Yosemite National Park

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The drive to Yosomite National park along high way 140 for the most part is pretty boring crossing a lot of agricultural land through one horse towns. The landscape gets more interesting a for the last hundred or so miles turning first into small rolling hills before the climbs become larger and we are winding our way through dramatic views of high wooded hills and rivers running through low valleys. We arrive at around four in the afternoon at a Youth Hostel set into the Wooded Hillside, there is snow on the ground bright against the darkness of the woods. We take a double room. It is a small hut, musty and old style with patch work quilts, wooden floors and a battered old wardrobe. Its a cosy trip back in time. There is no phone in the room and no TV to spew out crass garbage and interrupt our tranquillity. We drop off the bags and drive the twenty five miles to the Yosomite National Park. We are detoured on route by a massive landslide that had covered the road in rocks and rubble. We buy a week long pass at the park gate for $10 and head in for a quick look around. A short time after entering the park the climate changes dramatically for the colder. There is snow everywhere and we take it slow along the icy roads. Huge mountains loom over us their jagged sides soaring up to peaks that scream and grate against the darkening sky line. We make it to the closing visitor centre and store before heading back out. Along the way we see a heard of deer. It's the first time in my life after seeing a sign post warning of deer that I have actually encountered some. We stop and watch them for a while as they sniff at the snow for food, looking up as other cars pass not quite unconcerned they seem used to the strange loud noisy machines but are ready to bolt at any moment.

We eat in the Youth Hostel canteen, have a few beers then retire for the night. In the morning we hire snow shoes, buy a pack lunch from the Hostel Kitchen and head back into the National Park for a hike. Road signs warn of the need for snow chains which we do not have. We crawl along icy roads through dark woods hoping that we will be able to get back out. A ranger is stopped by the road side who informs us that he cannot let us go on to our intended hike start point at Inspiration Pass due to the adverse weather conditions. He advises us to go to Four Mile pass along the road and hike from their along the floor of the valley. We park up as he suggested at the beginning of Four Mile Pass on the vale floor but cannot resist a hike up the trail towards the massive grey rock that dominates the skyline. Lou has thrown out her old battered walking boots as she felt our cold weather hiking was done for the trip. She wins the 'inappropriate foot ware of the year' award wearing a pair of Seal skin socks, strappy white shoes and snow shoes. We set off up the trail under a blue sky through snow that is two foot deep in places, passing a sign stating that we are entering the wilderness we check a leaflet that advises what to do when encountering bears or snow lions. It offers the advice shout to scare them off, throw stones if they approach and fight back if they attack! It certainly ads a bit of an edge to a walk knowing that there is stuff out along the trail with teeth and claws capable of tearing us apart. I swear we see a bear foot print in the snow but it was probably just a claw shaped imprint made from a falling lump of snow from a branch. We climb up a winding slope deep in snow, it's tough going even in snow shoes but very rewarding as once more on my travels I am stunned into near speechlessness at the shear beauty of our surroundings. The snow covered valley floor is below us and through the trees that surround our root, passed grey boulders we can see mountains on the other side, waterfalls bursting from the sides and gushing, crashing down the rocks to form rivers below. The huge grey rock looms above us jagged and pointed and inaccessible beyond the trail. It is amazing. On the way back down I throw snow balls at Lou and we build a snow man on the valley floor before starting our journey back towards the coast and San Francisco.

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