Sierra Nevada - Yosemite National Park

Sunset on Half Dome - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

On October 4-5, 1975 Stan Haye and I backpacked to 11,120' Rafferty Peak in Yosemite National Park on our way home from a week of California Appraiser Training related to our employment in Fresno, California.

We left Fresno about 2 p.m. and stopped to ride the bus tram through the Mariposa Grove, then had dinner at Yosemite Lodge and viewed a slide show before getting a campsite in the valley.

We got up about 7:30 a.m. and after a cold breakfast secured a Wilderness Permit at the Valley Visitor Center and drove to the Tuolumne Meadows campground.

We headed up the Elizabeth Lake trail about 11 a.m. and stopped near the lake for lunch about 12:30.

Around 1:30 we headed cross-country on over the "pass" to Echo Creek and down through pretty country to a short climb to Nelson Lake, arriving about 3:30.

A large lake with a number of campsites and not too heavily used although there were 6 people already there.

We continued on easy cross country to Reymann Lake where we made camp. Nice campsites, little use. Another couple came in after a while, having cross-countried from the "pass".

After supper we sat around the campfire before hitting the sack. It frosted that night.

We got up around 8 and after breakfast headed over easy cross-country to the "pass" north of Rafferty Peak.

We left our packs and proceeded over easy slabs and boulders to the Peak - arriving about 11:30 and ate lunch.

We returned to the pass and finished lunch before descending over easy country to the Rafferty Creek Trail.

We followed the Rafferty Creek Trail down to the Lyell Canyon and Muir Trail, then on to Tuolumne Meadows campground arriving around 3:30.

We headed home, stopped for supper in Bishop and I was home in Lone Pine by about 8 p.m. This was a great trip.

Rafferty Peak Loop Map

Elizabeth Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Echo Pass - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Head of Echo Creek - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Peak near head of Echo Creek - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Upper Echo Creek - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Echo Creek below Nelson Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Looking up Echo Creek below Nelson Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

East of trail below Nelson Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Trail below Nelson Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Nelson Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Looking back at Nelson Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Reymann Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Sunset at Reymann Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Reymann Lake - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Reymann Lake, Matthes Crest from "Rafferty Pass" - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Mount Conness, Tioga Pass from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Mount Conness, Tioga Pass, Mount Dana from Rafferty Peak
Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Mount Conness from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Tioga Pass (center text Mount Dana (center right) from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Tioga Pass (center left), Mount Dana (center right) from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Evelyn Lake, Rafferty Creek from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Evelyn Lake from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Tuolumne Pass area from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Banner Peak, Mt. Ritter, Tuolumne Pass, Townsley Lake from Rafferty Peak
Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Banner Peak, Mt. Ritter, Townsley Lake from Rafferty Peak
Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Vogelsang Pass, Vogelsang Peak, Vogelsang Lake from Rafferty Peak
Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Nelson Lake, Clouds Rest from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Nelson Lake from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Nelson Lake, Clouds Rest from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Matthes Crest from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Raymann Lake from Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Ridge south of Rafferty Peak - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975

Descending Rafferty Creek - Yosemite National Park - Oct 1975