CA -– Yosemite, 29 Dec 2011 – 5 Jan 2012

 

Incomparable Yosemite!

Yosemite National Park was high on our list of places to visit and neither of us had been.  According to our first travel plans, we intended to visit by November.  However, we had been moving slowly.  We wondered if we visited in January, how much would we be able to see?   Usually, this time of year, the majority of the roads in the park are closed. 

We stayed in a little campground about 10 miles from the park entrance.  It was the closest campground with full hooks ups.  We did not have cell phone service, internet, or television, but otherwise, we were comfortable. 

Day 1…Yosemite Valley, Visitor’s Center, Yosemite Falls Trail…

We were in absolute awe as we entered the Yosemite Valley.  Wow, that’s El Capitan!  Wow, that’s Yosemite Falls!  Wow, that’s Half Dome!  We’ve all seen pictures of these things, but nothing beats seeing them in person.  We were blown away!  We stopped at a few pullouts to take pictures of a big rock slide, Bridalveil Falls, and El Capitan.  Next, we went to the Visitor’s Center to get maps and info to help us with our plan.  We were very excited to learn that due to a mild winter and very little snow all roads in the entire park were open… yippee!  Our first plan:  Hike up Yosemite Falls Trail to Columbia Rock.  The trail switch backed repeatedly until we were over 1,000 feet above the valley floor.  The view that awaited us will be permanently engrained in our memories.  We lingered for quite awhile trying to absorb it all.  It was an incredible start to our Yosemite adventure!

   

This rock slide occurred in 1982  /  El Capitan…3,593 feet high…one of the world’s largest granite monoliths

   

Bridalveil Falls…620 feet high

   

                                                                                           Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls

Looking down Yosemite Valley

Half Dome…the view from Columbia Rock along the Yosemite Falls Trail

 

Day 2…Tioga Pass, Olmsted Point, Lembert Dome and Dog Lake

It is very unusual for Tioga Pass to be open this time of year.  It tops out just under 10,000 feet and should have several feet of snow on it by now.  The road was clear, but there were places where 6-12 inches of month old snow still covered the ground.  All the creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes were frozen solid.  In fact, there were about a hundred people playing on ice covered Tenaya Lake.  The frozen creeks and rivers were especially pretty, snaking through meadows with varied patterns of ice.  We stopped at Olmsted Point and were blown away once again.  The work of the glaciers is obvious with worn granite everywhere you look.  It’s amazing that a few gnarled trees take root and survive among so much rock.  The large, rounded boulders deposited in odd places by retreating glaciers (that we call “glacier poop”) grabbed our attention.  In places, there were thin slabs of “glacier polished” granite that were worn smooth and shiny.  We really enjoyed this geological wonderland.  Next we drove up to the pass and turned around to head back to Lembert Dome.  This monolith tops out at 9,450 feet and is also popular with climbers.  Initially we had planned to hike all the way around it, but didn’t have enough time.  Instead we hiked up to frozen Dog Lake.  It was a pleasant hike, though the trail was often slick.  We made it down in one piece but it wasn’t easy.

   

View from Olmsted Point…Half Dome in the upper right           

   

Large slabs of glacier smoothed granite

   

          Ice skating sasquatch?                                                       Frozen Dog Lake                         

 

Our most expensive gas yet….

In Yosemite NP

Day 3…Mariposa Grove and Wawona Point

We wanted to see some of the most massive living things on earth so we went to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees.  It was surprising to see so many people.  The parking area was nearly full.  The trail was crowded initially, but we left half the people behind a half mile from the parking lot.  Three quarters of the folks were gone 1-2 miles from the parking lot and by the time we were three miles into our hike, we were alone!  It was glorious to be among the stately trees, enjoying the peace and quiet under a clear blue sky, with the smell of fresh pine scented air, and perfect weather.  Some of the trees in the grove are estimated to be 3,000 years old!  We felt that we were in the presence of “ancientness”.  The “Grizzly Giant” exudes “ancientness” by its gnarled and twisted limbs.  It’s estimated to be 1,800-2,800 years old!  We continued to climb up to the top of Wawona Point where we fueled our bodies and took advantage of the decent cell phone signal to check email and call family.  This was a very enjoyable hike and a great way to start the New Year.

