Another day of rising early and I was off to Glacier Point for the views and hiking. I have to admit, after the climbing yesterday, I was tired. Not sure what I had in me for this day.
The drive to Glacier Point, like all drives into Yosemite, was long and windy. I didn’t have to go into the valley, but instead turned right about halfway there to ascend up to my destination. As Sunny and I climbed up the mountain, the temperature dropped but the sun kept rising. The road was narrow but quiet and some snow greeted me on the sides of the roads, protected from melting by the trees. As I approached the lookout, the road became skinnier, if that was even possible, and circled down around the forest. Then I had arrived.
Many hikers and observers were camped out in the parking lot, eating breakfast after watching the sunrise over Half Dome. I had thought about that, but waking up at 4:00AM was just not going to happen. Oh well!
It was a chilly 46 degrees, so I put on my jacket and walked over to the viewing area. Although the air was cold, the sun was fierce and I made a mental note to delayer before heading out on my hike. The walk to see Half Dome and the valley below was short but rewarding. Before me the profile of the granite beauty stood tall and proud, surrounded by smaller pointed peaks. To the left were Vernal and Nevada Fall, looking tiny and dainty from so far away. And to the right was Yosemite Falls, the longest waterfall. The glaring sun made it difficult to capture their beauty, but I sure did try.
Wanting to linger but aware that the smoke from the valley would soon be rising, I continued on. Sentinel Dome, and maybe Tafts Point, were ahead of me with more spectacular views to admire. So off I went, after tossing the jacket in the car, up the wooded switchbacks to the dome.
The climb was tough, my legs tired from yesterday’s trek. I pushed onward though, knowing the distance was short. I told myself if the views from Sentinel were splendid, then I’d stop and return to the van. Sounded like a fair deal.
And the views did not disappoint. After the steep climb up the rock slope of Sentinel Dome, I had a clear 360 view of Yosemite. Half Dome off to my right, unobstructed by any trees or people. And Yosemite Falls again, right before me. The top of Sentinel Dome was pretty quiet, not many hikers on the trails yet, so I found a rock to sit on and stared away at the water cascading straight down the rock wall. Even from so far away it’s power was obvious. The white mist and splash were visible. Here is sat, mesmerized for nearly 45 minutes, knowing this was my hike for the day.
When the crowds did start to arrive, I slowly headed off, down the trail a bit to a quiet spot where Half Dome was still clear. I enjoyed the quiet and snapped a few more photos. I had a good subject.
Then down I went, content with my decision not to hike to Tafts Point. A while down the trail I found another good rock to sit on and settled in to enjoy some more Half Dome. It was quiet and calm, so I ate my snack and made a phone call. Then, the chainsaw started up. And roar it did, on and off, at it ate through a dead tree trunk. So much for peace and quiet! Soon, crash! Down fell the tree not more than 200 feet away. Uh oh! I worried I was in a bad spot, but a trail worker soon appeared and reassured me this was the only tree they were chopping. I’d be fine to continue lingering, it would be quiet again soon. And she was right.
After several more moments of soaking up the scenery, I headed back to Sunny. In the quiet of the van I called a friend and my mom and watched the parking lot fill up with visitors. By the time I left, it was packed and there was a long bathroom line. Yikes!
On my way out, I stopped at the Visitors Center to check if Tioga Road was opening tomorrow. I hoped it was. The road cuts west to east across Yosemite, through alpine meadows and the Tioga Pass, and would save me hours on the next part of my journey. Thankfully it was opening the ranger reassured me, all snow removed and maintenance complete. Yes! We chatted for a while about my options, should I travel to Hetchy Hetch too? Ultimately I decided that was too much driving to enjoy and I would just drive straight across.
Back at the campsite I made tentative plans for my next few days, ate dinner, and went to bed early. Those sunrise wake ups and hour plus drives were wearing me out! Honestly, it made it a little hard to enjoy Yosemite, but I was doing my best to be grateful. One more day in this wonderful park tomorrow! But I’ll certainly be back for more someday.
Tonelli's Travels 