Trip Date: August 17-20, 2007
Trip Description: This trip is meant for guys really looking for only a moderately challenging outdoor vacation. On this trip enjoy the spectacular Ten Lakes Basin in Yosemite National Park. Swim (or skinny dip!) in the Yosemite high country lakes and capture
amazing vistas of Tuolumne Peak and the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River.
Check out an area of Yosemite National Park that most visitors will never see! This is a beginner trip meant for those who are either new to backpacking and the outdoors or outdoor vacations or just for those who would like a somewhat relaxing trip with the guys! This is a beginning backpack tour, but we will still hike on some steep and rocky trails over somewhat challenging terrain with big elevation gains and losses on the first and last day.
Participants will carry 30-40 lbs of gear, including about 10 lbs of group gear (comprised mainly of food, tents, and cooking
equipment) on their backs throughout the duration of the trip.
Accommodations: One night developed campsite, two nights in our camping.
Activity Level:
Class 1 - Introductory Beginner Tour. Class 1 tours are meant for those that have never backpacked before. Although you do not need any backpacking experience some physical condition is required. The trails, although beginner, will likely be mixed terrain with numerous climbs and descents. We will hike approximately 5 miles a day with a backpacking pack weighing anywhere between 25-40 pounds (depending on how many personal items you bring).
Class 1 tours tend to be shorter in duration (3 hiking days) and tend to have only one campsite that acts as a base camp allowing day 2 to be optional hikes without a pack. Age range tends to be 12-60. Please contact us if you are not in that age window, but still think you qualify.
Start Location: Hodgedon Meadows or Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds, Yosemite National Park
Finish Location: Ten Lakes Trailhead at Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Meet your guides and other group members at either the Hodgedon or Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds by 6:00PM, inside
Yosemite National Park. We have an evening trip orientation, a wonderful dinner, and a brief gear check before resting for an early
start in the morning. Dinner included.
Day 2: After breakfast, we'll drive to the nearby Ten Lakes Trailhead where the hiking will begin. The first day will involve a steady ascent up to approximately 9620 feet and then down into the Ten Lakes Basin where we will camp for the next two nights around the amazing Ten Lakes at around 8947 feet.
Breakfast and Dinner provided. Bring your own variety of quick foods to be eaten as lunch and grazed on constantly throughout the day each day. Energy bars and drinks as well as trail mix, bagels, salami, etc. are all good choices. Mileage: ~6 miles Elevation Start: 7560ft Elevation End: 8947ft
Day 3: Today can either be a complete rest day where all you have to do is sit and swim by the lakes and enjoy the sun or participate
in one of many amazing short day hikes to the other lakes and peaks in the area. Breakfast and Dinner provided. Mileage: Optional/Variable Elevation Start: 8947ft Elevation End: 8947ft
Day 4: The final day of hiking is a short 6 miles that's almost all downhill after an initial ascent out of the Ten Lakes Basin to exit out of the Ten Lakes Trailhead to return to the vehicles. Breakfast provided. Mileage: ~6 miles Elevation Start: 8947ft Elevation End: 7560ft
Note on itinerary: Although we do our very best to adhere to the schedule listed above, this itinerary is subject to change for
numerous reasons beyond our control. This trip is operated rain or shine.
Trip Preparedness:
This trip is Class 1. Participants will be carrying their own backpacks with weights of 30-40 lbs. over steep and rocky terrain with somewhat dramatic elevation gain and/or loss. Please make sure your backpack is fitted to your body before the trip (if possible). Trip members need to in good physical condition.
To maximize your enjoyment of the trip, we strongly encourage participants to be involved in a training regimen before the trip. Day hiking with 30-40 lbs in the pack you intend to hike with on the trip and making sure your hiking boots are broken in before your trip is key.
Price Includes:
- Professional instruction and guiding;
- All dinners on day one through day four, all breakfasts from day two through day five;
- Drinks, group cooking gear;
- Group first aid kit, water filters;
- Campsite and our permit fees.
Price Excludes:
- Transportation from your hometown to group meeting point;
- Park entrance fees;
- Insurance of any kind;
- Lunches;
- Snacks and energy food;
- Energy drinks;
- Alcoholic beverages (please do not bring);
- Soft drinks;
- Guide gratuities and items of a personal nature.
Directions to meeting point: We will meet up on the starting day for most of our trips at either the Tuolumne Meadows Group Campsites located near the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center in Tuolumne Meadows or at the Hodgedon Meadows Group Campsites at the West Entrance to Yosemite National Park.
Both campsites are located along the Tioga Pass, which is the main east-west highway running through Yosemite National Park. A select few trips will utilize the Yosemite Valley campsites but due to availability and trailhead access we try to limit our use of those campsites.
Tipping Guidelines: Tipping at the end of the trip is optional. If you feel your guide(s) did an outstanding job and would like to reward them for their efforts, $5-$15 dollars per day, per guide is a suggested guideline.
Closest Airport(s):
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Oakland International Airport (OAK)
- Fresno
- Merced
Important Information about Air Travel: We prior to purchasing your airline tickets to confirm the trip has the minimum number of participants required to operate.
Who are our guides: Our guides are rigidly selected for appropriate levels of expertise in our travel skills. In addition, they
each hold at least Wilderness First Responder medical certifications.
Weather: Daytime temperatures usually range between 60o - 90o F but can sometime climb even higher. Evening temperatures drop into the 40s - 50s or even lower. While rain in general is rare, there is always the possibility of rain, so adequate rain gear is important, even in this arid landscape.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- ALL Gear (backpack, tents, sleeping bags &pads, tarps, eating utensils, stoves, water filters, etc.),
- ALL campsites and permits, two guides (probably HOT), cooked breakfast & dinner meals and MORE!
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