Yosemite High Sierra Camps

Labor Day weekend marked the first Leiterman Family High Sierra Adventure. It was pretty incredible. My mother, father, father's partner, sister, and brother-in-law all spent four days and four nights in Yosemite, hiking by day between 7,000 and 10,000 feet. Mind you, the Leiterman clan is not normally the most sporty of families. I think it is fair to say we are more inclined to sit on couches, eat snacks, and look at pictures of mountains that to actually climb them. AND, my parents both turned 60 this year. Here's the hearty crew, not yet aware of the pain, dust and compromised lung capacity that awaited them (above is Lembert Dome and Tuolomne Meadows as we hiked away from them on Day 2):

High Sierra Camps are neat-o. They're like little M*A*S*H compounds of tent-cabins that are staffed by humans and provisioned by mules. Ie, no need to carry stove, water filter, sleeping bag, bear cannister, tent .... You get to see beautiful backcountry, yet still eat a hot breakfast and dinner and take a shower if you are so inclined (I was not). Think backpacking, but with no backpack! (Unless you are me, and insist on bringing your down vest and a couple of tetrapaks of red wine.)

These guys brought up our fresh field greens and portobello ravioli and the kerosene to cook them, and brought down our Hammer Bar wrappers. Thank you!

Camping in the High Sierra Camps was far more social than backpacking normally is: we sat at big, summer-camp style tables every night and got to trade trail notes with the other campers. Interestingly, they tended to be closer to my parents' age than my own (leave it to Californians to be more fit than I am when they're two decades my senior).

Above, my adorable mother, who maintained her commitment to fashion even at 9,000 feet. We hiked alongside Fletcher Creek for most of Day 3:


Babcock Lake:


Yep, that's Half Dome in the distance, looming over Merced Lake. We hiked all the way down to that d*** lake!


Early morning light on Merced Lake, Day 3 (and yes, I did, in fact, get up early. It was so cold we went to bed every night at 8, so I was almost adequately rested by the time the sun came up at 6):


Sunrise at Sunrise High Sierra Camp (Day 4):


Thanks Rachel, for organizing an amazing trip.