Mono Pass
7.9 miles, Ascent 1,080’ climb the western slope of the Sierra Nevada to Mono Pass (10,630’) to enjoy views of Ansel Adams Wilderness to the South, Upper Sardine Lake and Mono Lake.
After setting up our first camp in Tuolumne Meadows and looking over our hiking options we decided to hike Mono Pass since we still had the van to drive back up to the trailhead. There were just 4 cars in the lot and for the first couple miles, we had the trail to ourselves. It was already late in the afternoon and the forecast warned of thunderstorms so we didn’t expect to make it to Mono Pass. We were just excited to finally start exploring the Sierras and see what we could discover.
On this hike, the most intriguing find was the tree bark contortions - for which we still have no definitive explanation. After asking a ranger and a tour guide later that week - it apparently wasnt bark beetle, possibly lightening, but neither seemed to explain what we observed all along this trail. The colors and twisted patterns around every corner kept catching our eye as well as the surprising mix of evergreens, each one adding to the unique beauty of the area. Over the next week, we learned to identify them all - Lodgepole, White Sugar Pine, Cedars, Douglas Firs.
Just 1.5 miles from the Pass we agreed it was time to turn around. Sunset was fast approaching, thunder had started rolling across the valley, dropping a few light showers on us and we were still feeling twinges of the elevation change.
Back at the creek crossing, a ripple caught my eye and we realized there was a whole nursery of little fish stuck in a pool just above the rocks we had hopped across. No signs of any other wildlife yet, other than tiny little frogs jumping across the trail and the squirrels hastily gathering seeds for their winter stores.
In spite of the dry conditions, I did spot a couple lively looking mosses tucked into the cracks of the rocks. Somehow they had found enough moisture to carry them through til winter.
On our drive back to camp, we had to pull over and capture the reflections in a small pond next to the road as the sun began to paint the surrounding peaks a vibrant orange. It was still sinking in that we were finally in Yosemite and had four more days to explore Tuolumne before heading to the Valley. With several more hikes in the area, we were already planning for the next one.
