals. All of us sliding down rock hills racing toward Alger Lake!

It got to the point where even finding a place to hike or camp at our normal spots was impossible. So many people were eager to get outside and fly away from town that parks were filled to the brim. We weren’t able to find secluded spaces except at the crack of dawn on sunrise hikes. Yosemite wasn’t even an option for us this time: no available permits, registration tickets just to enter the park, and the thought of tons of cars stacked in line to get in set us searching for new areas to roam. Sparks newly crackling from an already raging fire of passion for exploration.

That’s when we discovered places like Inyo National Forest, Ansel Adams Wilderness, and Emigrant Wilderness. The areas surrounding Yosemite are known but not as obvious tourist destinations. Getting permits was easy, and we were extremely excited to open up a world of new trails, new mountain formations, new lakes and rivers whose names and lines we hadn’t seen or traced on maps before.

I love this group because we are all trying to create something big. Jenna and Matt inspire us because they are already successful entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in their fields and have stopped at nothing to realize those dreams. Jenna has started her own private therapy company called Head First Health Coaching & Counseling. Matt has started his own Kombucha company called Kombuchade as well as other successful business endeavors.

I want to start my own school one day and change young people’s relationship to literature, writing, and education in general. Ian wants to create products and systems that help people be more aligned with nature and environmental conservation. Going out on backpacking trips with people who are always coming up with ideas -continuously pushing the envelope and exploring how our talents, skills, and passions can translate into fulfilling careers and personal lives- makes us hungrier to push ourselves when we get back home and back to work. These 5 days romping around the woods and meadows with Jenna & Matt inspired us to be more imaginative and daring in our careers and to appreciate all the things we have. I’ll never forget my favorite lesson I’ve learned while trailing it with friends:

Play makes us more productive people.

Thinking of planning a trip like this at Inyo?

If you want more exact trail details, message us at trailswithfriends@gmail.com & we’ll hook you up with the info about how to get permits, where to park your cars for trailheads, etc.! Happy hiking!

Here’s a closer look at this trail (mapped through All Trails)

Day 1 & 2: Walker head Lake to Alger Lake

Day 3: Alger Lake to Clark Lakes

Day 4: Clark Lakes to Ediza Lake

Thank you for reading. Book a spot on our next 2021 summer Yosemite Trip. ‘Til next time!

Videos from the Trail

Campfires, long hikes, ice-cold lakes… relive the experience with our videos from the trail. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginning backpacker or seasoned mountaineer; we love to share the path with others and to capture that happiness and twinkle in the eye of our friends when they witness the beautiful landscapes at the top of the steep mountains. After busting our butts on wicked inclines, we always love to drop our packs and fall to the ground in awe and appreciation of nature’s challenging and rewarding style.

Switzerland – Hut to Hut Backpacking

After roaming around Yosemite with friends for four summers, we wanted to explore some grand peaks abroad and learn the ways of other backpacking cultures. This time, we were excited to meet some new friends on the trail. Below you’ll find some of our stories, but also info about our itinerary and which huts we stopped at on our 9 days in the Swiss Alps.

Before heading out to the mountains, we spent two beautiful days on the river in the city of Zurich, wandering through art museums, enjoying shots of espresso and croissants at tiny coffee shops, and taking in the pulsating downtown night life of the narrow cobblestone streets.

Day 3: Once we got tired of the crowds and loud noises of urban life, we hopped on a countryside train to Interlaken with big smiles and restless legs, ready for those famous steep Alps. Comfortably wedged between two lakes and massive mountains, Interlaken finally appeared to us through the cloudy storm as our train pulled around the curve of landscape. Still miles and miles away, we could see through the train windows these divine rays of sun peaking through the clouds over Interlaken. We looked at each other in excitement at the overwhelming beauty and got our packs ready for our next stop: the small Interlaken village of Wilderswil.

Day 4: Grabbed a quick coffee in downtown Interlaken on the river, squeezed through the tourists, and grabbed a train to Grindelwald to get the epic hike started. It was very cloudy and drizzly in Grindelwald, but no worries. We just wanted to be up in the mountains and away from all the noise and commotion of town. We walked up and up to our beautiful hostel hut called Berggasthaus Marmorbruch, and we seemed to be the only guests. After a private aperitivo and delicious desert with the hostel owners, we explored Grindelwald and prepared for a good sleep before our next big ascent. While drinking a glass of wine on the porch at night, another travel couple had arrived all the way from Portland. It was sweet to pass the night under the stars with some new friends.

