12 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain • 1 night
It was hard to leave our great camp, but we wanted to see more places in this amazing area. The hike from Glen Aulin to May Lake was 5 miles of boring forest, then you start to get above the trees and you get some good views of the Cathedral Range. I scrambled up a nearby dome to see some more peaks, Tenaya Lake, and nearby Raisin Lake. As we climbed, 10,300' Mt. Hoffman came into view. It rises sharply from the Western shore, a trail climbs 3 miles to the top, but we weren't able do it on this trip. The lake was large and beautiful, but the bugs began attacking us as we arrived and never really relented. We slightly regretted leaving our excellent camp on the river, but one never knows what you'll see, so that's the beauty of hiking. Camping is restricted to the backpackers camp and there is no swimming in the lake as it's a municipal water source. The High Sierra Camp wasn't open yet, but a boisterous crew was making preparations for the following night's debut. We had a quiet night and a short hike out to Tenaya Lake and a hitchhike back to White Wolf Lodge where our car and a shower awaited.
