Boothe Lake to Tuolumne Meadows
MVP
N95 Mask—It helped me breath in cleaner air, since the smoke was everywhere on this day. At the end, there were dark spots near my nose, which just confirmed how well the mask was working.
Camp Review:
My thoughts on Boothe Lake can be read here.
In the morning, the lake was placid. Because it was below freezing, there were ice formations all along the beach, which gave a satisfying crunch as I walked.
What I Learned:
I’m so glad I put on my n95 mask the whole day except for eating. Unlike the first day, I didn’t have a headache at the end of the day.
Although this day didn’t have much in terms of ascent, I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the car. I think a big breakfast could have helped with that, but I really didn’t feel like eating.
The smokey conditions really put a damper on my mood for the day. Looking at Tuolumne Meadow’s air quality monitor, it looks like I hiked between 150-300+ AQI conditions the whole day.
I keep forgetting how to pronounce Tuolumne, so I’m going to write it down here phonetically. It’s too-oll-e-me.
Fears Faced:
Hiking in lots of smoke—It was worse than Saturday with thick smoke that was present from when I woke up to the whole drive home. Unlike Saturday, I left my mask on the whole day, which tired me out faster, but it also helped me avoid a ton of smoke.
Media Consumed:
48 Laws of Power—finished!
People Met:
I had a good conversation with an older dude who had hiked 3 nights from Yosemite Valley. He was from Oregon and lived in the woods, and we just talked about how terrible the fires were and how fire season has become the new norm in the west.
7.6 miles, 4 hrs 4 mins, 264 ft of ascent
What Happened?
I woke up having mastered how to adjust my sleeping bag temperature. When I went to sleep with just my base layer on, and found it still too hot at the start of the night, when it was about 40 degrees. I figured out that if I relaxed the elastic band all the way, there would be airflow around the edges of my quilt, and I could get cooler. In the middle of the night, when I woke up, I then just tightened the band to get a better seal and keep warmer, as it was below freezing outside.
When I woke, it was already light out, but even after 10 hrs of sleep, I wanted some more so I read a little while snuggled up in my sleeping quilt.
After heating up my 2nd layer, I put those on and started my day with a nice cup of milk tea. When I finally zipped down my tent door, I was expecting to see a smoke-free view like the morning before, but it was the opposite. The sun, which had just started peeking over the trees was blood red, and Fletcher Peak was obscured with tons of smoke.
I took a quick stroll by the lake, but after a few photos, I lost my appetite for breakfast, and decided to just hike out as quick as possible.
The hike down Rafferty Creek Trail was gloomy and smoky. The view should have been drop dead gorgeous, but with the thick smoke, much of it was obscured.
I made it back to Tuolumne Meadows tired and exhausted, and after a quick conversation with a fellow hiker, quickly drove home—hoping to escape the smoke as soon as possible.
