Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Mt. Dana, July 19 2014

Fun hike, but the downhill beat me up pretty good. Here are some highlights:

Sunset from Minaret Vista Friday night:










Here's a link to the rest of the photos and an in-depth Trip Report:
Mt. Dana Trip Report, July 19 2014

Chevy, quick trip but you got some bang for your buck. Dana's a short day but a nice payoff at the end with the scenery, both east and west. Below is a shot from almost the same spot and time of year, 3 years ago - after the super-heavy snow season. It was amazing seeing Yosemite as a winter wonderland in late July.

Glad you got Dana under your belt - it's a great acclimation hike for Whitney, or any other fourteener. I'm betting you'll be back. Akichow mentioned once that the NPS was marking the final summit route through all that ankle-twisting talus with flags - curious if you saw that. We had no such luck that year, possibly due to the snow.

Chevy, Dana is a real quad-burner, isn't it.

Might be ok for a week before Whitney.

Well, unless you're working on compressed time during once-or-twice-a-year trips. In 2011 my wife, daughter and I started out with a hike up to Kearsarge Pass. Rested a day then did Dana. Rested another day then climbed Cathedral Peak (I'm sure you remember that one, Steve). Took 48 hours off then went on a 3-night backpack of Whitney. My daughter was 11 at the time, and I'm shocked she will still even go on a mountain with me and my aggressive itineraries.

Hey, when each trip to the Sierra is 5000 miles RT and several grand, you find ways to squeeze as much in as possible. The legs can hurt on the flight back.

Thanks, me too! I did not see any flags, but the trail was in much better shape than I expected. It seems that someone has put some major time into building some LARGE, well-made cairns and building the trail in general.



I actually enjoyed the climb - I think it's the downhill and six hours in the back seat of a tiny car on the ride home that did me in!

The intensity of the climb reminded me of Skyline Trail (Palm Springs) and the rocky terrain reminded me of my Mt. Washington hike last August.

> I did not see any flags, but the trail was in much better shape than I expected. It seems that someone has put some major time into building some LARGE, well-made cairns and building the trail in general.

I heard somewhere (or talked with a park employee on Dana -- not sure), that Yosemite NP was developing a plan to create a trail there, due to so many people hiking it.

When I was there several years ago (New Years Day!), it was only a use trail on the lower part, and nothing on the upper. It sounds like they have "improved" it to some degree.

I was up there June 12 as a warm up for Whitney. I did it mainly to see how I would react to elevation as I hadn't been above 7000 feet all year. The climb up wasn't bad and the views were great. The climb down was killer. I actually went up Dana faster than I came down. Yes the trail is marked and the park service is improving it, at least that's what the signs say.

When I was there a few years ago, NPS told me that they had put flags up there as part of developing the trail. When people follow the flags, that helps compact the soil and create a use trail. And I did in fact see the flags and followed them (they were intelligently placed, unlike the megacairns from hell the NPS just placed on Langley), and noted that the compacting of rock and soil was already happening. Now this was a few years back already so I can imagine, if they continued to encourage that, that a solid use trail has been created....

There were only a couple of very small sections where we got off trail, very briefly.

I was hoping to do one of the acclimation hikes you recommended to me back in May/June after Mt. Dana, but everyone wanted to get home with the incoming rain and after driving around Yosemite a bit. We drove out to the Cloud's Rest Trailhead - that's the next 'big' hike I have planned.

Speaking of Cloud's Rest - am I correct in thinking that a permit is not required for a day hike?

Yes, no permit needed for a day hike in Yosemite (other than Half Dome).

Cloud's Rest is fantastic. So is Mt. Hoffman (though a much shorter hike). And North Dome ain't bad either! You haven't really seen Half Dome until you do North Dome. http://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/north-dome/north-dome.htm You can also do North Dome from the Valley (by going up Yosemite Falls) but that is a huge day.

You know, what I really need to start doing is tell you where I'm headed and when I'll be there, then have you come up with an itinerary for me

I'm convinced it'll be better than whatever I plan for myself!

I'm printing out the info for Hoffmann and North Dome now. If there's poor weather or if we're in a rush for some reason, it looks like they could be faster backup options.

OOOOOHHHH!!!

North Dome from the Valley... That sounds amazing!!!!