GCYoMoDo was coming to an end, as RC and I both had flights out of California on this day. The writing of this final Yosemite post is really bittersweet. The trip has been such a great experience in so many different ways that blogging about its end is a bit depressing.
In case you’ve missed reading the earlier posts:
- GCYoMoDo – Part I: San Francisco to Yosemite
- GCYoMoDo – Part II: Yosemite High Country
- GCYoMoDo – Part III: Yosemite Valley
- GCYoMoDo – Part IV: Half Dome
- GCYoMoDo – Part V: Journey Home
Five days, four nights.
We got up at 6am at Little Yosemite Valley and I felt horrible. During the night, I woke up shivering. After a single sneeze, the runny nose started. I had been coughing a bit two days ago and the cold has finally caught up to me. When I got up, I had a mild headache as well. Popped two Tylenols and armed myself with a roll of toilet paper (courtesy of Fairmont).
We packed up our stuff and headed out of Little Yosemite Valley at 7:50am. What a difference a night makes. Despite feeling crappy, I was full of energy hiking down the trails this morning. I always find it amazing whenever I revisit a place that I had previously traversed in the dark. Seeing the same surroundings in daylight is like exploring a totally new environment, and yet there are certain features, such as a bend in the road or a giant rock that caused you to stumble before, that resonate out to you. It is as if you’ve been here before, and yet you haven’t.
We passed by the restrooms close to Nevada Falls. I realized I had forgot to take a photo of the chalet at Little Yosemite Valley. It’s quite a high tech facility. Doesn’t smell, and when you log at the Ground Zero, they seem to disappear into oblivion. There was a warm draft emanating from the black hole.
Continuing down along what is known as the Mist Trail, a strenuous side trail that forks off the John Muir Trail back toward the Valley. Well, it’s strenuous only if you walk up from the valley. :) Stone steps rivaling the ones at the top of Half Dome dominated sections of the Mist trail. This is particularly evident in the sections beside Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls, where the trail essentially climbs up alongside these gigantic waterfalls.
On our way coming down passing Nevada Falls, we ran into a constant stream of people on their way to Half Dome. Some of them asked whether we had just come down from HD. They all appeared very impressed, until we told them we had camped at Little Yosemite Valley. Somehow, that made our journey less impressive. We didn’t really tell them about the Four Mile and Panoramic Trail part. :)
A little bit about the waterfalls. August is considered dry season at Yosemite. Yosemite Falls, the highest measured waterfall in North America and most famous at the park, was completely dry. Nevada Falls (above) and Vernal Falls (below) are both down at least 75% - I suspect it’s closer to 90%. April and May are the best times to view the waterfalls in Yosemite given the melting of the alpine snow.
We passed by Emerald Pool and Silver Apron, the feeders to Vernal Falls. When we got to the top of the falls, we could look down and see the trail snaking around the cliff side down to the bottom.
RC interrupted two high-pitched squirrels on our way down to the great wall. One of the squirrels ran off, while the other just sat at the top of a little rock and cried for its mate. He was less than a foot from me, so I took a bunch of photos. I had a hard time nailing the DOF focus properly though.
There is this abandoned outlook point that’s pretty famous in Yosemite, known as the Sierra Point. Only place in the park where you can see 4 waterfalls. Rock avalanches had forced the closure of the trail in 1970s, but apparently you can still get to the outlook point by scrambling up the boulders off Happy Isle Trail. You can easily find instructions on getting to the outlook on Google. We spotted the ledge on our way down from Mist Trail, but didn’t have time to go up. Will have to save this for next time.
I felt kind of bad for RC along the way, as after the mishap, he did not have a fully functional camera. If there was one thing he wanted to shoot on this trip besides sunrise and sunset, it was the waterfalls. As I was shooting the waterfall pictures, RC would wait quietly on the side. He didn’t look very happy; I was not sure if he was just tired.
Continuing down, we got near Happy Isles, and a geocache led us to two very giant boulders beside the trail. I would never have noticed them otherwise. These two boulders used to be one, but a fissure developed and split the rock into two, as if a very sharp knife just slides through the rock, resulting in a slab being cut off. Seeing the stone formations on Half Dome, it totally makes sense now why it’s so smooth and layered. A nifty lesson in geology. :)
We got back to Trailhead Parking at 11am and our car was still here. We found a ticket on the windshield from the park rangers, who saw our 2L bottle of Coke and some “trash” in the car. That the perfect bait for bears apparently. Good thing this “ticket” turned out to be just a warning.
