Adventure Story

The Get Out More Tour Had an amazing opportunity to stop over in Yosemite National Park for an incredible adventure as Sheri and Randy Propster backpacked through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River.  This trip was undoubtedly a challenge.  The route we followed took us from White Wolf Campground to Tuolumne Meadows by dropping from over 8,000 feet in elevation at White Wolf down into the Pate Valley and the floor of the Tuolumne River at 4,000 feet before climbing back out of the Canyon as we followed the Tuolumne River upstream through Muir Gorge, past Waterwheel Falls, LeConte Falls, California Falls and Tuolumne Falls to over 8,600 feet in elevation at Tioga Pass Road in Tuolumne Meadows.  The 30.6 mile route offers every type of terrain you could ever expect from Yosemite.  Massive granite walls, huge groves of hardwoods, plush meadows full of blooming wildflowers, deep river valleys, steep canyons, powerful waterfalls and a constant feeling of having been swallowed by the Yosemite wilderness are available as part of this adventure.  We began our Yosemite experience with a stop at the Tioga Pass Mobile Mart for a few needed additions to our supplies for the journey.  We then followed the Tioga Pass Road to White Wolf Campground where we stayed for the night in preparation of our trip through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River.  After a night at White Wolf we headed out from the White Wolf Trailhead on a wide and casual trail that quickly narrowed after our first turn only eight tenths of a mile into our trip.  The Yosemite wilderness seemed to swallow us in as we continued up and over a ridge before beginning our descent into the Canyon on our way to Pate Valley.  The Valley floor was thick and wild.  Once we had dropped off over 4000 feet we began following the Tuolumne River upstream from within the depths of the Canyon surrounded by the steep and massive granite walls that reached impressively into the high sierra.  Our hike through the Valley Floor eventually took us deep into Muir Gorge.  The sun began to get low in the sky as we were hiking through Muir Gorge, so we found an amazing cliffside campsite that allowed us to watch the setting sun glowing off the granite walls of both Colby and Grand Mountains.  The descending that occupied the majority of day one of our route through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River was a complete contrast to the serious ascent that was going to take all of the energy we could conjure as we climbed out of the Canyon past abundantly flowing waterfalls toward Tuolumne Meadows.  The physical challenge constantly paid out priceless mental and emotional dividends however in the form of some of natures most impressive landscapes.  We hope you enjoy the pictures and words of our adventure.  We certainly will never forget it!