Ralston Snowshoe

This winter has been full of firsts.  The past few winters I simply stopped going to the high country when snow started.  This winter I was determined to continue exploring.  Snowshoes have been a great addition.  I would never even consider heading up on a day like today one year ago.  It had snowed heavily over the past couple of days, so fresh powder was going to be everywhere.  Henry and I headed up Hwy 50 to attempt Mount Ralston and see how far we could get

The morning was frigid and my water in my nalogene froze completely within the first half hour of hiking.  We headed straight up the mountain and at times caught glimpses of use trails which had been buried deep in snow.  The wind whipped all around us as we trudged upward without much in the terms of views.  As we approached the summit some of the clouds dispersed for just a few seconds revealing a few stunning views of Echo Lakes and the Tahoe Basin beneath us.  

 Our time on the summit was extremely short due to the extreme cold.  We were both eager to get off the windy ridge and find a spot farther down to grab a snack and some water.   A great day in the snow!

Mount Dana, Tioga Peak

Glacier Point to Half Dome

One of the best trails ever.  The route from Glacier Pt. to Half Dome has it all...huge views of Yosemite Valley, tons of waterfalls, way less people than the Mist Trail, and a spectacular finish up the cables to infamous Half Dome.  I got to Glacier Pt. around dinner time to find that it was snowing on and off.  There were just a few photographers and i there with incredible views of Half Dome peering out behind the clouds.  

I woke up early to start heading across the Panorama Trail.  The Panorama Trail is incredible.  The views are world class the entire time.  I got to see the sunrise as I approached the top of Nevada Falls.  I had got my Half Dome permit as the cables were put up 3 weeks before labor day due to a dry winter.  Thankfully the light snow from the night before was melting under the sun as I headed up to the cables.  There were 3 of us on top of Half Dome with the place to ourselves!  An incredible day on an awesome route of the highlights of Yosemite!