They didn’t go into the National Forests in early September. That’s for sure. All of the forests were closed. Which meant that Yosemite got a lot of hikers at the last minute.
I was pretty surprised to count at least thirty-five people a day on the trail, and this was mid-September. Most of them seemed to be hiking the circuit of the High Sierra Camps, but I also met a couple of groups hiking with a paid guide, and others who were doing the usual trip up or down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne.
And while I thought the Murphy Creek Trailhead wouldn’t get much use, it certainly did, once the national forests closed. It was one of the few trailheads in Yosemite that still had room after the closure…and it filled up quickly.
Still, all the people I met were nice, friendly, and in a good mood, despite the heavy smoke in the air. I as happy to be part of the multitude.