Lembert Dome

According to the guidebook listing fifty short hikes in Sequoia/Kings Canyon and Yosemite, the hike to Lembert Dome is a two-mile out-and-back jaunt with an elevation gain of 850 feet starting from the Lembert Dome parking lot. In reality, if one starts from the stated parking lot, the hike is twice the advertised distance. Of course, I didn't realize the book's mistake until I was a mile into the hike and nowhere near anything resembling a summit.

The trail head was easy to find. It was right at the intersection of the parking lot, picnic area and restroom facilities. There was also a handy sign with the words - "Lembert Dome / Dog Lake / Trail Head". Trusting that nobody would leave a misleading sign standing, I headed down the trail. It was around 1:45 in the afternoon.

After a quarter-mile through a relatively flat clearing, the trail entered a more forested region and began to climb and bend gently to the right, skirting the dome where I could see tiny rock climbers clinging to the sheer granite wall. (Okay, technically they were normal-sized climbers, but they appeared tiny.)

After another half-mile of hiking (and ascending), my head began to throb and my breathing became ragged due to the altitude. Almost all of the hikes in Tuolumne Meadows begin at an elevation around 8,600 feet, which is a solid 4,000 feet higher than the hikes I'm accustomed to that originate in Yosemite Valley. To alleviate the throbbing sensation, I took two swigs of water, paused for a second and then took another for good measure.

At the one-mile mark, instead of standing atop Lembert Dome, I found myself standing at a split in the trail. A sign indicated that I could continue straight and reach Dog Lake in 0.3 miles or turn right and reach Lembert Dome with an additional mile of hiking. Knowing I would pass through later, I decided to save the Dog Lake detour for the return trip and headed towards the dome.

For a short distance, the trail remained level and bordered a small, muddy-colored lake, but at the next trail juncture (where I had to make another right turn), it resumed its ascent in earnest. I soon reached the beginning of Lembert's granite slope.

Arriving at the first plateau, a gust of wind greeted me, as did a couple who were admiring the view. And what a view.

I ventured to every edge and took photos in every direction, trying to capture the vastness of it all. At some point, I realized how ridiculous it was to be looking at things through a two-inch viewfinder and stopped photographing.

Just then, I noticed the couple talking to somebody using an orange radio. It reminded me that I still needed to buy a pair of two-way radios. I saw them sign off and begin to descend to the trail.

I turned my attention to the steep approach to Lembert Dome's peak. With a little momentum, it would be easy to climb. The only problem would be getting back down without going all the way down. To let the present me focus on climbing, I keenly delegated the responsibility of getting back down to the future me.

When I reached the top, the wind was stronger and the view was more spectacular than before. Everything - the trees, the river, the meadow - looked so small. It felt like I was looking at a model of Tuolumne Meadows instead of the real thing.

With the exception of a woman perched on a nearby boulder, staring at the horizon, there was no one else around. We did the whole I'll-take-your-photo-if-you'll-take-mine routine and then she asked, "Did you happen to see an orange radio on your way up?"

I told her I had and explained about the couple. "Oh," she said. "They must have been talking with my husband. He's waiting for me down at the parking lot."

With that, I expected her to scramble down to catch up with the couple, but she seemed rather matter-of-fact about losing the radio. I suppose she expected they would simply return it to her husband when they reached the lot. I hope they did.

Anyway, I spent a few minutes more atop the dome, snacking and enjoying the scenery. Thankfully, future me was able to navigate down the dome with only a small slip here or there, but luckily, not that big final slip.

As planned, I made a quick detour to Dog Lake, which was a beautiful shade of blue. I stayed just long enough to snap a few pictures. It would have been nice to stay a longer, but I needed to get back to the parking lot.

Picking up the pace, I activated my backpack booster rocket, secured my Rocketeer helmet and jetted back to the trail head. At least that's what happened in my head. In the real world, I walked very, very fast. By the time I reached the lot, it was four o'clock.

For anybody visiting Tuolumne Meadows, I would highly recommend hiking to the top of Lembert Dome. It's a hike I hope to repeat one day soon.

• Total Distance: 4.6 miles
• Total Time: 2.25 hours
• Peak Elevation Gained: 9,450 feet
• # of Climbers Seen: 7