Ten Lakes BCM Course Area Guide Backcountry Trip Code ________________________ Team Leader ________________________ Table of Contents Trail Summary ...................................................... 3 Trail Information .............................................................. 3 Trail Description .............................................................. 4 Route Description............................................................ 5 Trail Distances ................................................................ 5 Trail Elevation Profile ...................................................... 5 Map ....................................................................... 6 Key to Trail Map.................................................... 8 Camp Site Information .................................................... 8 Map Legend .................................................................... 9 Hazards ........................................................................... 9 Recommended Destinations ......................................... 10 Fishing ........................................................................... 10 Summits ........................................................................ 11 Daily Outline ....................................................... 12 Curriculum Checklist ........................................... 13 Team Leader Recommendations ....................... 14 Team Leader Comments .............................................. 14 Team Leader Feedback Form ...................................... 15 Emergency Information ....................................... 16 BCM Phone Numbers ......................................... 16 2 Trail Information Trailhead Name: White Wolf Trailhead Trailhead Camp: White Wolf Campground Permit (Expiration): IPWA-YOSE-5300-10-328 (2010) Permit Pick-Up: Special Use Permit is provided in trip binder. Team Leaders: Copies of your CPR/WFR cards need to be available upon request. Wilderness Permit: Go to any of the Ranger Stations listed in binder. Please have a printed permit confirmation letter with you (it will be in your trip binder). Permit Pick-Up: Please see above. Trail Name(s): Ten Lakes Trail White Wolf Trail Type of Trail: Out-and-Back Mileage: 22.81 miles Alternate Routes: No information is available. Alternate Mileage: Feedback is great! Trail Location: Yosemite National Park Yosemite Wilderness Maps: BCM provides Trails Illustrated Maps: T.I. #307 (Yosemite NW/ Hetch Hetchy) T.I. #308 (Yosemite NE) Flora/Fauna: The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide by John Muir Laws Weather Trends: Average High 90 °F / Average Low 53 °F 3 Trail Description Hiking in California is dry and fast. Beautiful granite slabs make for an easier terrain, great picnic areas and flat, smooth campsites. Expect to hike through pine forests and fields of Manzanita brush. Manzanita, which literally means "little apple" in Spanish, is charac- terized by orange or red bark and twisting branches. Sometimes Manzanita grow to the height of small trees. The mountain ranges of California are known for their excellent light quality, referred to as alpenglow. When the sun is just below the horizon, a red glow can sometimes be seen on the opposite horizon. Look for alpenglow after sunset or before sunrise, when there is no direct sunlight. Instead, light reflects off airborne snow, water, or ice particles low in the atmosphere. At any time of day, the views above tree line are stunning. During wildflower season, late spring through early summer, expect lots of lupins, paintbrush, columbine, and California poppies. Watch for marmots and pikas--they are everywhere. 4 Route Description Overview From White Wolf Trailhead hike eastward over the Toulumne River and Yosemite Creek. Once here, head NE towards Ten Lakes Pass. This is an out-and-back route. Details At White Wolf Campgound be sure to pack all food into the bear bins at the campground. Hiking straight to Ten Lakes from Ten Lakes trailhead makes for a very long day (~ 8 hours of travel). You can camp along Middle Toulumne River one day and then Yosemite Creek the next day. Continue to Ten Lakes Pass. In preparation for Toulumne Peak Summit, you can camp one mile northwest of peak. Campsite 1 to Lukens Lake: 2.25 miles Campsite 3 to Tioga Road/Ten Lakes Trailhead: 2.06 miles Campsite 3 to Grant Lakes: 3.88 miles Campsite 4 to Grant Lakes: 2.11 miles Campsite 4 to Tuolumne Summit: 2.54 miles Campsite 5 to Tuolumne Summit: 1.16 miles Trail Elevation Profile* Elevation Gain:5,269 ft. Min. Elevation:7,859 ft. Elevation Loss:5,267 ft. Max. Elevation:10,100 ft. * The elevation details and corresponding graphic pertain to the main route only—not alternate routes. 