Tenaya Peak (10280 ft / 3133 m) and Mt. Hoffmann (10850 ft / 3307 m) - Yosemite National Park
(Carlos, Rudy, Artur and Meri)

Both are day hikes, not strenuous and incredibly beautiful. It took us 2 hours to get to Tenaya Peak from the Tenaya Lake (Sunrise trailhead).

Rudy in front of Half-Dome and Yosemite Valley

It is a crosscountry hike, with a lot of slabs and some grade III passes that can be avoided depending on the way up. Our only adventure was crossing the river at the begining of the hike. There was too much water so we had to take off our shoes to cross, wading through the calf-high stream. We hiked up a little east of the south ridge, staying west of the stream that runs down the valley, and hiked down via Mildred Lake. In a bit more than one hour we were cooling our toes on the beach of Tenaya Lake.

Tenaya Peak throning above Tenaya Lake

One of the most beautiful views from Tenaya Peak is the Yosemite Valley from the north-east side, with a spectacular view of Half-Dome from the side that sports the trail on which people hike to its top. The mosquitoes attacked us all day long, as the day was hot and they were hungry.

Before the hike we secured a campsite at White Wolf, one of the campgrounds on Tioga Pass Road. Luckily this weekend there were fewer people in the park than last time we were there, so we did not need to spend extra time driving around to various campgrounds to find a place to pitch our tents. Also this time our site was virtually mosquito free, unlike last time.

On Sunday we climbed Mount Hoffmann. This too is a short day hike, even easier than Tenaya Peak. We left the car at May Lake trailhead, which has ample space for parking and has plenty of bear lockers. There is a trail all the way from the lake to the top of the mountain which makes it busier than Tenaya Peak on which we saw only the odd climbing party on their descent.

Mount Hoffmann

While Rudy and Meri were arriving in less that 2 hours to the 'official' top (the one with the antenna), Artur had time to climb that one as well as the 3 minor peaks. Carlos reached us on the first peak just as we were starting to head down.
The mosquitoes were a lot worse than the previous day and we were all but bathing in bug repellent to keep them at bay. After lunch, though, they seemed to rest from the heat and give us a break.
Again, in little over one hour we were back at the car, ready for a good wash in a nearby creek.