We had planned an “all-day” trip to Yosemite Valley, but after talking with the gentleman who rented us our cabin, we considered first driving up to Glacier Point to get a birds eye view of all the wonders Yosemite Valley and the surrounding area had to offer. We thought it would be along the way to the valley and therefore not add too much time to our day. When we got to the turn off however, we discovered the time to drive to Glacier Point was about the same as the time to drive to the valley from that spot. We stopped to ponder the matter for a few moments, but then the thought came to me that we do not know when we will be here again, and I thought it would be a big loss to miss this opportunity just to save some time. So I told Karen I wanted to go, and go we did…
I have seen pictures of Half-Dome, but I told Karen that I imagined it would be similar to Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica… you see the pictures, but being there is a larger than life experience. It was about a 25 minute drive from the turn-off, but finally the trees cleared and Oh My G-O-S-H! Here is a picture from Washburn Point that does not do the view justice.
And here is a panorama from Washburn Point:
If you click on the picture to see it larger, you can see two waterfalls that are right of center… the first in the lower third is Vernal Falls which, unknown to us at the time this picture was taken, would be the destination for the day’s hike. The other waterfall is Nevada Falls. I was very excited to see these waterfalls. We had planned to hike in Yosemite, and I wanted us to have a “prize” at the end of our hike… that always makes the trek easier and something to look forward to. After reading about all the waterfalls in Yosemite as I prepared for our trip, I was excited; I knew we would all enjoy waterfalls… but it has been such a dry year in California, that I had concerns. The week before we left, I looked at a webcam of Yosemite Falls and it was not falling… in fact it appeared bone dry. At that point I all but wrote off any thought of having a hike to a waterfall… which is why when I saw them from the lookout I was thrilled! We had the chance to hike to a waterfall after all!
Washburn Point was not only an amazing site, but an amazing sound… we could hear the waterfalls from across the canyon, their roar was clear and louder than I would have expected. That was impressive and only added to my excitement for the upcoming hike.
After Washburn Point, we continued to Glacier Point, which turned out to be about 5 minutes further. Glacier Point was also quite impressive, but for different reasons. In addition to providing a great view of Half Dome, we could also see up Tenaya Canyon (the canyon Half Dome overlooks) and the granite structures within the canyon… it looked like a painting.
Another impressive view from Glacier Point was of Yosemite Valley about 3000 feet below. The lookout is at the top of a vertical slope, so looking down on the valley is LOOKING DOWN on the valley, as in straight down. All I could think about was all of the adrenaline junkies that want to base jump from here, but since it was a straight drop, you could base jump easily. I was a little freaky to be able to see such a long straight drop from an area that had nothing but a railing to prevent someone from leaning too far and meeting a grizzly end.
After Glacier Point, we headed to the valley to hike to Vernal Falls. I had looked up this hike at one point, and my memory told me that this hike did not have too much elevation gain. So I passed this info on to the family; that this hike was nothing like Devil’s Slide in Idyllwild. My memory didn’t fail me (I confirmed my source), but apparently I am not-so-good at converting elevation over distance into a good estimation of slope. The hike was much steeper than anticipated, but still nothing we couldn’t easily handle. Turns out it was about half the elevation gain over the same distance as Devils’ Slide. The trail follows the Merced River so you get good and interesting looks at it along the way, and you are kept company by the constant sound of rushing water… not too loud, just a nice and constant companion.
When we arrived at the footbridge which was our destination, I was a bit disappointed. We were over the river, which I had seen throughout the hike, and if you stood in just he right place you could see the waterfall a bit of a ways away… not impressive at all.
We saw that the trail continued to the Falls and saw people at the top, and decide to continue. I am glad we did. Although the trail was pretty steep, culminating in 600 granite steps, the view of the waterfall along the trail was IMPRESSIVE.
Once at the top we strolled around looking at Emerald Pool, and the tons of squirrels that were in the area that clearly had no fear of people. At this point I have to digress and explain a little Raymond backstory. Many years ago I made an offer to the boys while were camping in Idyllwild. I told them both that if either one of them was able to fart on a squirrels head that I would give them $20. Of course I made the offer because I knew that they would never be able to do it. Well that “challenge” has persisted in their little minds, and what do you thin the first think they think of when they see a squirrel? “Do I have a fart and can I get to that squirrel?” Well since the squirrels in this are were so incredibly tame, this challenge seemed within reach. For about fifteen minutes the boys ran from squirrel to squirrel squatting over each one. At one point I noticed them both squatting on either side of a rock… apparently a squirrel had run under it and they had the exists covered. Now if either of them was going to be able to fart at will it was going to be Dylan… as fate would have it the squirrel darted out under Aidan’s butt, but there was nothing in the chamber and therefore the opportunity was missed. I had stopped watching this folly when Dylan excited exclaimed that he had done it! The jury is still out as to whether he actually did, just thought he did, or was telling a story, however in any case $20 did not leave my pocket on this trip.
The trip down the trail was uneventful and we got back to our car, with an intense hunger in all of our bellies. Although we had planned pretty well in the food department, it was now dinner time and we hadn’t planned that well. The little food cart at the Happy Isles shuttle stop was closed because of a power outage in the valley. So we headed back towards Oakhurst, with everyone’s nerves frayed from the lack of food. Some explosive moments followed on the hour drive back towards Oakhurst, but after we got out of the park we came across a pizzeria and stopped for some oh-so-nutritous dinner.
Vernal Falls Hike along Misty Trail
Distance Hiked: 4.67 miles
Elevation Change: 1027 ft.