Dana Meadows
The path
to Dana, an "unofficial" trail, begans at the Tioga Pass entrance to
Yosemite. It's a congested area, but the avalanche-scarred slopes and
the alpine beauty of Dana Meadows contrasts with the RV-coated
pavement. By careful to stay east of the imaginary line created by
the park boundary, though, or the rangers will yell at you.
A Detour
Since it's only
a "use" path, there are a few variations to the route. Choosing this
one made life a little more challenging, but crawling rock-to-rock at
the edge of a precipitous drop was wonderful. A light and
surprisingly warm breeze out of the Mono Basin helped enhance the
high-mountain feeling.
Glacier
Canyon
Suffering a bit from a poor snow year. What an amazing
2,000' plunge to Dana Lake.
13,057'
Depends on
which topo map you refer to, actually.
The Summit Interpretive
Guide
A marmot of unusual size (as determined by unanimous vote
of the folks on the summit) spends the better part of an hour staring
at us and posing for photos.
The Route
A very nice
trail that's not a "trail." Reading Forest and Crag, I learned
about early-20th-century divide between those who favored graded
recreational paths and those who advocated only basic access to
"interesting" terrain. The treadway-graders were sent west in the
end, but this route proves there are still plenty of ways out here to
enjoy the bones of the mountain without striking out
cross-country.
The Summit Approach
A
rather chubby marmot shares the wonderful view back toward Tioga Pass
along the final steps to the summit. Saddlebag Lake, site of many a
summer skiing adventure, can be seen nestled in the mountains behind
Tioga Peak.
Mono Lake
A steep plunge
from the Sierra Crest takes you to the alkaline waters of Mono Lake,
once nearly sucked dry by L.A.'s water needs but now slowly
recovering.
Dana Couloir
A classic
ski descent to be explored later.