Continuing my imaginary trail ride in heaven, this finds us riding east down the backside of Glacier Point towards the Panorama Cliff Trails and on. The views up here are beyond spellbinding
Panorama Cliff Trail
Panorama Cliff and the Illilouette Gorge
The morning light cuts sharp across the high granite as your golden palomino steps with steady, iron-shod cadence off the open perch at Glacier Point, heading south and east along the Panorama Trail. Beneath her thick winter coat and dark, oiled Wade saddle, her muscles move smoothly over the snow-dusted rock. The wind off the canyon carries the clean, resinous scent of red fir mixed with the icy bite of incoming mountain flurries. Your leather chaps, wool vest, and silk wildrag keep out the high-altitude chill as you hold the reins with the relaxed ease of a lifetime in the saddle. Every breath plumes white in the freezing air, and the quiet rhythmic crunch of snow beneath iron shoes marks a steady pace along the stone shelf.
Continuing past Washburn Point, the trail hugs the high ledge before swinging southward above the roaring depths of the Illilouette Falls area. The high timber thins out along the edge, giving way to sweeping, unobstructed drop-offs into the abyss. Pushing along the high ridgeline toward Panorama Cliff, the earth drops away into the deep chasm of Illilouette Gorge. Below, the icy torrent of Illilouette Creek thunders through its narrow granite chute, throwing up frozen plumes of spray that mist the dark firs clinging to the vertical canyon walls. The sound of the water vibrates through the solid rock under your horse’s hooves, echoing off the ancient stone walls like a low, continuous rumble of thunder.
Panorama Cliff Trail
Looking east from this high shelf, the view opens into a breathtaking, expansive sweep: the thunderous torrents of Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall cascade over their massive granite steps, framed dramatically by the sharp, looming pyramids of Mount Broderick and Liberty Cap standing guard against the winter sky. The sheer scale of the eastern wilderness stretches toward the distant horizon, filling the air with the deep vibration of rushing water and high-altitude wind. Down below the falls, the jagged canyon floor opens up into the mist-shrouded gorge of the Mist Trail, where the spray coats every needle and rock in a thick layer of rime ice. The massive granite faces reach so high into the grey clouds that straining to see their summits brings a familiar, satisfying ache to your neck.
Out here, perched between stone and sky, the mind stretches past the noise of everyday life. The silence of the high country, broken only by the wind and the steady rhythm of a good horse, carries an intoxicating promise of living forever in raw, untamed freedom. You pause your mount on the lip of Panorama Cliff to let her rest, resting a gloved hand on the saddle horn as you take in the majestic expanse of the upper park.
Evening Camp at Mt. Starr King – Panorama Cliff Trail
Leaving Panorama Cliff behind, you urge your mount higher into the quiet timber, winding toward your projected camping destination nestled near the base of Mt. Starr King. The high trail threads through dense, fragrant stands of lodgepole pine and Jeffrey pine, where the deep canopy catches the falling snow flurries and muffles the distant roar of the waterfalls. The air grows still and cold as the sun dips lower behind the high western ridges, casting long, violet shadows across the pristine snowpacks.
As afternoon light turns to twilight, you pull off the main trail into the shelter of towering lodgepole pines near the foot of the great granite dome. The camp setup is a practiced, familiar routine. You unsaddle your faithful palomino, checking her back and legs, wiping down her damp, winter coat, and securing her safely in a sheltered grove of firs where the wind cannot reach her. You pitch your heavy canvas trail tent under the low branches, clear a patch of snow down to the pine needles, and build a small, hot fire from dry cedar and pine knots.
The fire crackles brightly, sending up sparks into the dark canopy while smoke curls into the cold evening air. Wrapped tightly in your heavy woolen slicker beside the blaze, you listen to the soft nickers of your horse and the quiet whisper of snow drifting through the trees. After a warm meal and a cup of strong trail coffee, you rest up for tomorrow’s long journey deeper into the high wilderness.
Descending to Merced Lake – Panorama Cliff Trail
Tomorrow, at the first break of dawn, you will saddle up and follow the high trail past the icy edges of Starr King Lake, descending from the high country back down toward the canyon floor. Rejoining the Merced River, the route will trace the dark, rushing waters through the narrow, sheer-walled passes of Cascade and Brunnell Cliffs, carving a path deep into the wilderness until you reach the quiet sanctuary of the Merced Lake High Sierra Campground.
The trail past Starr King Lake will carry you through quiet, snowbound basins where the frozen water glimmers like polished glass under the morning sun. Dropping down into the Merced River canyon, the walls narrow sharply, forcing the trail against towering, vertical granite slabs that rise thousands of feet into the sky. The river itself runs cold and clear over dark boulders, steam rising from its rushing surface in the frigid morning air. Passing beneath the looming shadows of Cascade and Brunnell Cliffs, the sheer rock faces isolate you completely from the outside world, creating a quiet sanctuary carved by water and time.
By late afternoon, after miles of steady travel along the riverbank, the trees will open up to reveal the peaceful valley of Merced Lake. Reaching the quiet grounds of the High Sierra Campground, nestled in the shadow of massive granite peaks, marks the completion of another magnificent leg through the high wilderness. Up here in the quiet stone country, with a good horse, a solid saddle, and an open trail ahead, the wild freedom of the Sierra stays with you every mile of the way.
Panorama Cliff Trail
I find myself anticipating tomorrow’s offering. Today, I practically wrote it… 🤭🤫🫣😋
Popi sends…
Other Random Thoughts: High Country Again
Can you see it?