Dewey Point
Camp/trail Review:
Dewey Point Trail is a mellow snowshoe/hiking/skiing trail.
The views are gorgeous throughout the hike—meadows, forests, ridges, etc.
The fact that you can walk up and get a wilderness camping pass on a weekend is amazing for Yosemite.
If you want to use clean bathrooms and get some grub before you hike, you can do so at Badger Pass.
Because I hiked this near the end of the snowshoeing season, there were only a few parts that actually needed snowshoes. Still, I was glad I brought them.
I had 2 bars of strong LTE signal (Verizon) at Dewey Point.
What I Learned:
I loved the sensation of hiking during a snowstorm. It’s just so lovely. Though the downside was that there was no grand view to be had when I arrived at Dewey Point. Though, the storm did clear up overnight, so the view in the morning was glorious.
While getting my permit, I got to see Badger Pass, and it just seems like a homely small ski area. I think my girls would like this place.
It was my first time trying out my new mountaineering boots—they were awesome! My foot felt comfortable (my left heel and big toe felt a little sore, but that cleared up once the hike got hard) and the shoe had lots of grip (almost no slippage the entire hike)!
It was also my first time trying out my upgraded propane stove. It’s so much more powerful and stable than my previous one! I love it!
I tried a dehydrated mushroom risotto meal from Firepot. It was delicious! Though I had a bit leftover as there was too much food for me.
My 3 season tent worked pretty well in the snow. However, I can see why if I wanted to camp more in snow, I’d want a 4 season tent. The 3 season tent was so much warmer when the wind died down. The winds picked back up in the morning, and I was definitely colder due to it. It also doesn’t help that I use a quilt, where the top is open. I got decent sleep once I jammed my jacket in there to stop the cold air from coming in.
I used the combination of a closed cell foam and insulated inflatable sleeping pad, and while it worked well at first, around 4 or 5 am, I definitely felt the ground feel chilly in the morning.
I backpacked with the heaviest load to date (~35 pounds on my back and wearing about 5 pounds). This was due to my having to carry water, snowshoes, and a bear canister on top of all the normal backpacking stuff. Though because it was such a short hike, it wasn’t too bad at all. I could have hiked another 5 miles.
I had been avoiding exercising my lower half for the past few weeks and it paid off. My knees gave me zero issues, nor did my ankles. My left hip, however, did speak up a bit, but it wasn’t too bad. I think I’ll continue to take it easy the next week or so (though that hip has been problematic on/off since last year, so maybe it’s something I just need to live with).
Fears Faced:
Camping in the snow—I have camped dozens, if not close to a hundred days in my life, but I had never camped in the snow. What I found was that it was more pleasant than camping in the rain, but it wasn’t as fun as camping in dry weather.
Media Consumed:
Stiff—finished!
Men Without Women—finished!
People Met:
There were fellow campers, a group of 15 and a group of 4. The four were from Mountain View, while the 15 were part of a guided tour.
8.4 miles, 5 hrs 34 mins, 1181 ft of ascent
What Happened?
I really wanted to go to the Sierras and go bag some peaks, but my legs were still iffy, so I decided to do an easier hike by backpacking to Dewey Point. It would allow me to still build strength, but since it was only 4 miles each way, I thought that it wouldn’t push my legs too hard.
When I called the ranger the day before, the ranger told me that there would be plenty of parking, and that I shouldn’t have an issue getting a wilderness permit the day-of, so didn’t need to get up super early or anything. I got there a bit after 1pm, and registered. The only thing was that the ranger who gave me the permit told me that unlike the ranger I spoke with, I couldn’t start a fire at any safe location—I had to find a fire ring, which would probably be impossible given the snow that was on the ground. So, when I started the hike, I remembered to leave the saw that I had packed.
My pack was pretty heavy, but because the distance was so short, it wasn’t too bad at all. The hike was pretty uneventful, but it was plenty beautiful. I did have some trouble route finding, since I was hiking in a snowstorm, but with my iPhone, it wasn’t bad at all.
When I got to Dewey Point, I must admit that I was disappointed at first. This was because due to the storm, I couldn’t see the valley at all. So, I got what pictures I could and setup camp. The snow started falling heavier and heavier, so I quickly heated up the water, and when that was done, I went inside the tent for the night.
I had some delicious dinner, and at the same time, heated up my very cold hands. When I finished, I brushed my teeth and decided to warm up by bundling myself in my sleeping bag. I actually fell asleep at like 6pm and woke up around 9pm. I guess I was tired! I had trouble falling asleep, so I used my strong cell signal to get on Instagram and finish my wordle for the day (I got it in two!).
When I actually fell asleep around 11pm, I found that the cold air and wind kept waking me up every hour or so. In the morning, the cold pad didn’t help either. Only after plugging the top of my sleeping quilt with my down jacket (around 5am) did I get continuous sleep. I woke up around 7am, but it was cold and I’m not as dedicated to photography as I would have guessed—I just kept warm in my sleeping bag. At 8am, I finally got up and bathed in the glory of the view at Dewey Point. However, the wind definitely kept picking up, so I decided to get out of dodge. I quickly packed everything up, and hiked back to my car. Because I was the first person on the trail, I again had a little trouble finding the right path, but again, it wasn’t too bad.
I got back to my car, removed as much snow from my car as I could, changed into my regular clothes, and headed home.
