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Day 1: Budd Lake (almost)

August 17, 2005. We planned to do a short hike to Budd Lake to warm up and acclimate for some more serious hiking in the following days (3 miles, 1400 ft. gain to 10,000 ft., one way), but after lunch at Tenaya Lake, it was already well into the afternoon. We ended up wandering well off the the trail along Budd Creek and climbing some granite slabs between the lake and Unicorn Peak. Unfortunately, we never got a view of the lake, though we probably hiked more than the prescribed distance.

Tenaya Lake

Lunch at Tenaya Lake: After a 5 hour drive to Yosemite, we stopped for lunch at Tenaya Lake. Some kids made a sand castle on the beach.

Budd Creek Trail

Along the Trail: Genny with some enormous mushrooms on a log crossing Budd Creek. (1) Close up of those mushrooms. (2) A framed view from the trail. (3) Panorama including Mt. Dana.

Climbing Some Slabs: Wide-angle view of a ridge made of granite slabs that we climbed for fun. Steeper than it looks. (1) My dad approaching the ridge. (2) My dad on top of the ridge. (3) Genny on the top. (4) I'm there too.

Views from the Ridge: Cathedral Peak. (1) Unicorn Peak was relatively close. (2) Lambert Dome under cloud cover. (3) Looking back over Tuolumne Meadows.

End of the Day

Rolling Clouds: After our short hike, we exited Yosemite and went down to our first base camp at June Lake. Here is a view of some rolling clouds from Highway 395 just after sunset.

Go to Day 2.

Last modified: Thu Oct 20 00:46:35 CDT 2005