With Tioga still open and blues skies for the foreseeable future, I will probably head up again this weekend (last weekend was beautiful).

I would love to hear drom anyone with current hiking conditions for trails accessible from tioga like for mt Dana, Etc.

Cheers

Dana looked really dry on all the exposed upper portion. Pretty much worst case is 6-8 inches in the northern shaded pockets down low. I did the Cathedral lakes trail and mountain boots were nice to have as it's icy at times. I remember thinking as I drove by how dry Dana looked.

I was in the Yosemite High Country last weekend and the only problem that you'll have is deciding where to go because just about everything is accessible!

We ended up hiking up Snow Creek to Mt. Hoffman and hiking out to Mt. Watkins from Olmstead Point which I would strongly recommend. Access into Tenaya Canyon is relatively simple...have fun!

thanks for the posts. I checked out Clouds Rest and North Dome on New Years day and pretty much as "thegib" said, patchs of snow/ice on lower northfacing regions. Thanks for the Hoffman/Watkins ideas, that might be a nice alternative if my buddy comes.

We ended up doing Mt Dana on Sunday (Jan 08, 2012) morning and it was just snow patches that were largely avoidable, and mainly below the treeline. Looking for something similar next weekend. Maybe Hoffman?

smurfer wrote:We ended up doing Mt Dana on Sunday (Jan 08, 2012) morning and it was just snow patches that were largely avoidable, and mainly below the treeline. Looking for something similar next weekend. Maybe Hoffman?

I can't speak to Hoffmann but Tuolumne Peak is past Hoffman and you start on the same trail. Tuolumne has great views and the summit is pretty cool. A minor class 2/3 of maybe 20 feet to get to the summit and a longer approach but very worthwhile.

Thanks for the suggestion Marm. Will look that one up. Cheers.

Marmaduke has a good suggestion there. Views are better than Hoffmann, plus no radio equipment up top.

I am thinking of hiking Mt Dana this Sunday. But from the weather forecasts
http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/ ... casts/3979, it seems like
-15F temperature with 20-30 mph winds are waiting @ 13000 ft, on Sunday afternoon .

@smurfer
Was the weather similar, when you climbed last week ?

juggernaut wrote:I am thinking of hiking Mt Dana this Sunday. But from the weather forecasts
http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/ ... casts/3979, it seems like
-15F temperature with 20-30 mph winds are waiting @ 13000 ft, on Sunday afternoon .

@smurfer
Was the weather similar, when you climbed last week ?

Jug, We used the same website before we went up. The temps (20s or <10 with wind chill) and freezing level (~11,000 ft) were more like what you currently see for this friday but wind was 15 mph. The wind direction on the website was not accurate. We really layered up as it was super cold at Lee Vining where we stayed, but we felt warm going up in the sun and mostly wind protected (from south and east). We only really felt cold when we got within a few yards (going down 5 yards and the wind disappeared) of the ridge line near the top, or at the top. I.e. it was cold in places but quite comfortable overall, or even toasty in places on the western route in the sun. With the wind direction we had from the east, the temp was more like the non-windchill temp (but obviously it could be different for you this weekend)

I would keep an eye on the weather, and I would probably not go up Sunday, unless the weather pushes back slightly - unless you get up and partly down before that strong wind comes. Saturday might be a more comfortable walk, if you can make it.

Thanks for all that info., smurfer. I appreciate it.
I'll follow the weather more closely and see if i can hike.

For what its worth, I hiked up Dana on Saturday morning . . . it was cold as heck & very windy.

I didn't record a temperature - but I wore thermals, a light down jacket and winderbreaker while hiking up hill and was still cold. For the record, I'm usually very comfortable in colder weather. I set out intending on continuing to Gibbs, but decided against it due to my discomfort in the strong wind.

That said, the crisp clear air made for some beautiful views.

On Sunday, while smurfer was hiking Dana, I decided to hike at a lower elevation and in a location with more cover from the wind.

thanks labgloves !