Day 5: Woke up early and waved goodbye to Grindelwald. Next up, a delightful hike to the small village of Gimmelwald. The climb was very tough and made us realize how steep a mountain really could be. We picked flowers along the way, gazed at some of the highest snow white peaks I’ve ever crawled past, and found a charming, convenient restaurant nestled in the mountains where we ordered sandwiches and my favorite drink: the Italian Spritz.

We made our way by train to an elevated breathtaking village called Wengen with incredible panoramic views of the whole Jungfrau mountain-village region and adorable little cafes where we guzzled more shots of espresso. Once we made it to Gimmelwald, we went to the only hostel-bar in the micro-village and enjoyed delicious beers while the sun went down over the Alps.

Day 6: At the crack of dawn we were off again! We first descended into a valley with another hip village called Lauterbrunnen that looks eerily like Yosemite valley with its sheer granite cliffs jutting into the sky around us and waterfalls pouring over the tops. We were happy to be reminded of home. After walking through the peaceful streets of Lauterbrunnen, lined with wooden cottages and small, bustling hole-in-the-wall cafes.

After stopping by for a coffee and sandwich with our new friends from Portland (that we serendipitously ran into!), we rode a cable car up to ANOTHER village called Murren (yes, Switzerland is very charming like that) and then hiked for a couple hours up the mountain in the beautiful sun, passing through small farms with cows and sheep all along the way. Off to our next hut: Obersteinberg, where we would meet a wonderful Interlaken-native named Hilde who pored over maps with us, giving us the best routes and advice for our intense trip toward over Sefinenfurgge Pass to Blüemlisalphütte over the next few days. We love you Hilde!

Day 7: After a relaxing afternoon meeting hut guests from all over the world and a magical night with a 4-course meal and delicious red wine by candelight (the Obersteinberg doesn’t have electricity), we set out yet again for another adventurous hike toward another lovely mountain hut called Rotstockhutte! Roaming through endless breathtaking landscapes and a run in with many more sheep and cows, we made it just in time for 2 giant steins of crisp, life-giving beer and (what has now become a tradition when we arrive at every hut) a celebratory fruit or nut tart with a dollop of whip cream on top. We meditated with our feet in the nearby river and stretched our tired limbs in the meadow.

For dinner we met 2 other traveling couples and enjoyed another amazing 4 course meal, chatting about Swiss life on the German side versus the French side (where each of the couples hailed from). Watching their hilarious, sarcastic rivalry play out over spaghetti and wine was one of my favorite parts of this whole trip.

Day 8: Waking up after a night in a massive room with 30 other hikers made us feel like real trekkers who belonged in the challenging Alps. We had to leave around 5am to beat the sun on our next difficult hike, but as we snuck out, we noticed Simon, the hut warden, left us a delicious breakfast of oats, fruit, croissants, yogurt, coffee, and of course, cheese. I can’t say enough about the hospitality you will find at these mountain huts. Our hearts were filled to the brim and our stomachs were ready to take on our 9-mile hike & 5,000-ft ascent.

This was hands down the most challenging and breathtaking hike of my life. We hiked immediately up 2,000 feet along green, dewy meadows with marmots racing up and down the mountain sides. We made it over intensely steep rocky, volcanic-like crags and spotted an Alpine ibex from afar! We descended immediately another thousand feet along a snowy narrow trail on the side of a mountain. Things were getting a little scary, but we were too excited for this adventurous, unpredictable terrain to care.

After miles and miles of hiking down rocky peaks, we finally made it to green meadows, cows, and sheep again, only to find ourselves at the foot of the steepest part of the hike. We fueled up on crackers and tuna, prepared our hiking poles, and began the summit! Mentally exhausted, physically exhausted, spiritually exhausted, we ran out of water halfway up. We could see the hut, but the trail never ended. There was always more; it got steeper and steeper, the mountain got snowier and snowier, and we got thirstier and thirstier. I’m not sure how I didn’t give up, but it was probably the thought of that ice cold beer and delicious nut tart that we knew awaited us at the hut. And that was the best beer and desert I have ever consumed in my 27 years on this earth.

Here at Blüemlisalphütte, we met tons of new friends, had an enormous feast with the coolest people and shared delicious shots of mountain spirits, and spent another comfortable night nestled in a 20-person cabin for our last night in the peaks of the Bernese Alps. Til next time, Switzerland!

