Went crazy booking permits while everyone was uncertain about how the pandemic would impact our ability to go backpacking – figured it would be great if we were allowed to go, and no harm if they cancelled our permits (they were cancelling permits through the end of May so this was a real possibility).
Shortly after booking our Ediza/Thousand Island permits, we were able to get another set of permits that would take us back to Thousand Island Lake. This trip, we’d be starting at Rush Creek and tapping Donahue Pass and the Yosemite border along the way.
The hike from Rush Creek starts at 7,250’ and climbs up a pretty exposed trail. We started in the afternoon and it was pretty warm while we climbed!! Today’s hike would be all uphill. We climbed nearly 2,000′ in three miles to reach Gem Lake (which was a legitimately large lake!).
Since we started so late, we wanted to play tonight’s destination by ear based on how we felt. We’d pass several lakes today and the guys took advantage of fishing the lakes and streams while Tessa and I moseyed along. We were really feeling the elevation gain (over 2,900’) so we made it a relatively “short” day (just over 8 miles) and camped at Waugh Lake.
Which unfortunately didn’t seem to have any fish in it… so Jon and Chris had to hike back about a mile to the outlet stream that did have fish so that we could have dinner. Thankfully, they were successful!
We had a lazy morning on day 2, then a full day of hiking. Our first destination was Donahue Pass, just because. Since we were hiking with Tessa, we couldn’t take her into Yosemite but we thought it would be fun if she could “see” the edge of Yosemite. Although there weren’t really a lot of hikers on the trail, those that we did see were mainly hiking the JMT along this route.
After lunch at Donahue Pass, we headed over to Thousand Island Lake, our destination tonight.
It had been a bright, cool day for the most part but as we approached Thousand Island Lake, the clouds rolled in and it actually began to snow on us ever so lightly! We were warm from hiking so it wasn’t too bad as long as we kept moving, and it didn’t last long. In less than two hours, the “storm” had cleared and we had a beautiful evening.
From snow storm to clear in under two hours!
As we approached Thousand Island Lake from a new direction, I was once again amazing by how beautiful this lake is. There is a reason it is so popular and well known. It’s beauty is just stunning.
Being prime JMT season, the lake was packed so we headed over to Emerald Lake and found a private little camp spot. Jon was still dreaming of the trout he caught here on our last trip, so after setting up camp the guys headed back to Thousand Island Lake to fish, and Tessa and I relaxed.
Although the weather was much nicer on this trip compared to how cold our last visit was, the evenings were still quite cold and best enjoyed from a sleeping bag.
For our third and final day, we looped back to Rush Creek via the PCT and Clark Lake trails. After a nice morning, it was a rough, rocky downhill for the last 4+ miles. I would say that the ascent and descent in and out of Rush Creek trailhead is not to be taken lightly. Definitely not a trailhead high on my list to revisit, but it does give you access to some amazing backcountry.
Trip Stats:
3 days, 2 nights
Over 29 miles and 6,200′ elevation gain
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