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Back on June 18th, my brother drove us to a Hertz in Berkeley where we picked up what would be our mode of transport across the country, a bright red Toyota Rav4 - sweet... free upgrade! The drive from Berkeley to Yosemite was visually unstimulating, but the excitement that we were on the road, covering the first 160 miles of what would be several thousand, transformed the arid farms and ranches along the drive into an exciting and welcoming setting. This trip we had dreamed about for years and planned months ago was at last underway.
Just a few hours on the road and we entered the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. At the entrance to the park, we purchased our interagency park pass (which would give us access to all the parks we visited on this trip) and, as it was already midday, we were advised to head directly to Yosemite Creek, the last campground with available first-come first-serve campsites. We were grateful to find any site at all, as google had me expecting otherwise given the time of day we arrived. The high country campground was just perfect with campsites right along the waters edge of snow melt
Yosemite Valley
The views open up as we ascend out of the valley floor on the Four Mile Trail. fed Yosemite Creek, which later in its flow became Yosemite Falls on its descent into the valley.
After setting up our tent and stashing the little food we had in a bear-resistant food storage bin, we continued further into the high country to explore what we could of this enormous park with the latter half of the day we still had left. The rest of this day was predominantly a driving tour, which was all we had intended as we had big aspirations for the next day. Tioga Road winded and climbed, and as we began to garner a picture of Yosemite (neither of us had ever seen many photos), we were continually more impressed. Beautiful forests eventually gave way to stunning views and pristine lakes, meadows and streams.
From Olmsted Point, we looked down on Half Dome, Yosemite's iconic centerpiece. We stopped at Lake Tenaya for pictures of the white sand beach, unexpected at over 8,000 feet, that lined a small perimeter of the oblong lake. We parked in one of the designated lots in Tuolumne Meadows, and followed a walking path that meandered the rim of the grassy field, crossing over snow melt streams and overshadowed
by Lambert's Dome, a peak that was speckled with climbers. Having come from the city earlier that day, the crispness of the mountain air and clarity of the icy stream were magnified to us. We took our time up here and took deep breaths, soaking it in. We got back to our campsite shortly before dark and loaded up the layers as we were not so perfectly prepared for the near freezing night time temperatures. We managed to stay warm and comfortable nonetheless, and in between listening for Black Bears that might be scoping out our campsite, we thought about the hike that would await us in the next morning, a nearly 13 mile hike that would prove to be one of the best hikes either of us had ever done in our lives.
After a hearty breakfast at the White Wolf Lodge, we made the one hour commute down into the valley. We parked at the Valley Visitor Center and a 15 minute shuttle ride later, we were at the Four Mile Trailhead (a deceiving name as the Four Mile Trail is closer to five miles in length). This trail was a continuous climb from the valley floor
to the top of the cliffs that create the valley. Sometimes the switchbacks came quickly and other times the trail hugged the mountainside for an extended distance. As we climbed, the views opened up and the shape of the valley became clear. The granite peaks sprouted straight up from the earth. The mountains felt like they were formed from a momentary cataclysm, rather than the geologic time frames that shape most of the planet. Eventually Yosemite Falls came into view, only a few weeks away from running dry. Our ascent culminated at Glacier Point, an impressive spot from the rim of the gorge where the entire U-shaped valley can be seen, from El Capitan to Yosemite Falls to Half Dome to Nevada and Vernal Falls.
Glacier Point served as our resting place, and after catching our breath, we began the second leg of our day's adventure, the eight mile Panorama Trail which would return us to the valley floor (be it far away in the valley from where we had begun). As great as the views were on the Four Mile Trail, the Panorama Trail was a superior hike. Gradually we descended through Yosemite's forest and in a direction
that took us deeper into the valley. Without all the switchbacks, our view of Half Dome, the valley floor and the nearby waterfalls were constantly changing. After a few miles of descending, the sound of flowing water grew loud out of the mix of forest sounds. A foot bridge took us across Illouette Falls and a few miles later we were standing on top of Nevada Falls, a large and steep waterfall which was the grandest of those we saw in the park. Shortly after crossing another footbridge, the trail began to descend rapidly, hugging the cliff just beside the falls. During this stretch, the tiredness came on, the blisters on our feet tore open, and we longed for a hot dinner and the "bed" in our tents. We finished as strongly as we could, grateful to be back on the valley floor, completely exhausted, but feeling accomplished and rewarded after such an incredible excursion.
That night we slept very well. Had there been a bear scavenging our camp site, we would've slept through it. In the morning, we arose well rested in the clear, crisp, 40 degree, high sierra air, packed up our camp and hit the road
again, headed south and back to the coast with our eyes set on Santa Barbara.
A few weeks have now passed by since we left Yosemite, and while we've had many other great stops along the way, Adina and I agree that Yosemite has been our favorite of the parks thus far. Unlike some of the other spots we have visited, two days was not nearly enough time there. The park is massive and with over 800 miles of trail, there is so much left for us to explore one day in the future.
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Allan Thomas
non-member comment
Nice!
Thanks for sharing your Yosemite adventure and the great photos. I can just feel that freezing cold river and lake water with the 40 degree air! Reminds me of the times I had there