This leg, White Wolf to Glen Aulin, would be the most challenging of the lot, I think. Take a look at the altitude changes just for the side trip to Smith Peak on day one of this episode.
White Wolf to Glen Aulin
White Wolf to Glen Aulin Trek stands as one of the most magnificent and rugged legs through the Yosemite high country, taking riders and backcountry travelers across sweeping granite saddles, sharp glacial passes, and along the thundering corridors of the upper Tuolumne River. Setting out from the historic camp at White Wolf, a rider feels the crisp, biting mountain air carrying the resinous scent of red fir and the cold metallic tang of high altitude. Beneath the saddle, Sierra, a strong-boned golden palomino with a thick coat filling out against the mountain chill and a flowing white mane, steps out with a steady, iron-shod cadence. You sit deep in a dark, oil-rubbed Wade saddle packed tightly with your canvas bedroll, woolen slicker, and leather saddlebags. Dressed in heavy denim under leather chaps, double-vamped boots firm in tapaderos, a thick wool vest over heavy flannel, a silk wildrag, and a wide-brimmed felt hat, you move with the calm confidence of a seasoned rider. Exploring these high wilderness trails offers a profound journey into unmatched natural grandeur, where every ridge reveals a new horizon of granite and sky.
Side Trip to Smith Peak and the Sunset Over White Wolf – White Wolf to Glen Aulin
Taking a day to relax after earlier trail miles, horse and rider made a leisurely side trip from White Wolf Camp up to the soaring heights of Smith Peak. The 14 mile round trip offered a deliberate, easy pace, giving plenty of time to dismount, walk the granite ledges, and gaze lazily off into the immense distance. Sitting on the rocky rim near the peak, a simple lunch was shared in the sun: hard jerky for the rider and a day’s ration of oats for Sierra, while fresh mountain water flowed cold and clean nearby. Looking out from Smith Peak, the vast chasm of Hetch Hetchy reservoir opened up far below, its still blue waters catching the sunlight where the great Tuolumne River gathers its strength. Sierra munched contentedly on the sparse high-country grass, her golden coat gleaming while her rider lounged on a sun-warmed boulder with a long blade of grass hanging lazily from his lips.
The return ride back into White Wolf Camp coincided with the dying hours of the afternoon. As the sun dipped toward the western horizon, the entire high forest erupted into a gloriously golden sight. Shafts of amber light poured through the tall Jeffrey pines, turning the granite outcrops into glowing embers. That night, under a moonless canopy, the high-altitude atmosphere turned completely crystal clear. The stars shone with such intense brilliance that the dark, jagged silhouettes of the surrounding peaks were visible against the sky. Right in the middle of that vast, dark expanse, the Galactic Core of the Milky Way burned with glaringly brilliant light, casting a soft, ethereal starlight across the sleeping camp.
Crossing the High Ridge: Double Rock to Tuolumne Peak – White Wolf to Glen Aulin
The following morning marked the start of the next major push, a grueling 13 mile journey across some of the most treacherous terrain in the park. While Sierra was easily good for 25 miles on the flat, pushing her past 15 miles in this punishing, high-altitude stone country would test even her great abilities, even though she was in peak physical shape and thoroughly acclimated to the altitude. Reining her east from White Wolf, the trail picked up elevation quickly, climbing toward the exposed, wind-swept granite heights of Double Rock and crossing over Ten Lakes Pass. Looking back from the perch at Double Rock, the high vantage offered a staggering view down the length of the Tuolumne drainage toward the blue waters of Hetch Hetchy.
The route then turned into treacherous, broken stone, demanding careful, step-by-step negotiation. Sierra picked her footing over glaciated granite ledges, her iron shoes ringing with a sharp clink-clink against the rock. Moving under the watchful, monumental eye of Tuolumne Peak, the trail skirted a narrow, horse-passable shoulder on the mountain’s eastern side. Sitting light in the Wade saddle to give Sierra full rein, you looked down from this terrifyingly high perch. Thousands of feet below, the green basin of Glen Aulin unfolded like a miniature map, framed by dark lodgepole pine and the glinting silver ribbon of the river.
The Unimagined Sights down to Glen Aulin – White Wolf to Glen Aulin
Descending the eastern shoulder of Tuolumne Peak, horse and rider dropped into the high river canyon where the Tuolumne River carves its path. Along the way, the trail revealed a progression of unimaginable sights that cause a genuine ache in the neck as you strain to take in their scale. The river rushes over ancient granite shelves, forming spectacular, roaring cascades that hurl icy spray high into the cold mountain air. Towering rock walls, polished smooth by ancient glaciers, rise like sheer stone cathedrals on either side, trapping the cool breeze and amplifying the continuous rumble of rushing water.
As the late afternoon shadows lengthened across the canyon floor, the trail reached the ford of the Tuolumne River as it travels past the night’s destination at Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. Sierra waded through the cool, clear water with steady strength, her golden coat catching the violet hues of twilight. Halting near the quiet timber along the riverbank, the long trek was complete. Completing the White Wolf to Glen Aulin Trek reminds a rider that out here, where granite meets the open sky, the wild freedom of the High Sierra stays with you through every single mile.
Tomorrow we travel from Glen Aulin up to the Young lakes below Ragged Peak. Our shortest run for a day but it’s all uphill – from 8000 to just over 9000 feet elevation. This is seriously thin air country. We’ll be going slow and dismounted most of the way.
continue the series: Glen Aulin to Ragged Peak
White Wolf to Glen Aulin
I honestly believe that once I became acclimated to this life, there’d be hell to pay dragging me away from it. The White Wolf to Glen Aulin leg is the perfect reason why. All this of course assumes I’m a bachelor and without a care in the world other than my mount and maybe a dog. And that would also assume I’d walk away from family. That is tacitly wrong. This is simply my imagination saying “what if?”.
Popi sends…
Other Random Thoughts: Quick Takes and Opinions
Can you see it?