RC and I both wanted to get some Yosemite souvenirs. After not being able to find parking at the Village Store, we decided to hit up on the famous Ahwahnee Hotel. Well, the hotel was very splendid in both its rustic architecture and interior decor. We took the opportunity to wash up. The hotel was stocked with this wonderful almond soap. My favourite. :) Here’s a photo of the Great Lounge:
and one of the Dining Room:
Found parking at Village Store afterwards and spent quite a bit of time shopping. Took a while to figure out what to get. RC and I had seen the perfect souvenir at the gift shop on Glacier Point, but couldn’t seem to find it here. :( It was a magnet replica of a US Geological Benchmark for Half Dome. Etched on this circular plate were the elevation of Half Dome Summit at 8842ft and the GPS coordinates N37 44’46” W119 31’55”. After some more searching, we manage to find the magnets. Woot.
I was terribly disappointed with the postcard selections at Yosemite. Given the many great photographs of the park, they definitely didn’t pick the good ones to turn into cards. That being said, I knew one postcard was the perfect winner the moment I saw it. Picking out the other postcard felt like forced voting in a bad challenge group theme.
RC spotted some really fancy gold Half Dome stickers used to seal bags at the checkout counter,and came up with the great idea of stamping the Yosemite National Park cancellation stamp on top. I’d already stamped my passport and my policy is never to double / triple stamp. However, I can cover the old stamp with this sticker. Sweet! In the visitor center, I had dialed back the date to the 16th (the first day) for my stamp. Afterwards, I forgot to reset the date! I’d only realized after I left the visitor’s center. Too late! We stopped briefly at the Ansel Adams Gallery on our way back from the Visitor Center as well.
By the time we were all done, it was 1:30pm. The drive back to San Jose would take 4 hours and our flights were at 7:45pm. We were cutting it very close, and needed to head out. If we hit traffic in San Jose, we could be screwed. Didn’t have time to visit Tunnel View, so will have to save that for a return trip.
RC drove at a breakneck speed out of Yosemite and the terrain was absolutely spectacular. Once we got out of the cliffs and Sierra Nevada mountain range, there were beautiful rolling hills with lone trees at the top. Classic photo opportunities, but no time!
Stopped at an In-N-Out to grab some lunch. After we passed by a giant reservoir, RC noticed the gas light had turned on. Checking the map, it didn’t seem like there would be any town or city for the next 15 miles. Last thing we need right now is to be stranded on the side of a highway out of gas.
RC suggested drafting behind a truck. He meant slipstreaming, right? While he can definitely conserve fuel, driving through the warm air may overheat the engine (especially given the track temperature) and subsequently put more wear on the tyres. Aye, so many tradeoffs and strategies. But in the end, you don’t need to slipstream to pull a fancy overtake maneuver on a truck. Come on!
We managed to find a gas station to fill up. Got into San Jose at around 5:45pm. Spent another 10 minutes sightseeing the pathetic San Jose airport to get to a gas station. Oh yeah, we still had to pack. We parked in front of a Denny’s and tore everything out of the car. Fastest packing job ever. Returned the car at 6:25pm and got to the terminal at 6:45pm. Good thing I was flying to Vegas, so I didn’t need to check in 2 hours before my international flight!
I had a tough time with my carry-ons, as I had my tripod, laptop, camera, and a rolling suitcase. Took me a while to get through security. What a mess. RC and I rested at the waiting lounge. RC must have seen some pretty girl. After he came back from a “restroom” run, he was nursing a nose bleed. ;)
We bid each other farewell, and parted ways. GCYoMoDo was one helluva trip. Many thanks to RC for making this such a great trip. Didn’t hear any qualms or complaints about scheduling around the dates or flight times, getting up at weird times, the super long hikes, the long drives, the weird photo ideas, the list goes on… I couldn’t have asked for a better pal with whom to tackle the challenges that were Yosemite.
What’s the plan for next year? Who’s in? :D