Waiting in Yosemite

Tunnel View as seen from inspiration point. Bridalveil falls in the foreground and Half Dome can be seen in the distance.

While waiting for the conditions to clear up along the PCT in the Crater Lake Area, I went to my second home, Yosemite. Tourists were everywhere but I made the best of it. I went to my favorite camping spot on Glacier Point and settled in. I hiked various trails and wandered around with my camera. The throngs of humanity people made it frustratingly difficult to get a good shot. I hiked less frequented trails that from a photography point of view were boring. Regardless they occupied my time and kept making me stronger.

Yosemite Falls. I hiked the Four Mile Trail, the Chilnualna Falls Trail, and the trail around the valley floor. I visited the waterfalls. It was a challenge trying to get a good shot of the spectacular scenery with so many tourists At times I felt like a hockey player as I checked tourists to the wall to get my shot. But I endured the wait. After all, I was home, dirtbagging it again in Yosemite.

The iconic Half Dome.

On one of my hikes I started off wandering. I hopped on the shuttle bus and just rode while watching and listening to the tourists. The cacophony of different languages and styles of dress brought images of a United Nations floor debate. Excitement permeated the stale air.

I tore myself way from watching tourists of all nationalities trying to curtail the errant ways of their children. Looking out the window I saw Half Dome. I got off the bus at Half Dome village and wandered. I gaze was fixed on that granite dome looking for the right angle for a shot.

Mirror Lake.

I found myself walking on the trail to Mirror Lake and beyond. The further I hiked up the trail the less people around. I was still frustrated by the throngs or clueless tourists clogging the park but I walked it off. I kept hiking that trail as couples in business casual attire and donning hiking boots yelled in a foreign tongue at their out of control offspring. The trail leveled off and snow melt flooded the area. A confluence of individuals in pristine hiking clothing, fitted with cheap backpacks, tested the water with their boot clad feet. They immediately recoiled. I stopped and watched the crowd vacillate while I dug out my gaiters from my pack. I saw the water flowing down the trail ahead and washing away the congregation's confidence. With my gaiters firmly affixed to my boots, I pushed through the crowd and marched through the water. I paused momentarily, looking back at the people pantomiming behind me. From what I could make out, they didn't want to get their brand new hiking boots wet. From that point on, I had the trail to myself.

Hetch Hetchy

The snow had finally melted and the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite was finally open. This somewhat remote section of Yosemite turned out to be almost free of tourists. I woke before the sun and headed out. I passed thru a section that had burned in the recent passed. The forest floor was filled with new growth. I passed by flower filled meadows.

The snow had finally melted leaving a flower filled meadow in Hetch Hetchy.

Then I traveled down into the Hetch Hetchy Valley. I explored several trails, the first being the six mile hike to Tueeulala and Wapama Falls.

Tueeulala and Wapama Falls in the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

I explored other trails like the one to Lookout Point, Rancheria Falls, Smith Peak, and to the Beehive. Hetch Hetchy was peaceful but rugged. So few ventured out here. The trails started at around 3,000 feet elevation and went as high as 10,000 feet. Brutal. It was summer and temperatures fluctuated wildly depending on where you were in the park. One morning I woke to a near freezing 38 degrees on Glacier Point. A quick breakfast, a once over of my gear, and bundled up against the cold, I watched the sun rise. Then it was off to get my pass from the ranger for my climb to the Beehive in Hetch Hetchy. The sun was warming the valley as I started my climb. The first step of a ten mile hike to the Beehive and it still hadn't gotten above 40. The exertion of climbing the steep trail warmed me. Step by step I inched towards my goal. I stopped frequently to drink in the view and peel off layers of clothing. The climb was getting harder. I rested for lunch. It was comfortable, Goldie Locks temperature. I was halfway through the 3,000 foot climb. I continued the climb step by step seeing only one group of hikers the whole day. So peaceful, so hard, trudging up that mountain to my goal. The weather was still nice as I headed back down but it heated up as I went. By the time I reached the car, it was 103 degrees. A 65 degree difference from the start of my morning. Just one more thing that added to the brutality of those hikes in Hetch Hetchy. My time in Yosemite would be a short one this stay. The snow was melting in the High Cascades in Southern Oregon. It was time to head back to the PCT. Next stop Crater Lake National Park.