This year our fall trip got delayed by the massive Rim fire and other logistical issues. Despite the delay, the weather service was showing sunny days for most of our trip. The one exception was Wednesday the 9th. They showed a 30% chance of precipitation on the 9th and at our high elevation that meant a 30% chance of snow.

Above is a map of our intended 54+ mile route and the elevation profile. The first pass we crossed hits 11,123 feet. The second, Donahue pass, is slightly lower at 11,056 feet. The graph to the right is from the Tuolumne Meadows telemetry station. It shows the temperature reading at 3 hour intervals. We went in on Saturday (first high peak). This was the pattern we were expecting, but before you panic, due to the three hour interval, the actual high each day never gets recorded. Highs were typically in the 60s. The lows are fairly accurate as one reading lands just before sunrise this time of year.

So, cold nights, warm days and just nine of them to make our exit point before my friend Chip calls out the marines. Sounds fun right?