Dardanelles Half-Loop . . . and then Some (Tuolumne County, California)

 

My intention was to hike to Clouds Rest in Yosemite today, but as of about eleven o'clock last night, Tioga Pass (CA 120) was closed due to an encroaching wildfire. With no easy way to get into the park, I had to change my plans. My friend Bill was along for the ride and we met about five in the morning to decide where to put some miles in. We decided on the Dardanelles Loop hike near Sonora Pass. Our intention was for a seven or so mile hike, but it turned out to be much, much more.

The Dardanelles, from my research, are the remains of an ancient volcanic rock formation, which has eroded away and left only some high buttes or mesas. From the pictures I have seen, they are striking as they tower over the surrounding landscape. It's a hike that has been on my list for a year or so. I was happy for a chance to give it a go.

Making our way up the long rough gravel forest service road, we arrive at the County Line Trail Head. As we park and begin getting our day packs set up, we are approached by a group of guys backpackers with desperate looks on their faces. They have been backpacking through the area, but now need to get water to another band of their large group that has been stranded on the other side of a river, which will require them to swim across. They politely and understanding ask for our help, which would involve driving one member around from Sonora Pass, where we currently are, to Ebbets Pass to the North. Bill and I talk it over and agree to assist, but explain that we had driven three hours to get here and want to get our hike in first. Completely sympathetic they are more than happy to let us get our seven miles in before giving them the ride they need. 

We hit the trail and are almost immediately crossing paths with several other backpackers, including several groups of young teenagers with their adult guides. I haven't checked, but I think this part of the trial may be shared with the PCT, which would explain the volume of foot traffic. 

Making our way down some dusty steps, we begin to catch our first site of the Dardenelles West towering over us. It's quite a site, but with the sun in our eyes, the pictures aren't the best. As we make our way on around the butte, we find better and better views, including some neat little grassy marshes.

By this point, I had fully expected to see our turn to cross over the saddle between the West and North Buttes, but even watching for the turn keenly doesn't supply a path. We continue on and arrive at the nearly dry Spicer Meadow Reservoir. From the looks of things, this was at one time a very large body of water, but all we see before us is a dry lake bed with a small puddle at one end. This drought has been so tough on the land.

Keeping Dardenelle West in our sites as best as we can, begin circling around Dardnelle North, which gives me some cause for concern, as I believed our trail should have taken a right turn by now. We agree to continue forward on the trail we see, in the hopes that it will circle around eventually. Crossing over a couple of small streams and a foot bridge, we eventually reach a point where we decide that we have missed the turn. We are now almost nine miles in. 

After some discussion, we agree to turn back the way we came, as we have no idea how much further this trail goes before turning back. It's beautiful country, but we have limited food and water, and our seven mile hike will now be at least seventeen miles. Bill and I are both pretty hearty hikers and so, we don't worry, but we do begin making our way back the way we came.

Pushing our pace pretty hard for the first couple of miles on the return trip, my knee begins feeling the impact of a number of granite steps along the trail. Our water supply is also beginning to run dangerously low. The last several miles of the trail are torture as my knee aches with every step and Bill and I both begin to experience dehydration in the hot August sun. A mile or so from the trail head, I get a burst of energy and start pushing my pace. I know I have extra water in the jeep and while it may be hot, its still wet. We finally arrive back at the jeep and chat with the guys we had talked to earlier.

While we had expected to be gone no more than three hours, it turned into more like eight, and in that time, the guys had found other arrangements. They were understanding of our predicament and thank us for our willingness to help them. All in all, we ended up hiking 17.7 miles along this trail. With a little post-hike research, I found that the turn we were supposed to make is unmaintained and by all reports very difficult to find. Ah well, we got our exercise for the day.