Rae Lakes Loop (Partial)
The commute out of the bay was fine, until we hit Marcella Avenue in Gilroy. Google told us it was the fastest route, but I think it told everyone else that too, and we ended up on that mile-ish of road for just over two hours. Life Pro Tip: don't leave after work on a major holiday. We made our way to the campsite before the Road's End Trailhead around midnight and promptly crashed.
My partner and I origially planned to hike north up Copper Creek to Granite Pass, since it was about the only permit we could get on short notice, but we showed up when the Road's End Permit Station opened the next morning and managed to snag a couple walk-up spots for the circuit to Rae Lakes. Nice!
The first day was very pretty, if not a little one-note; that is, hike uphill alongside the river/waterfalls, and turn around every once and a while to gawk at the Sphinx. Mosquitoes and gnats were gnarly at some points, but nets and long-sleeve clothing kept them at bay well enough, at the cost of heating us up more during an already toasty day. We saw quite the collection of wildlife, from a black bear snacking on berries that promptly ran away when it saw us, to deer (quite the opposite and absolutely fearless), squirrels, lizards, snakes, little fish, and pretty multicoloured birds. The (Upper) Paradise Valley campsite was lovely, with virtually no bugs until nightfall, not too hot, but hot enough that sitting in the river was refreshing. We lounged around for a while before settling down for the night to the sound of bubbling water.
Unfortunately, I got a nasty case of altitude sickness that began that evening and really hit its stride in the morning, so back down the valley we went. Disappointing, but it's good to know we can show up and get walk-up permits if we're willing to wake up early enough.
The Sphinx as seen from partway up to Paradise Valley. I have about ten billion pictures facing this way from various sections of the trail, thus why there's only a couple pictures here.
Roadside views on the way out. We will definitely be back.
