Tuesday, 19 July 4.5 miles, 4:15
Yosemite Falls from bus
After missed connections, an unexpected stay (and Harry Potter!) in Sacramento and a very early train to Merced this morning, Chelsea and I finally boarded a YARTS bus to Yosemite. We had planned to enter from the east but are instead arriving from the west. As the bus climbed we went from too-tidy suburbs that didn’t seem inhabited, to lovely mountain towns where the real people lived. We rolled deeper into the mountains and at 11:30 we entered Yosemite National Park. A bit more driving and some sightseeing of magnificent Yosemite Falls brought us to Yosemite Village at 12:30. It was a frustrating bit of running around here to pick up passes, mail home unneeded items from our train journey, make our last phone calls, find denatured alcohol for my stove (not sold by the ounce here) and locate the trail head, all while navigating dense herds of waddling, cigarette-smoking sidewalk tourists. The whole scene was overwhelming and made me even more eager to get on the trail. We finally did at 14:30 but found the trail to be paved and aswarm with yet more park visitors, albeit fewer waddlers and smokers. The going was steep, New England steep and not Sierra steep which we would discover to be not very steep at all.
Merced River and Vernal Falls
We climbed and soon came to the first crossing of the Merced River and a view up to Vernal Falls. I had been considering taking the Mist Trail, an alternate route that passes very near to Vernal Falls but a descending hiker told me that it had just been closed. When we got to the junction with the Mist Trail it was roped off with caution tape and a ranger was tending to a small group of distraught day hikers. As I waited for Chelsea to catch up I overheard another couple of rangers say something about people falling. Later we learned that three members of a church group had climbed over a railing meant to keep people away from the river just above Vernal Falls. The three slipped into the water and were swept over the falls. I continued on, grateful that we had not been a half hour earlier and become witnesses to the tragedy.
Nevada Fall and Liberty Cap
After a mile of steep pavement the trail transitioned to a wide gravel path with a grade eased by generous switchbacks. We passed a group of riders on horse- and muleback. Increasingly frequent openings gave us tantalizing views of towering Yosemite Falls, exquisite Nevada Falls, and Half Dome. The abundant snow of the previous winter and cool spring were making for a spectacular waterfall season. We approached Nevada Falls over smooth, flat ledge and crossed the Merced River on a fine, sturdy bridge just above where it raged over the edge and into the valley below. We found a spot next to the river at a quieter spot to have a snack and spotted a small lizard. From here it was easy going to Little Yosemite Valley. We arrived late in the afternoon and found many tents and few open campsites. We found a spot next to a small school group. I really didn’t want to camp next to a group. Then a young woman in the group noticed my EMS hat and we got talking about the east coast. As it happened, she and her group are from a school that one of my recent students came from. The group seemed pretty mellow and quiet and had some great trail information for us. We pitched next to them and had a late supper of Pad Thai, then went to bed.
Today I saw an Acorn Woodpecker (?) in Yosemite Valley, Stellar’s Jays, a small lizard, a Red-breasted sapsucker in camp, and a mule deer buck on the trail. I also saw many flowers and trees that are new to me and I haven’t identified yet.
Today I saw an Acorn Woodpecker (?) in Yosemite Valley, Stellar’s Jays, a small lizard, a Red-breasted sapsucker in camp, and a mule deer buck on the trail. I also saw many flowers and trees that are new to me and I haven’t identified yet.
