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ignatiusjk
6-Jun-2012, 14:26
I'm going to Yosemite next week and I'm planning on going up to Cathedral Peak. Has anyone hiked to Cathedral Peak, what's the hike like? I've seen a possible short cut which takes you to Upper Cathedral lake by way of cutting across by Pywiack dome.I'm also going to North Dome but there's no short cut there.Can't wait!!!

Vaughn
6-Jun-2012, 15:35
It has been years since I backpacked to the Cathedral Lakes. It was May, probably 1976, give or take a year. Post-holed it all the way to Upper Cathedral Lake while my lighter friend could stay on top of the snow. Slip/slided down the snow to the lower lake where we could see a tiny bit of snow-free ground and open water at the outlet. Lakes were still frozen over -- played frisbee on the lower lake wearing nuthin' but boots. The frisbee floated nicely over the ice at that altitude!

We hiked out via the outlet stream of Lower Cathedral Lake as it was snow-free...but an interesting scramble/slide down the granite "apron". Ah youth and the knowledge of one's immortality! We followed the outlet creek all the way to Hyw 120, just skirting the southern end of Pywiack Dome. I think that might be the way you'd go up, also. Don't really know.

I do not think your idea of a short cut will be that short (to the peak, anyway) -- more elevation gain than using the John Muir Trail (but only a couple hundred feet difference -- but a steep SOB), but less people. pretty easy hike in on the John Muir.

Vaughn

Drew Wiley
6-Jun-2012, 16:04
Pretty mild hike by Sierra standards. It's still very early in the season, so mush,muck. or
fast creeks are likely somewhere. It's a drought year but there have been recent snowstorms. Check with the Park Service or Google Earth for snowpack amt.

Brian Vuillemenot
6-Jun-2012, 19:45
It's a very nice hike and only 3 or 4 miles from the trailhead to get to the lake and meadow near cathedral peak. The time I hiked up, a young couple were skinny dippiong in the lake! I watched the sunset and photogreaphed the peak and lake in the dusk light. The way back was harder, as there is about 1/2 mile of trail through the woods just before the meadow that is very poorly marked, and I only had a flashlight to see with at night. I kept going down dead end false trails and then spent much of the night crouched beside the trail trying to stay warm. I finally found my way back to the car at 5:00 am. I'll be sure to bring the GPS on my next trip up there!

tgtaylor
7-Jun-2012, 10:23
Cathedral Lakes is probably the number 1 backpacking destinations in Yosemite. Reason: A short (~3.7miles) and relatively easy (1000 foot elevation gain) hike from the road to a very scenic destination:

Cathedral Peak

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/7348797020_e374071980_z.jpg

Due to its popularity you may have problems securing an overnight permit for Cathedral Lakes. If the quota has been reached ask for a permit to stay at Upper Cathedral Lake which is about an easy mile further uphill toward Catherdal Pass with good campsites and very few people stay there. Bears are active in that area. Once, while hiking from the Valley to Reds Meadow, I ran into a group of hikers that apparently left their food unsecured and was stolen by the bears. Since I was planning to resupply at the Tuolumne Meadows store, I sold them one of my meals.

Thomas

Harley Goldman
7-Jun-2012, 15:09
about 8 years ago, I day-hiked up during the day, hung out until dusk and hiked back in the dark with a flashlight. As Drew said, by Sierra standards, it is a very reasonable hike.

If they only allowed dogs, I would do it again. Hiking without my dog just doesn't seem natural.

ROL
7-Jun-2012, 16:03
about 8 years ago, I day-hiked up during the day, hung out until dusk and hiked back in the dark with a flashlight. As Drew said, by Sierra standards, it is a very reasonable hike.

As have I, back by starlight. But, I can't recommend it as the results were obviously not worth it:


Alpenglow, Cathedral Peak
http://\www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/color/Color-Tuolumne/Sunset%2C%20Cathedral%20Peak.jpg

I certainly would not recommend your "shortcut" unless you know the area well, are experienced in cross-country wilderness travel, and and don't care that it will actually take you longer than the well-used trail. BTW, the easiest of Cathedral's many fine routes involves its class 4 (roped?) summit block – but well worth it :).

Keith S. Walklet
7-Jun-2012, 17:07
As have I, back by starlight. But, I can't recommend it as the results were obviously not worth it:


Alpenglow, Cathedral Peak
http://\www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/color/Color-Tuolumne/Sunset%2C%20Cathedral%20Peak.jpg

I certainly would not recommend your "shortcut" unless you know the area well, are experienced in cross-country wilderness travel, and and don't care that it will actually take you longer than the well-used trail. BTW, the easiest of Cathedral's many fine routes involves its class 4 (roped?) summit block – but well worth it :).

Keith S. Walklet
7-Jun-2012, 17:24
As you surmised, there is a climbers route (hike) that is shorter than the main trail. It goes to the lower lake. The short-cut is not physically demanding, but there are a few spots where one can get turned around if they don't know the route. In a year with a lot of snow, that can be tricky.

As the other posters mentioned, the main trail from Tuolumne to the upper lake is neither long, nor difficult. Getting top of Cathedral Peak itself was more of a pain than I guessed it would be. There are numerous volunteer trails up the east flank, and from what I was told, the main route up the peak is at the southeast corner. The volunteer trails make the east flank look like an aluvial fan. Too many IMO, and they are full off loose stuff. The top of the ridge is a massive rockpile. I often go where I shouldn't, and when I reached the top of the ridge running toward Tuolumne and was scoping out methods to get to the spire, or even just to the saddle between the spires, I demurred.

After reading Vaughn's description of his youthful expedition, I exhaled slowly. That slab that the creek follows is spectacular, but that early in the year, it had to get the blood flowing. The only other person I know that hiked up that way was Jeff Grandy.

And TG, that's Echo Peaks in your lovely photo, a wonderful destination, BTW. ;-)

Darin Boville
7-Jun-2012, 19:47
I did this hike a year or two ago with my family (from Tuolumne) and it was a nice hike, as far as the trail went. A little uphill here and there, if I remember right, but nothing significant. What I remember most is the "meadow" just before you get the the lake. When we were there it was not a meadow but a swamp, with the most amazingly large, black, and aggressive mosquitoes I've seen in a long while. Rather insanely aggressive. It was horrible, really. When you actually got to the bare stone and the lake it was better but that sort of colored the whole hike. My youngest kid, normally the most stoic of hikers was really upset. We stayed at the lake only and hour or two before retreating back through the hideous swamp... :)

--Darin

Drew Wiley
8-Jun-2012, 16:29
I guess if you include mosquitoes, Yosemite certainly rivals Yellowstone in terms of wildlife.

ROL
11-Jun-2012, 10:20
Cathedral Peak

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/7348797020_e374071980_z.jpg


Thomas, I don't really want to start an argument here, but are you sure your pic is of Cathedral? It doesn't really match any view I am personally aware of, but seems more likely that these may be the nearby Echo Peaks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9YqYt63ClE (end of video)



http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/SupportPics/LFPF/ThunderheadTuolumneMdw.jpg

tgtaylor
11-Jun-2012, 11:30
Thomas, I don't really want to start an argument here, but are you sure your pic is of Cathedral? It doesn't really match any view I am personally aware of, but seems more likely that these may be the nearby Echo Peaks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9YqYt63ClE (end of video)



http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/SupportPics/LFPF/ThunderheadTuolumneMdw.jpg

No argument imagined ROL. Which is which has always been confusing to me. In fact I may have mistaken Echo Peaks for Cathedral Peak when I first hiked ion the area: I as coming from the south on the JMT.

However my photo above was shot on the north side of cathedral lakes and not over Cathedral Pass to the south. If you look carefully at the very bottom on the image a little to the right of center you'll see the heads of two hikers slightly intruding into the bottom of the frame. They are on the JMT on the lower lakes side and heading back in. Here's a USGS 7.5 minute map of the area:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7362424094_e575b938c1_b.jpg

Note that the “peak” has a lateral component that would cut across (east) the trail the hikers are on. Note also the apparently large meadow the hikers are crossing. Now look at Echo Peak further to the south. Its prominence appears to be parallel with the trail. Coupled with the fact that I did not go further than lower lakes that day and for the hikers to be in a meadow area they would have had to been in the large meadow on the north side of the pass, I “think that the photo is of Cathedral Peak.

Thomas

Keith S. Walklet
11-Jun-2012, 14:42
No argument imagined ROL. Which is which has always been confusing to me.
Thomas

It is easy to get turned around with so many spectacular peaks in the area, and each a cathedral in its own right... The cluster in your lovely photo is Echo Peaks, which has some terrific climbing routes, and, in my estimation, one of the best summit views in all of Yosemite. Attached is an image of Matthes Crest I captured 2009 from the summit of Echo Peaks, the same trip I climbed the shoulder of Cathedral Peak (BTW, awesome views of Cathedral from up there, too).