Grand Canyon of Tuolumne

Although we’d like to keep this a secret, the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne is just as spectacular as Yosemite Valley—insane sheer granite cliffs jutting into the sky all around you for miles and miles—but no tourists, no roads, no honking cars and shuttle buses. Instead you get silence, isolation, and tranquility with all of the breathtaking landscape boasted by the famous valley.

Matt and Jenna flew all the way from Chicago to conquer this epic hike for our second Trails with Friends trip. Ending at the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, we galavanted for 4 days and 31 miles along the ice cold, crystal clear Tuolumne River. From endless verdant forests to eerie granite deserts, the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne reconfigures the imagination. It was hands down my favorite hike we had ever done in Yosemite… that is until we did an even longer 5 day hike (the famous Half Dome included) with the our other Chicago “Adventure Crew.” It always gets better!

Highlights of this trip include:

1) The most you’ll ever hike up and the most you’ll ever hike down in one day… and subsequent delirium because of said up and down. Also, we ran into a group of young rugged Yosemite girls who worked for the park and traveled around for months on end ranging the mountains and refining the trails. They devastatingly outhiked us through all of our ascents and descents, and when we finally caught up to their campsite at the end of the day, we found they didn’t even sleep in tents. Simply slept under the stars huddled around their fire and snuggled tightly with their bear safety canisters. These true badasses will forever be known to us as “the Lost Girls.” I’m forever grateful to the one lost girl who gave me her yummy trail bar when I ran out :).

2) Deep meditations on the edge of cliffs overlooking redwood forests led by Matt Lancor. I’ve never been led through a narrative meditation before, and it made us vibe closely with the natural world around us. Matt had us envision all of our movements, our actions, and our thoughts in these specific scenarios, but let us be creative in what images our minds invoked. I had a sacred meeting with a deer who told me something wise, and then I was transported to a library surrounded by stories and stories of books when he told me to think of my future. 🙂

3) The most beautiful, isolated, panoramic camp spot, scoured out by Ian, overlooking the iridescent blue water of Hetch Hetchy on the final day. Hence has been dubbed “Garden of Ian” by the supplicant crew. Small boxes of wine and surprise flasks of whiskey (thanks IAN!) also helped make us feel warm and alive during the most memorable sunset of our lives.

Trail Secret: Track down the cliff above, right at the beginning of July, to time the sun set positioned directly over Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. This cliff can be found as shown below.

4) A long ice cold dip in one of mother earth’s perfectly-made baths nestled in a grove of massive trees, serendipitously placed at the end of one of the most intense hiking days! Like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…

5) An epic Jambalaya feast (not freeze dried!) cooked on the edge of a sweetly gushing waterfall…sausage, onions, peppers, olive oil, tomatoes, rice… heaven on earth. Our packs smelled like Jambalaya the entire rest of the trip. Worth it.

And here are Matt and Jenna… two of the most fun, energetic, and authentic people I’ve ever met. They cherish the wilderness, understand the connection among all things, and have beautiful philosophies about life, love, and relationships. Most of all, they are both wicked good at to-the-death stick fighting.

Yea, it was one of those Lord of the Rings-like hikes. There and back again…by Ian Baggins.

‘Til next time, Yose.

Half Dome with ‘Adventure Crew’

How did the OG “Adventure Crew” come to be? Only a recap of 5 legendary days in the wilderness will tell. With Ian at the helm, Katie, Chelsea, Faysal, Will, Dane, and I strapped on our heavy packs with countless gummy worms, nutella packs, and swedish fish and trekked through the endless trail from Tuolumne meadows to an unforgettable (and terrifying) ascent up Half Dome all the way past Vernal Falls and back down to Yosemite Valley. Buckle up 🙂

Highlights Include:

1) Mid trip: Left our camp and heavy packs behind and embarked on a fun, chatty hike up, up, and up in the blazing sun. Nothing beats finding a deserted lake miles and miles away from any other souls… our new playground. (see video for some mesmerizing lake dives).

Choosing the perfect walking stick is essential; could take you all 5 days till you get the right one

#2) Had a very entertaining afternoon at this sparkling emerald pool when we discovered, after a long day’s hike, an abandoned High Sierras camp with the biggest fire pit known to man in the center of the empty micro village. Lunch, laughter, log races, and a surprise visit from cool ranger kept us happy and in the best of spirits.

