Pacific Crest Trail | Wing's World

I hereby refuse to apologize for any granite puns. When you’re in Tuolumne (“too-ALL-um-mee”), in the high country of Yosemite National Park, you’ll know why.

The Mate and I hadn’t been to Yosemite for–yikes, had it really been 11 years??? But that last trip, in spring of 2014, was only to the Valley. Tuolumne, at 9,000 feet, was still buried deep in snow then.

(with maybe a few peaks, like Cathedral, “peaking” out)

So, really, the last time we’d been in Tuolumne? We realized, to our chagrin, it had been DECADES. Thanks to our California cousins, who scored a couple of tent cabins (thanks to someone else’s cancelled reservations) and invited us to join them…we fixed that.

Oh, the backdrop of that swim?

just your average soul-shakingly beautiful mountain lake

Here’s what The Mate & I noticed right away about the contrast between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne: the Valley makes you look UP–at Yosemite, Bridalveil, Nevada & Vernal Falls; Half Dome, El Capitan. All the beautiful, famous stuff is UP. But it also makes you look OUT: for buses, kids on bikes, tour groups on their phones, gift shop souvenirs…you get the picture.

At Tuolumne, the beautiful stuff may be less famous…but it’s EVERYWHERE. Up, down, all around…with about 1/6 the # of people competing to be in it.

(Not all potholes were this inviting.)

Not sure I’d be able to climb back out of this one…

Speaking of potholes, one of the best walks I took was right up a modest, 200-foot dome called…Pothole Dome. The view from up there captures the granite world better than words.

Those trees probably feel about as permanent there as I did! We’re all just guests of the stone.

Tuolumne’s famous for plenty besides granite, of course: its meadows, best seen in spring, thick with wildflowers…

…but it’s August, so Tuolumne Creek will have to do!

…and the famous John Muir Trail, the Sierra section of the Pacific Crest Trail.

But let’s face it: those granite faces are really what the place is all about.

Cloud Rest…on the way to Half Dome (I wish I were!)

One morning I got up, pre-cousins, and took myself for a stroll along the creek. Something grey caught my eye–a baby dome I hadn’t even noticed–appropriately named (I learned later) Puppy Dome.

On the way out, we stopped to visit a handful of giant Sequoias, where the high Yosemite slopes down toward the Valley.

Big trees are always inspiring; I was happy to meet Big Red.

But leaving Tuolumne, it was Big Grey I took with me. I hope it’s not decades till I see these rocks again…but I know they’ll wait for me.

Like my new word? Thanks, so do I.

Since I really will backpack for chocolate, and since I just got home from doing just that, I’ve been making mental lists of the little extras that, over the years, have made ordinary camping trips extraordinary.

Though they’re most effective in backpacking, where luxury is harder to come by, I see no reason why these tips can’t be adapted for car-camping too.

Ready? Here we go:

Campetent campers pack mac & cheese. Highly Campetent campers do that too, but they add a small, chopped-up brick of real, extra-sharp cheddar…and some fresh greens. (Mustard greens are the best!)

Campetent campers pack a sleeping pad. Highly Campetent campers pack a chunk of carpet padding, 4 inches thick, 18 inches wide, long enough to pad a tired body from shoulders to knees, compressed in a sack to the size of a small sleeping bag. (I give all credit to my Mate on this one! Best camping sleep EVER.)

Campetent campers bring rope to hang their food out of reach of critters. Highly Campetent campers bring bright orange rope, so they don’t trip over it at the edge of their campsite.

Campetent campers stay fully hydrated. Highly Campetent campers stay fully hydrated in the knowledge that they can safely enjoy a small box of Cabernet after dinner and still be ready to hike next morning.

Campetent campers pack biodegradable soap. Highly Campetent campers make sure that soap is lavender, or peppermint, so when they take that icy, delicious creek-or-lake bath at the end of a hot trail day, not only does their body thank them, their fellow campers do too.

Campetent campers pack a change of clean clothes. Highly Campetent campers leave a change of clothes in the car to change into when they arrive, sweaty and dusty (or cold and wet).