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Besides, I could not plan my vacation that far in advance. Unlucky at cards and unlucky in love, I did not think I would fare very well in the lottery. But a lottery determines whether you will get a reservation. As a result, availability is limited.Īpplications for specific dates are available online. If they served large numbers of people it would defeat their purpose. Additionally, the camps themselves are very small. Enough snow must melt to make the trails passable. The camps do not open until June/July because of their altitude. You can book the high sierra trip online using this link. It was the chance to grow toward having the confidence to backpack solo.Īs you read the following sections, you will discover that the trip I wanted and the trip I got turned out to be completely different. I intended the High Sierra Loop as an incremental step toward becoming more self-reliant in the backcountry. We spend our lives well within our comfort zones repeating the same familiar routines. Like my solo overnight in a debris hut, this was a chance to grow incrementally, in a risk-controlled environment.Īmong native peoples, measuring oneself in nature has always been a rite of passage into adulthood. I could travel light, without needing to carry a tent, sleeping bag, stove, or a week’s worth of meals. A destination with people awaited the end of each day. I could hike and explore on my own, but there were relatively well marked trails. What if I get lost? What if I fall? The altitude? River crossings? Hypothermia? Don’t even get me started on the bears…Īs funny as it sounds when read from the page, these are very real psychological impediments for anyone considering a solo trip in the wilderness. I had the knowledge, I had the equipment, and I had the motivation. The obvious solution was to backpack solo. But as my friends and I rose through the corporate ranks, coordinating vacation time became as difficult as staging a World Cup in Qatar. I always backpacked with at least one trusted buddy. You see, I do not have solo backpacking experience. The camps themselves are supplied by the mule trains that bring food and supplies. I hiked 7 days and cannot recall encountering a saddle trip on the trail. Mules depart from Tulumne Meadows and carry riders on 4 and 6-day trips. As I recall, two of the camps had showers and one even had a small sink and washer-board so hikers could wash their clothes.īesides hiking from camp to camp, the park provides saddle trips for those who prefer to ride. Potable water is available at all the camps to refill water bottles.īathrooms are usually composting toilets. The staff provides a sandwich, fruit, and snack to fuel your journey to the next camp. These meals need to be booked in advance when you reserve a spot at the camp. Hikers sit at long communal tables and share meals while swapping stories of the day. Breakfast and dinner are served family style in each camp’s dining cabin. The camps also provide meals to those who want them. Hikers should bring a sleeping bag liner because the mattress sheets and wool blanket are not washed the entire season. The cabins have neither electricity nor running water. Candles provide light and a small wood stove keeps things cozy overnight.
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Although the staff tries to keep groups in the same cabin, you should expect to find yourself sharing your quarters with other hikers of your gender. Four bunk-beds provide sleeping for eight. The tent-cabins are rigid frames covered by canvas. But the camp also offers tent-cabins to “loop hikers” who want the backcountry experience without the need to carry sleeping bag or tent. Backpackers stay at a traditional backpacker’s campsite. The camps offer two types of accommodations.
#DIRAC LIVE HIGH SIERRA PDF#
Here is a detailed trail map, with hiking distances, in PDF format. As you might expect, altitude and elevation gain factor into planning your trip. Camps vary in elevation from 7,800’ to 10,300’. So starting from Tuolumne Meadows, you can complete the circuit in 6 days’ hiking. Each camp is a day’s hike from at least two other camps. Yosemite National Park has 5 High Sierra Camps arranged in a 49-mile loop.