ROL
11-Jun-2012, 18:21
Thomas, only you know, or believe you know, where the pic was taken. It seems a though it might have been taken just south of Cathedral Pass, by your own description. The marked forested slabs southeast of the pass on your map also matches this location in your pic, as opposed to the "barren" west flank of Cathedral. This photo (of Cathedral) was taken from a meadow through which the JMT passes immediately north and somewhat below the upper lake:


http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/SupportPics/LFPF/CathedralPk%26Mdw.jpg


The fortuitous comparison video link provided of Echo Pks., taken generally from the west, also appears to match your photo, albeit at a much greater distance. Perhaps your choice of lens and shooting position foreshortened the distance between Cathedral and the Echo group, flattening Cathedral in the bargain. Well, I'll leave it at that. I do think you've convinced someone (;)) that it is Cathedral, just not me.

Michael Gordon
12-Jun-2012, 07:44
Thomas, I don't really want to start an argument here, but are you sure your pic is of Cathedral? It doesn't really match any view I am personally aware of, but seems more likely that these may be the nearby Echo Peaks:


Thomas's image is most definitely the Echo Peaks.

Keith S. Walklet
12-Jun-2012, 09:07
Thomas,

This snap should help with a lay of the land...

tgtaylor
12-Jun-2012, 09:34
Thanks Keith and ROL. Actually it certainly doesn't look like a "cathedral" to me either. I shot it with a 75mm lens on a P67II from a spot somewhere to the west near the red "14" on the map. I ran across the slide about a month ago and printed it on my Epson 2200. Curiously I filed it as "Cathedral Peak Area" in the computer. When I posted to this thread I consulted my map (above) and although I shot the image a few years ago I fully remember that day and never went anywhere towards Upper Lake. Here is another photo that I took that day (same camera and lens):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7365740304_65e46ea053_z.jpg

Anyone have an idea what this is of?

Thomas

Keith S. Walklet
12-Jun-2012, 09:57
Anyone have an idea what this is of?

Thomas

That is the elusive Cathedral Peak. ;-)

Love the foreground, BTW.

tgtaylor
12-Jun-2012, 10:37
Thanks for clearing that up for me Keith. The Cathedral Peak image was shot just a little ways to the left of where I shot the Echo Peaks image so it looks like you can capture both from the lower lakes area. At the time I was looking for a foreground and spotted the glacial erratic and used the 75mm lens so as not to throw the peak too far in the background. A strong wind came up after I shot this and it began to hail but no rain followed.

Thomas

Keith S. Walklet
12-Jun-2012, 10:54
The Cathedral Peak image was shot just a little ways to the left of where I shot the Echo Peaks image so it looks like you can capture both from the lower lakes area. Thomas
Yup. Especially from the western shore of the lake.



A strong wind came up after I shot this and it began to hail but no rain followed.

Wasn't by any chance September of 2009? That's when the images I made were captured. It was one of the few times we had weather for our backcountry expeditions.

BTW, for some nice footage of that area, check out this video by Scot Miller. Echo Peaks shows up around the 3:00 minute mark. Also, an avalanche at 3:40!

http://tinyurl.com/6njxenp

tgtaylor
12-Jun-2012, 11:40
Wasn't by any chance September of 2009? That's when the images I made were captured. It was one of the few times we had weather for our backcountry expeditions.

BTW, for some nice footage of that area, check out this video by Scot Miller. Echo Peaks shows up around the 3:00 minute mark. Also, an avalanche at 3:40!

http://tinyurl.com/6njxenp

No, it was sometime before '09. I can't remember if it was during the spring, summer or fall. I have a hazy rememberance of snow on the trail on the climb up which goes thru forest but that may have been another trip.

Thanks for the links! It's always nice viewing others trips in the Sierra :)

Thomas

Preston
12-Jun-2012, 12:01
Nice shots of the area, gents! Brings back some great memories--thanks!

--P

David_Senesac
15-Jun-2012, 23:19
For decades I've used the short cut described vaguely on the below link whenever going up there. Much quicker, however not for amateurs as there is a short cliff section those without good mountain sense might do something stupid. In some places looks like a well used route and in others it disappears over bedrock and is difficult to regain. Yosemite backcountry rangers use it all the time to check on those using that zone.

http://www.summitpost.org/medlicott-dome/153053

Have descended the shortcut well after dusk like after taking the below pic that is rather dangerous because there is just one way back over the cliff that when dark is difficult to assess. Much better to just take the standard trail to the meadows. Am certain to improve on this given more dramatic weather at sunset some fall.

http://www.summitpost.org/cathedral-peak-summits/229956/c-150524