5 6 7 Camp Site Information Favorites 1 - White Wolf Campground (WOLF) - UTM 266998E 4194666N 2 - Middle Tuolumne River (MTR) - UTM 271717E 4195515N 3 - Yosemite Creek (YOSE) - UTM 274168E 4195355N 4 - Ten Lakes Pass 1 (TEN) - UTM 277669E 4198139N 5 - Ten Lakes Pass 2 (LAKES) - UTM 279414E 4197728N Good Alternative No information available. Feedback is appreciated! Not Recommended No information available. Feedback is appreciated! Refer to trail map for corresponding numbered campsites. 8 Map Legend Campsites (Not all sites are recommended.) Kitchen area Reported Water Source (River, Pond, Creek, Spring) Portages Point of Interest Hazards Fishing Main Route --- Alternate Routes Points of Interest No information available. Feedback is appreciated! Fishing No information available. Feedback is appreciated! Refer to trail map for corresponding hazards. 9 Hazards The biggest hazards are afternoon storms and the public. Keep hy- drated, wear sunscreen, and be self-aware, taking care of problems immediately. Sprains, strains, blisters, and river crossings are all possible hazards. Animals • Black bears are common especially in campgrounds. • Rattlesnakes are uncommon though present. • Bees, wasps, and spiders are all possible hazards. • Animals are wild. Do not approach any animal. Poisonous • Poison Oak Plants Weather • Afternoon thunderstorms. Snow-covered trails during Hazards the early season. Intense high altitude sun. Watch for dehydration and heat exhaustion. Lightning • Afternoon thunderstorms common. Exposures No Water • No information available. Feedback is appreciated! Between Scree • Loose talus. Watch for rock fall and shifting rocks. Slopes Early season creeks may not be crossable. Refer to trail map for corresponding locations. 10 Summit Toulumne Peak (TUO) - UTM- 279246E 4196941N A group has summited the peak from the east side. Peak above Ten Lakes- No one has summitted a peak above Ten Lakes, so a safe route is not known. Feedback would be great. A view of Tuolumne Peak Refer to trail map for corresponding locations. 11 Area History These trails travel through a national park and a wilderness area, both public lands, owned by the federal U.S. government and pro- tected from private commerical development, for similar purposes. The first National Park was "dedicated...as a public park...for the benefit and enjoyment of the people," in 1872. Regulations are in- tened to preserve "…all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park…in their natural condition." Some roads and buildings are allowed to accommodate tourists. Wilderness Areas were established with preservation in mind. The Congressional Wilderness Act of 1964 was approved to “secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.” As such, Wilderness desig- nation protects the area from roads, logging, oil and gas drilling, and any commercial enterprises. In part, to retain the quiet, motorized and mechanical vehicles and motorized equipment are not allowed. The native tribe, the Ahwahneeshees, were forced out by white men, who named the valley Yosemite Valley, thinking that was their tribal name. In truth, Yosemite meant, "They are killers." Local Environment The Sierra Nevada Mountains are an uplifted, tilted block of granite 400 miles long by 100 miles wide; the result of fault-line tectonic plate activity. Subsequent erosion, due to streams and glaciers, carved out U-shaped valleys like Yosemite Valley, lakes, rugged peaks and cliffs. Sediment fills lakes creating meadows. In Yosem- ite Valley, the lake has filled with sediment, now 300 feet deep. Yo- semite Falls (with two falls and cascades) is almost a half-mile drop. There are several threats to the natural condition of the Sierras: air pollution, light pollution, and global warming, evident in the thinning snowpacks. Stray light, particularly from San Joaquin Valley, bright- ens the night sky. Darkness allows vistors views of the stars, while nocturnal animals depend on darkness to hunt, conceal their loca- tion, navigate, and reproduce. Artificial light can disrupt plant cycles. 12 Daily Outline Recommendations • Expedition Preparation and Planning • Meet at BCM Office • Issue Individual Gear • Pre-trip teen surveys Day Mari- posa Duffle Shuffle 1 • Schl. • Issue BCM Group Gear • Camp at Mariposa Unified Yosemite Valley School Campground. Start heading eastward. Camp along Yosemite Day (YOSE) Creek. 2 Continue east past Halfmoon Meadow to camp Day past Ten Lakes Pass. 3 IN THE Summit a peak above Ten Lakes. Camp at Ten FIELD Day Lakes. 4 Continue back out on the same trail. Camp at Yo- Day semite Creek or Middle Toulumne River. 5 • Hike out this morning • Clean gear • Laundry Day Tioga High • Showers 6 Schl.