#3) Stumbled upon an enchanting light-footed deer silently walking through a grove of trees while trying to fill up our water at a nearby brook. The way the evening light slipped and slanted through the trees and onto the deer made the whole picture so tranquil and memorable. All 7 of us watched in silence and appreciation for those moments that are small and fleeting but just right.

#4 That time we climbed half dome!! If ever we were early birds who got the worms, it was this glorious day. We skipped the crowds and climbed with pretty much just us and our Adventure Crew shenanigans. Katie, Chelsea, and I feared for our lives as we grasped for dear life onto the rough cables, and all I can remember is singing in unison the anthem of our Finding Nemo heroine Dory: “just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do? we swim.” Proud of all of you. Challenging, immensely fun, and extremely rewarding.

‘Til next time, Yose.

Autumn Colors of Yosemite

Brief photo blog with oranges, browns, yellows, and light greens.

Passages through dead forests with burgeoning underbrush
Beautiful camp spot overlooking a valley
Lunch with a view. Menu? tuna & crackers
Autumn colors peaking through
A misty shower before a long hike ahead
A curious marmot… matches perfectly with the surrounding colors of fall
‘Til next time, Yose.

Wawona and Chilnualna Falls

An unforgettable journey with a first time backpacker, friendly marmots, and the epic rainbow-ridden Chilnualna Waterfall. Located on the southeastern tip of Yosemite, Wawona is one of the easier 1 night camping trips that is still an uphill battle with unbeatable views of endless pine trees and rounded hills of solid granite rock. A perfect trail with best friends.

Doug and Katie were naturally the first couple we took out to the wilderness. When we moved to California 5 years ago, they helped fill our late summer nights with good wine, intimate stories, and what we are convinced were the most philosophical conversations about books, love, and relationships. After hearing our hiking stories, of isolated nights on top of granite mountains, and unreal sunrises over the Sierras, they were sold. The seeds were planted… the fire was stoked… they wanted to experience the back country of Yosemite.

Our packs all felt exceptionally heavy considering we were only camping for one night. The first 5 minutes of ascent were all smiles and laughs. After that, every gram of our packs were making themselves felt: that extra Mountain House meal for an “emergency”, that extra pair of underwear and socks for luxury hygiene, and that extra book that you knew you probably wouldn’t even read. Nevertheless, many stops for snacks, cute kissy pics, and occasional smoke sessions got us happily through the cloudy day.

That first night by the campfire lingers in my memory since we were all so proud of ourselves for making it up as quasi beginners and rusty amateurs…except for Ian, an expert who can hike 20 miles a day and who volunteers to carry our heavy items that we complain about so that we will shut up.

At this point I was still resistant to these backpacking trips in many ways. Not only were the ascents grueling, but I couldn’t overcome that city-dweller’s desire to be back at the coffee shop downtown or to be enjoying a good meal at a trendy restaurant with some craft beer. By the end of these trips, however, the reluctance is squashed, and we all embrace the deliciousness of the freeze-dried meals and the unforgettable stories told around the campfire.

After we hiked about 4 miles up to the top of the falls, we scoured the granite tops for the perfect camping ground with an expansive view. This is always the most important part of the trip for Ian, who takes a lot of time, usually hiking further and further past our AGREED UPON STOPPING POINT to get that unique vista.

On our first couple trips, I was content with plopping our bags down anywhere… I On our first couple trips, I was content with plopping our bags down anywhere… I didn’t care if it was the den of a flesh eating rattlesnake or a flash flood danger zone. I had no ability to recover from those intense ascents and always gave a contrasting look of disgust and disdain to Ian’s happy camper look when we reached the top. “Just a little ways more!” (Yea, South Africans say “ways” in that phrase.)

Never trust this guy. Or do… and prepare for a soul awakening. Although your knees and toes will rebuke and hate Ian after these hikes, your heart will thank and love him.

Sweet sounds of gushing water let us know we were only a couple hundred feet away from the top of the roaring waterfall. We set up our camp at this beautiful spot (thanks to Ian!) and ran toward the granite shelves that lined the sides of the flowing waterfall. Shirts and shorts were flying off in every direction… the warm heat of the day making the cold mist and droplets of splashing water a relief after a not so hard (but we convinced ourselves it was so hard!) hike up.

Ian and Doug bravely traversed the speedy river and made it to the other side, enjoying the freezing cold water while Katie and I sunbathed on he safe side and watched two lizards maul each other like gladiators in a fight to the death! Good times, good times!

‘Til next time, Yose.