Falling for Yosemite

Internet access has been a challenge here at Yosemite. There is one lounge here in Curry Village with very limited Wi Fi and if you aren't here at the crack of dawn, you can forget trying to connect. Yesterday morning after struggling with the internet, we decided it was time to hit the trails.

First stop, Mirror Lake. We walked the mile or so to the trail head and began walking on the dirt trail. The first thing we noticed was the large piles of horse poop on the trail. It was a bit of an obstacle course making sure we didn't step in any of the fresh piles. About half-way up the trail, we stepped aside to allow 20 or so horses and their riders pass. When we arrived at the lake, we saw a lot of people on the other side, and realized we must have taken the horse trail to the lake. Then we had to figure out how to get on the other side. Some people were wading and splashing in the water, but we decided to cross over on the fallen logs and rocks that made a natural dam. Joe was off exploring and actually followed the trail around to the other side getting great views of Half Dome, and walking through a meadow of butterflies.

It was back to our tent cabin to grab a snack, and jump on the shuttle for Vernal Falls and the Mist Trail. This hike is considered "moderate" and reminded me of hiking Cowles Mountain back home except it was steeper  with not as many flat sections. It's only about .8 miles to the bridge where you can get a nice view of the lower portion of the falls. The powerful water tumbling over the rocks is gorgeous. The water is white with a blue tint and you can stand and look at it forever. Or at least that is a good excuse when you are stopping to catch your breath from the steep upward climb. After the bridge, we continued up the trail toward the top of the falls. We continued to get lovely views as we climbed higher and higher. I kept wondering why it was called the mist trail, since it was pretty warm, and I wasn't feeling any condensation at all. And then we saw the rock steps. Hundreds of uneven rocks that climbed up the side of the falls. They kept going and going and going. The higher we climbed the wetter it became and the rocks became slippery. Eventually, I decided I had climbed high enough and Joe accompanied me back down to the bridge. Going down the steps was scarier than climbing them. David and Zach made the trek to the top and took some photos while I waited at the bridge. All together it was about a 3 hour hike.

Next stop was the Visitor Center to learn about the history of Yosemite Valley and the establishment of the park. Although Yosemite was not the first National Park, it was the first time a large parcel of land was set aside by the federal government to be preserved for future generations. Abraham Lincoln signed this act during the Civil War. He had never been to Yosemite, but had seen photos and paintings and was convinced by the many who lobbied for this. It took a while for Yosemite to be fully protected as a national park, and it was interesting to see the changes in land management over the past 150 years.

From the Visitor Center, we headed to Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America. We took the short hike to a view point of Lower Yosemite Falls and watched people climbing the rocks to get closer to the falls. It reminded me of the rocks at the bottom of Mount Rushmore. If we weren't so tired, I think the boys would have tried climbing the boulders, but it was dinner time, and we were hungry. As we walked back toward the shuttle stop, we had some great views of this impressive waterfall. We thought about taking the hike for Upper Yosemite Falls, the following day, but since it is listed as a strenuous hike and the moderate hike of Vernal Falls wore me out, we've decided against it this visit.

After dinner, we took one last shuttle ride to the Ahwahnee Hotel to look around the grand lobby and grounds. This famous hotel reminded us of The Grand Californian in California Adventure. It was built in 1927 and has hosted presidents and celebrities throughout its history. It was a lovely hotel seated in a meadow with gorgeous views and the ever present towering rocks. The grandeur both inside and out was impressive and inspiring.

Before retiring to my bed, I made one last try at getting internet access to no avail. It had been a long and fulfilling day, and I was exhausted. I hadn't slept well the night before. Our neighboring tent had an unhappy child most of the evening, and it had been colder than I expected. So this time I fell asleep quickly and didn't move until morning.

We have one more day here in Yosemite, so as soon as I can get this blog uploaded, we'll get started on our final jaunts around the park.