Day 1: 10.7 mi + 2,115/1,000 ft gain/loss
We took the bus from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows and started our backpacking trip from the Cathedral Lakes Trailhead. We spent an hour swimming, relaxing, and enjoying the views at Upper Cathedral lake. The last leg of the day was a 5 mile trek to Sunrise lakes. We stopped at the the first lake we encountered (I think Sunrise Lake #3) just before sunset and set up camp.
Day 2: 8.88 mi + 1,628/3,200 ft gain/loss
We packed up camp and headed out for a 5.5 mile hike to Clouds Rest. The hike up to Clouds Rest was difficult and precarious especially with our packs on, but the views were worth it. After eating lunch on top of Clouds Rest, we descended for several miles until we reached out campsite for the night at the junction of the Clouds Rest Trail/John Muir Trail.
Day 3: 7.92 mi + 2,266/3,000 ft gain/loss
We were only 2.6 miles from Half Dome, so we decided to hike with only our day packs. In my opinion, the hike up Sub Dome was more difficult than the cables section to summit Half Dome. The views were absolutely incredible so we took our time on the summit. After we got back to camp, we decided to make our last day shorter so we packed up our stuff and headed for Little Yosemite Valley.
Day 4: 5.79 mi + 2,200 ft loss
We left Little Yosemite Valley and hiked down to Yosemite Valley along the Merced River. This hike had a ton of elevation loss and took us passed Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap.