How Our Hiking Pack Saved the Day

With only a short time at Yosemite, we planned one day for a driving tour (Check out the last blog about our visit during the shutdown here) and another day for a hike. The day before leaving, our planned hike day, turned out to be cool and overcast, with a slight chance of rain. Being from Florida, we didn’t let that stop us!

We planned to hike the Merced Grove trail, a less frequented out and back trail to a small grove of Sequoia trees. Since we had not been able to visit Mariposa Grove during out tour, we thought this would be a nice trade off, especially since Sequoia National Forest is our next stop on our California adventures.

Since it wasn’t a dog friendly trail, we took Luna for a good walk and settled her in with the radio and treats, then we grabbed snacks, water and our hiking pack (for more on what else is in our always ready hiking pack, check out THIS previous blog!) and set out. It was a cool day in the 50’s at that elevation, so we had on layers to stay warm.

The trailhead has a parking area and a pit toilet, as well as a map and trail information. It was 2 miles to the grove and the old cabin–the most common turn around, and it was an out and back trail through the trees. Part of the trail was a 700 mile elevation change in the last mile to the cabin–downhill going out and uphill coming back! But it was a logging trail, so wide and clear without too many tripping hazards.

About a mile in, just as we were starting the steep descent, there was a slight drizzle and I got a moderate rain weather alert. Knowing they sometimes miss, and that we had our pack, we decided to continue on. As the rain increased, we raided our hiking pack, finding that I had never stocked it with ponchos and hadn’t added more hand warmers, so we made due with the Mylar emergency blanket–we looked and felt like giant balloons!

By the time we reached the cabin, we were pretty soaked and chilly, so stopped under the eaves for a break from the light rain. The cabin wasn’t accessible and there wasn’t any information there, but online we later found that it had been a summer cabin for the park superintendent with basics like a bedroom, kitchen and living room. Sounded perfect to me, except that steep climb to it!

We waited a few minutes, but there was no break from the rain and both us and the weather was getting cooler in the cloudy afternoon hours. With no choice but to trudge back, we wrapped back up and headed out. The teenager was not happy with us at this point and, while we weren’t happy, we were making the best of it.

By the time we reached the truck, we had completed about 4 miles in just under 2 hours, and the temperature had dropped to 44 degrees! We had seen plenty of chipmunks, a few deer, and only a few other hikers, which was nice. The trees were beautiful and I couldn’t believe how big the pine cones were in the forest!

Hot showers and a warm meal were on the agenda for the rest of the day! I also had some new items to add to our hiking kit–ponchos and hand warmers–and would need to replace the Mylar blankets. But I was sure glad we had them!

While the weather wasn’t great, it sure will be a great memory for us, even if no one else would pose with me for a post hike photo! Wish us luck the next time we try to get the teenager out for a hike on a cloudy day!

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