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Oct 19

Day 8: Lazy Day

Today was a pretty lazy day for us.  After of week of coordinated activities, the plan today was to take it easy.

As I was able to find access to the internet, I mostly spent my time in the village relaxing.  I also had ample opportunity to do everything I should not have been doing while in Nature’s playground — scan through my work emails, catch-up on world events, and read through some of my favorite blogs.

It was a pretty nice day.

Kelly, on the other-hand, was far more productive than me.  She visited some of the “less famous” attractions in Yosemite … like the history museum and cemetary.

Everything was on track to be a uneventful day, but then Lilly was stung by a bee, which definitely has put a damper of the evening.  Hopefully all will be better in the morning.

Oct 17

Day 6: Mariposa Grove

One big tree

We ventured to the south end of the park today in search of giant Sequoia trees.  Mariposa Grove is a cluster of thee giant conifers; I stress the adjective giant.  At an average height of 250 feet, these Sequoias are related to the giant Redwoods found in northern California.  In an effort to avoid the dramatic, I’ll simply say these trees are big – REALLY big.

The “Grizzly Giant”

The giant Sequoias are old.  Many mature trees have survived just about anything Mother Nature (and Humans) could throw at them.  Over the course of 3000 years, these bad boys have seen it all – snowstorms of the century, wild fires, lightning … you name it.  Their secret weapon is the bark, which can be as thick as two feet; natural protection from the elements protecting the otherwise fragile tree core.If you’ve ever seen any of the giant Redwoods, these trees are not as tall, but their massive bulk drafts the Redwoods.  We chose to visit the largest of three groves containing about 500 of these beasts.  It isn’t uncommon at all to find mature trees with a base width between 15-25 feet.  BTW, I’m not talking circumference – these bad boys are huge.  The biggest of the all in Yosemite is the “Grizzly Giant”.  Depending upon who you believe, this Sequoia has been chilling in Mariposa Grove somewhere in the 1800-2700 years range.  Believe it or not, as big as this guy is, there are at least 25 other Sequoia which are confirmed larger.

All in all, the grove is pretty cool.  I’m not sure I’d go back, but definitely something I would recommend.  Visitors have two options in exploring the grove:  Hike the six miles of trails and really see the ins and outs of the park, or ride the open-cap trolley along the grove’s road and pass by the “celebrity” Sequoia trees – just enough to capture a few highlights for the camera.

We walked.  I’m glad we did as we saw a lot more of the grove than those who rode the trolley.

Putting these into perspective. I am 6ft, 2in tall.

Big trees come with big cones

What happens when a tree is blocking a planned road

What happens when a tree is blocking a planned road

Upon exiting the grove, we stopped for a quick lunch at the Wawona Hotel golf course clubhouse (yes, golf course).  We had hotdogs and then it was time to get back to the campsite.

Later this afternoon Chris and I paid a visit to Camp 4, a tent-only campsite that became notable after WWII as a hangout for rock climbers.  Today, I recommend you visit Camp 4 whenever you wish to hear statements like this: “Dude, that second pitch was gnarly; I got so spanked.  And those crimpers … they are stupid, I was smearing like crazy … and what about that cruz … so phat”. 

Beyond the local lingo, there is also foul wave of B.O. in the air.  Consider yourself forewarned.

Oct 16

Day 5: Vernal & Nevada Falls

Today we decided to hike up into two of the more popular falls in the Yosemite Valley.  The two falls are described as neighboring twins – both narrow in shape, pushing their water charge over broad, vertical sheer rock cliffs.  All in, the elevation change along the six-mile trail was just over 2,000 ft.

A quick stop to enjoy the views

Unfortunately, it is Fall so most of the rivers and waterways are bone dry, resulting in significantly reduced falls activity.  Nonetheless, we wanted to venture up off the Valley floor for views from high above.  About 8 miles round trip from our campsite, the distance wasn’t material; rather the elevation rise was significant.

Up, up, up

Nevada Falls

Turns out Chris developed quite a thirst on the trail.

Refreshing

Blue skies and little tree cover made for hot temperatures and loads of sweat as we ascended to the top.  The effort was totally worth the work as the views from atop the valley are quite spectacular.

Once at the top, we ate our pack lunch and made no effort to be swift in that endeavor.  The expansive views and perfect temperatures made me wish I would be spending the night at the elevation, not in the crowded valley floor.

This little guy stole my apple core

Glad to be a the top

Soon enough reality set in and it was time to get moving again.  Katie Dog and Lilly were back at the Airstream waiting our return so that they could commence with their long walk of the day.

Oct 15

Day 4: Mirror Lake

I slept like a champ last night.  The air is cool, crisp and smells just like a world famous park should … so loving it here.

After breakfast, Kelly and I took Lilly for walk to Mirror Lake.   The hike is quite pedestrian in nature – gigantic trees loom overhead, creating a neat canopy effect .

Walking to Mirror Lake

A subtle bear reminder

Bikes are plentiful in the park

Mirror Lake, sans water

This time of year, Mirror Lake is bone dry, which is pretty interesting.  On the one hand, it’s a bit odd to see a lakebed completely dry knowing that in a few months time will be full, encompassing a quite large area.  On the other hand, it’s cool to see the lakebed itself.  Walking the area, one is able to see up-close how the water affects the natural surroundings.  Small rocks and giant boulders alike are very smooth to touch.  I cannot help but wonder how many of these water/no water cycles have occurred over the years, manipulating the size and texture of any item caught-up in such an occurrence.

Venturing onward, the path next brought us past an easy-to-miss collection of rock cairns.  It’s not too uncommon to come across a cairn on hiking trails, but I’ve never seen a collection quite as large as this – pretty cool.

Peaceful times in the rock cairns

Rewarding anyone taking the time to venture a bit further down the trail is the most spectacular vantage of Half Dome.  Today was the first-time I’ve seem the famous rock up-close and I was blown away.  Not to sound dramatic, but Half Dome is so impressive.  The sheer size of the face is something I cannot sufficiently describe.  Its dominance is it’s beauty – thousands of years of geology at work creating a perfect rock.  Awesome.

Half Dome

After marveling at Half Dome for some time, we needed to make our way back to the Airstream and await Chris’s arrival.

Chris arrived without incident, but not without having spent about 11 hours driving here.  We took the afternoon pretty nonchalantly – letting Chris relax, catching-up, and talking over options for our first big day hike tomorrow.

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