Three Days Backpacking Yosemite's High Sierra Camp Loop: May Lake to Glen Aulin

Back to Glen Aulin, 23 Years Later

By: Rachel McCullough

For years, my cousin Brian and I entered Yosemite's High Sierra Camp lottery without any luck.

Ironically, the year we skipped the lottery was the year we finally got our chance thanks to a last-minute cancellation. With the camps closed more often than opened in recent years, we knew just how lucky we were.

This trip wasn't just about finally getting a reservation. It was about returning to a place that shaped each of us in different ways and bringing along my husband Garrett and Brian’s 11-year-old son Eli to share the adventure with us.

Following in Uncle Bob's Footsteps

Twenty-three years ago, my uncle Bob (Brian's dad) encouraged me to spend a summer working at Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp after telling me stories about his own summer at Merced Lake High Sierra Camp in his twenties. Brian grew up hearing those same stories, including the legendary one about his dad hiking with the rare treat of ice cream to one of the camps.

This trip was especially meaningful because Brian was finally able to share the Yosemite High Sierra Camp experience he loved growing up with his son, Eli. For Garrett and me, the trip held a different kind of nostalgia because first met in Yosemite more than 20 years ago while I was following in Uncle Bob's footsteps by working at Glen Aulin.

Three Days on the Trail

Over three days we hiked to May Lake, explored the Vampire's Lair, settled into cozy tent cabins with hot meals waiting for us, made the eight-mile trek to Glen Aulin, cooled off beneath the waterfall, and followed the Tuolumne River back out. Perfect weather and unforgettable sunsets made it even better.

Unlike my recent Great Basin trip, where I was in charge of "planning" and we had to figure things out as we went, Brian had every detail dialed in for this one so we could all relax and enjoy our time together.

Eli's First Backpacking Trip, In His Own Words

When I asked Eli why this trip meant so much to him, here's what he wrote:

"This trip is special to my dad because as a kid he went to the High Sierra Camps with his dad, my grandpa, and he loved it. Now he wanted to share that love with me. He also wanted to take me backpacking for the first time because we both share a love for nature.

This trip is special to me because I got to experience what my dad got to in the High Sierra Camps. I will always remember this trip as my very first backpacking adventure with my dad, cousin Rachel, and Garrett. I enjoyed hiking with them. My favorite part of the trip was at Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp because we swam under the waterfall. I loved backpacking in nature for the first time with my dad because I saw so many different kinds of plants and animals and different bodies of water. My favorite part of the trail was the very end of the May Lake to Glen Aulin because we were walking in a forest and then it gave way to a big waterfall!"

Day 1: Our arrival at May Lake High Sierra Camp

Day 1: Hiking to May Lake

Day 1: Eli learning how to read a map.