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.
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.
Trails with Friends 