Tonelli's Travels

I left Kings Canyon, sadly, early in the morning to drive over to my next national park, Yosemite. I was looking forward to the granite domes, waterfalls, and meadows, but I was also sad to leave the special place that is Kings Canyon. Visiting here was a special treat.

On my way over, errands had to be done. Dump the tanks, fill up on water, stop at Camping World for propane and supplies, groceries. Yosemite happens to be near Fresno, so it made most of these activities convenient. I even had the pleasure and privilege of shopping at Whole Foods, a place I hadn’t seen in months. I stocked up on lots of goodies, including chocolate. Yum!

With chores done, I continued on to Fish Camp, California, where the southern entrance of Yosemite resides. I had been warned that Yosemite is a busy park, desirable to many because of its hiking, rock climbing, and proximity to cities. I had to make a day-visit reservation so I could even enter the park during my time there, so I thought I was prepared. However, then I drove around the corner, approaching the entrance station, and got stuck in a car line for nearly 45 minutes. Ugh! Thankfully all I wanted to do that afternoon was grab maps and talk to a ranger about hiking. So I not so patiently waited, finally got in, parked, gathered my information, got gas, and went out to my campsite to lay down. Tomorrow was another day.

My first full day in Yosemite, I rose at 5:30 and left the campground by 6:30 to try to beat the crowds! The sun was already up, warming me on the brisk morning. I sailed easily into the park, self-registered, and continued down the road to Yosemite Valley. Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls were waiting for me!

The road into Yosemite Valley is nearly 30 miles up and around and down and up and around and down the mountainside. It was a slow journey, full of splendid forest views. As I approached the final descent into the valley (nearly an hour later), haze confronted me. At first I wasn’t sure if it was fog rising as the temperatures increased, or smoke, but then the smell hit me. Definitely smoke. I became worried that I had missed an important memo. Smoke was flowing down the valley, climbing up the mountain walls, growing thicker as I drove in. Finally I saw signs about controlled burning, and relaxed that I wasn’t driving into a danger zone.

It was eery driving through the smoke, headlights on, speed lowered. Along the side of the road logs simmered and tree trunks blazed with flames. Smoke rose up and twirled around. It felt like I shouldn’t be there. Fire crews were around though and the valley was open. Although I knew this was important, and prevented larger, uncontrolled fires, to see a prescribed burn in action was unsettling. A strange experience indeed.

Soon I was past this area, into the heart of Yosemite Valley, and surrounded by people and cars. More human activity in one space then I had interacted with since Medway Marches almost a year ago. I felt a little uneasy, but reminded myself I am vaccinated, outside, and will socially distance. I was also a bit disappointed. I had been spoiled by all my quiet, sparsely populated hikes and parks so far. I was grateful to be here, and going to enjoy myself, and I did not like the crowds. If this was 7:45AM, I dreaded knowing what later morning and early afternoon would look like. Yikes! Nevertheless, I had come for a hike and a hike I was going to do. With pack packed, I headed down the bike path to the trailhead.

Vernal Falls was the first destination, a couple miles down the trail. Paved and wide, the route looked easy at first but quickly became to climb. And climb it continued to the bridge at the base of the falls. Several weeks of hiking at high elevation had prepared me well, but my heart was still beating fast!

I paused briefly at the bridge to catch a glimpse of the falls from below, and then continued on as the path changed to earth and rocks. As the path approached the fall, it became a series of stairs paralleling Vernal Falls, wet from the mist generated by the force of falling water. I took the steps one at a time, using the railing for support, and was sprinkled on the entire time. Mist dotted my sunglasses, covered my camera, and soaked my shirt. It was a welcome wet though to counteract the heat from the climb.

Halfway up the falls I lingered, capturing photos and admiring the sheer volume of water cascading over the lip above. A rainbow glimmered below, the mist and sun interacting to create magical color.

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Continuing on, more steps confronted me, practically climbing straight up. So on we went, a few steps at a time, lots of pauses. Then across the fenced ledge, a few more steps, and then the top of Vernal Falls was ahead of me. A sloping smooth rock surface led up the the falls, the river ran down the far side, and then crashed over the edge. Water plummeted down nearly 300 feet.

There were many people around, but it wasn’t overly crowded. It was still fairly early in the morning. Not wanting to wait around for the crowds, I ate my snack and headed on down the trail to Nevada Falls. As soon as I left, about half the crowd disappeared. I think one climb was enough for most people. Not me!

The climb to Nevada Falls was equally strenuous after the short traverse through the forest. Stairs twisted and turned up the side of the falls, all the way to the tippy top. I quickly glanced at the falls from the bottom, then headed up, again pausing often. I told myself the breaks were for photos, but really they were for me. My legs were shaking!

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On the way up I played cat and mouse with several groups. I would pass them, then they would catch up and pass me as I rested. Then inevitably I’d pass them a little while later as they rested. Nobody seemed to mind. Friendly hellos and chitchat exchanged, no sense of rush or competition.

Eventually the summit was ahead, a big rock plateau to spread out on, admire the domes, and listen to the water flow. This time I found a nice tree to lean on and settled down for a long rest. There were people around, but far fewer and lots of space to spread out. A big, happy, sigh.

I found some sun after a while, a little chilled from damp clothes from walking through Vernal Falls’ mist. I put on another layer to warm up, and then decided to move on. The John Muir Trail would lead me back, creating a loop back to Vernal Falls.

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I didn’t make it far down the trail before stopping to soak up the view. From the far side, I could see Nevada Falls in it’s entirety. The water sliding down the smooth rock, pounding on the rocks below, joining the river flowing through the valley. I found a rock to sit on, and admired. An older man, Dan, a Yosemite frequent visitor, stopped to chat for a while and shared all kinds of tips. He even pointed out that I was staring at the backside of Half Dome – I had no idea! Thanks Dan!

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Then I reluctantly continued down the smoother, more gradual trail back to the start. I caught up with a couple I had met at the top and we hiked most of the way back together. Welcome company.

The trail eventually rejoined our ascent at Vernal Falls, now crawling with hikers. After quickly using the bathroom, I sped through that area, not fond of the crowds. But that let me meet up with two women from Maine, yay east coast!, and have a good laugh about squirrels and birds. I stopped at the bottom, ate lunch by the river and chatted with my parents on the phone.

Then, somehow, even after 9 miles, I found energy to do a little more. I was already in the valley, so why not? Off to Mirror Lake, rated as an easy 4 mile jaunt, I went!

Well, the trail was easy, but I got a little turned around and 4 miles became 6. Oops! Mirror Lake was worth it though. Set below Half Dome, it was shallow and calm in May, easy to walk across. That is, if you aren’t afraid of cold water! It felt good on my tired and sore feet. I stood in the middle, looking up at Half Dome, it’s flat side looming above me.

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After chatting with a couple of campground hosts, I headed back to the van, definitely feeling tired now. However, when I arrived, someone was parked behind me! I started asking around, trying to resist bursting into an angry rage. A man came over to help, and I definitely released some frustration, when a women popped out of a nearby trailer and claimed the truck! She was visiting friends and hadn’t realized I had come back. Phew! My anger was instantly gone and we traded parking spots, then I was off.

Well, first I took a wrong turn, but that turned into a happy mistake. I ended up giving two backpack hikers a ride to their van, saving them a few miles of extra walking. If I hadn’t been delayed, or take a wrong turn, I might not have been able to help them out. So in the end, it all worked out!

Then I made the long, windy drive back to my campground, over an hour away. Wah! But the day had been amazing, so it was worth it. Back at my spot, I shoveled dinner into my mouth and prepared for bed, another 5:30AM wake up was ahead of me!