Following John Muir into Yosemite's Ten Lakes Basin

In September of 1871 a 33 year-old John Muir climbed out of his Yosemite Valley looking for evidence of past glaciers. In his mountain rambles he discovered for himself the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. In August of 2014, 143 years after Muir, I followed his route up the upper Yosemite Creek to its headwaters near Ten Lakes Pass. I discovered for myself the two viewpoints the young Muir climbed out to in order to see 4,000 feet down into the Tuolumne Canyon. I heard what he heard-- the singing river far below and I saw many of the flowers, animals and geological features that he described and sketched in his journal and reworked in later articles and books. In my three-day solo backpack I visited eight of the nine lakes in the basin and saw many beautiful images--the best of which I include here. Enjoy the blessings of this gentle wilderness. P.S.: If you left click on the first image you get a filmstrip you can click to view the next or any slide you want.