This is the year. No New Year’s resolutions that fade in mid-January and disappear by February. Instead, make a bold commitment and accept a challenge to join me on a climb to the top of Yosemite’s Mt. Hoffman on July 11, 2015.
Wait! Don’t flip to the crossword puzzle yet. Hear me out.
In 2013, we went to Clouds Rest in Yosemite. This year, it was Mt. Tallac above Lake Tahoe. The most gratifying thing about these challenges has been watching the many people who said “I can’t” in January, stand six months later atop a magnificent peak, dead tired and beaming with pride. These people chose to push through their self-imposed limitations and learn that they could do a great deal more than they thought. If you feel climbing a 10,000-foot peak is beyond your reach, I would like to introduce you to the people who felt the same trepidation before they successfully climbed Clouds Rest or Mt. Tallac. You just haven’t discovered yet what you are capable of.
If you come, you will not be on your own. Below is a schedule of six preparation hikes we will do together throughout the spring and early summer. Each year, these hikes have been a great opportunity to get out, form relationships and look forward to the big challenge.
The climb up Mt. Hoffman in Yosemite is both a bit easier and a bit tougher than our past two challenges. The hike is only six miles round trip, a distance that would have left Clouds Rest challengers short of the summit much less returned them to the trailhead. But the summit of Mt. Hoffman is at 10,850 feet, 1,000 feet higher than either Clouds Rest or Mt. Tallac.
Until my recent October visit, I had not been to Mt. Hoffman since I took a day hike there from a backpacking site at Grant Lakes many years ago. The mountain is along Tioga Road in the geographic center of Yosemite National Park. The first mile of the hike into May Lake is just a Sunday stroll. Then the work begins. As you climb higher the view becomes indescribably immense and beautiful. At the summit, it is a breathtaking one-step, 1,000-foot drop to a lonely alpine lake. Look up, and all of Yosemite National Park surrounds you: the Sawtooth Ridge at the northern boundary; the Cathedral Range and the Clark Range to the east and south; Clouds Rest and Half Dome are far below.
Fair warning: there will be pain. But, as always, the payoff is much more than just a beautiful summit view. You will find it well worth the effort.
Here is a brief outline of the prep hike schedule for the Mt. Hoffman Challenge. A more detailed schedule is available at facebook.com/RonGettingOut. Hike No. 1 will be our annual New Year’s Day Hike on the Mummy Mountain Trail at Harvey Bear County Park. Walking this four-mile trail is an ideal way to ring in the New Year. It is close, beautiful and a lovely walk for all ages. If you are interested in the Mt. Hoffman Challenge, email me at [email protected] or give me your email address New Years’ morning. I will add you to my list and send you directions and complete details about Mt. Hoffman and each prep hike as the time approaches. All hikes are rain or shine.
Hike Schedule
Hike No. 1: New Years Day Hike: 9 a.m. Jan. 1, 2015 at Mummy Mountain Trail, Mendoza Ranch entrance, Harvey Bear County Park. Four miles, moderate. Directions: From the Leavesley exit off U.S. 101 in Gilroy, go two miles east on Leavesley to New Avenue. A half-mile up New Avenue, turn right onto Roop Road. Follow Roop Road three miles to the entrance. There is no day-use fee and dogs are welcome on a leash.
Hike No. 2: Sierra Azul OSP, Woods Trail: 9 a.m. Jan. 31, 2015.
Hike No. 3: Pinnacles National Park, North Chalone Peak: 10 a.m. Feb. 21, 2015. Nine miles, difficult.
Hike No. 4: Henry Cowell Sate Park, Route TBD: 10 a.m. March 14, 2015. Moderate.
Hike No. 5: Calero County Park, Figueroa/Bald Peaks/Chisantuck/
Javelina/Pena Loop: 9 a.m. April 25, 2015. Eight miles, moderate with some steep sections.
Hike No. 6: Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, Black Mountain Loop: 9 a.m. May 30, 2015. Five point five miles, moderate.
The Challenge: Mt. Hoffman: July 11, 2015. Meet at the May Lake trailhead at 9 a.m. Six miles with an elevation gain of 2,100 feet.
