Day 6 - Yosemite

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Today we decided to hike to Vernal Falls. Given that we are in Yosemite at the end of summer, most of the waterfalls and lakes, normally fed by melted snow, are completely dry and Vernal Falls is one of only two that still flow at this time of year as they are fed by the main river which flows through the valley.The Hiking guide chart rated the walk as "strenuous" with a walk time of 2 - 4 hours. However the chart also stated that the walk was only 1.4 miles each way, and an extra 0.3 miles if we wanted to extend our walk to take in the head of the falls, which by our standards didn"t make sense. We figured the time guide was for people in wheelchairs, so off we marched. Little did we know that the latter part of the trail was nearly vertical making the time guide totally realistic, but definitely worth the effort. Vernal Falls were beautiful, and I can only imagine how much more spectacular it would be in spring when the water volume is higher. Sarah and Emma were amazing troopers, leaping up the steps like they had springs in their feet. Have to say I was feeling my age a little bit, and was not so lithe-like, but we still made it up to the top of the falls in good time, where we were able to cool off our feet in the stream above.A fantastic feeling of accomplishment for us all and the view was amazing. Yosemite is a truly beautiful park and unlike anything we have in New Zealand. I am so pleased we decided to include this stop in our trip, as they are sights we will never forget (or if we do we have hundreds of photos to jog our memories!).

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