   

                 The “Grizzly Giant”

   

            Burn area and brilliant blue skies                                         Arleen among “ancientness”

   

                        Sugar pine cones                                                             Giant Sequoia cones

At the top of Wawona Point

Day 4…John Muir Trail to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall

We wanted to do a challenging loop route that offered some of the highlights of Yosemite Valley.  The John Muir Trail up to Nevada Fall is rated “strenuous” with a 1,900 feet gain and is a loop of 6-7 miles.  Plus, we’d get up close and personal with two spectacular water falls on the Merced River…perfect!  The trail climbs immediately but is smooth pavement through tons of rock debris.  As we crossed the first bridge, the trail transitioned to steep, cut granite steps and remained like that the majority of the way.  Other than a few short, fairly level sections, it was a tough climb.  We ascended a total of nearly 2,500 feet with most of it in about two miles.  We got to admire both falls from the bottom and top…it was incredible!  Just a little past the top of Nevada Fall, the trail was closed due to a rock slide…poop…no loop for us.  We were not looking forward to going down those tricky and steep granite steps, but did better than expected.  We were still a mile up the trail when the sun set, turning the puffy clouds pink against the darkening blue sky and the enormous cliff walls glowed orange.  We treasured the moment and God’s creation.  The sun set pictures didn’t turn out too well.  Hopefully the scene stays clear in our memory.

   

   

                                                               --- Vernal Fall ---

   

                 Top of Vernal Fall                                                  Top of Nevada Fall

Part way up Nevada Fall

Top of Nevada Fall

“Glacier Poop” at the top of Nevada Fall

Day 5…Hetch Hetchy and Wapama Fall

Hetch Hetchy Valley was dammed in 1938 to create a water source for the growing Bay Area.  The 8-mile long reservoir is very pretty, but it’s hard not to imagine the valley in its natural state.  Oh well.  It was beautiful and the unseasonal 60 degree weather and blue skies made it even more enjoyable.  There was just a trickle of water over Wapama Fall.  The ranger told us that the flow that day was about 5 cubic feet per second (CFS) compared to over 1,500 CFS in late spring and summer.  We were able to sit right at the base of the falls and enjoy a snack and the wonderful view.       

   

   

        Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the dam

Wapama Fall

 

 Day 6…Taft Point, The Fissures, Sentinel Dome, and Glacier Point

We saved the best for last!  We were excited to see the classic view of the Yosemite Valley and surrounding mountains from the infamous Glacier Point.  But first we wanted to do a hike.  The sign for the Taft Point Trail warns parents to watch their children around The Fissures because it is a 3,500 feet drop straight to the valley.  The signs were right!  We looked over the edge and our knees started to shake.  It dropped so abruptly that you had to be right on the edge to see straight down.  I was pretty uncomfortable posing for the picture below!  The view was stunning with the valley far below and Yosemite Falls on the other side… wow… and we had it all to ourselves!  Next we hiked to the top of 8,122 feet high Sentinel Dome where we took in the most spectacular 360 degree view we have ever seen!  We headed back to the truck and drove down to Glacier Point.  This is the spot that many of the best pictures of Yosemite have been taken.  It seemed like Half Dome was right in our faces!  It may be the most amazing view in the Lower 48.

   

               My knees were shaking!           The view from Taft Point…Yosemite Valley below and El Capitan above

A small slice of the 360 degree view from Sentinel Dome

Yosemite National Park has been on our must see list for a long time.  It lived up to our expectations and then some.  Our pictures captured some great moments, but they can never capture the immensity and grandeur of this incomparable scenery. 

Thanks to the unseasonal weather were able to see everything we wanted to.  We took full advantage of our one week stay.  In six days, we walked a total of 40.9 miles and climbed 8,450 feet!

Our next adventure will be in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.  Hopefully the great weather continues!