Postcards from Yosemite

[gram]

Here are a dozen or so of my favorite pics from our Yosemite trip, 6/4 to 6/11. There was a flood watch in effect, so you know the waterfalls were wonderful.

Some of the snow lingering on Tioga Road and Glacier Point Rd changed our hiking plans a bit. But there were plenty of alternatives! We had an awesome trip.

http://picasaweb.google.com/gram123456/Yosemite?feat=directlink

 

[audrey]

We'll be there in a few weeks. You've made me even more impatient!

 

[Jimmy Legs and Little D]

Absolutely stunning pictures of your trip. Will you be posting anymore? We know of several folks going to Yosemite this summer. Need to go back one day; our last trip was in 1989.
Donna

 

[bjc]

Some of the snow lingering on Tioga Road and Glacier Point Rd changed our hiking plans a bit.

We were there two years ago in early June and there was little snow to be found along Tioga Road. Your pictures of Tenaya Lake look very different from mine.

Thanks for sharing the photos. I can't wait to get back there (some day).

 

[erugs]

Nice to see what the waterfalls look like with water! We were there in September two years ago and some of the falls were just a trickle at that point. Don't you just love the Panorama Trail? We went up to Glacier Point via the Four Mile Trail, then down the Panorama. Crane Flats is a nice campground, for those who haven't been that way before and don't want to stay in the valley.

 

[gram]

Thanks for commenting everyone.

For anyone going to Yosemite this summer:
- My husband warned me about crowds, but I have never seen anything in a National Park like the hoards of people in Yosemite. Plan on arriving mid week if you can.

- The Mist Trail to Vernal is busy, but we found that people don't get moving very early. We got drenched and it was great fun! It's a must.
- The Day Use parking fills up rapidly. Again, get there early and hop the shuttle.

- Be flexible in your hiking plans. Talked to 2 groups of hikers who had permits for Half Dome, but the ladders weren't up yet due to late snowfall. Not that my husband and I (the bad knee twins) were contemplating HD.
But the Taft and Sentinal loop was high on our list. The trail was impossible to find with the large patches of snow. There were footprints going every whichway. We gave up, met a group later in the day who had gotten really lost, and they had done the trail before.

It's a fantastic place. Thank you John Muir!

 

[jjo]

WOW!!!! Excellent pics of a wonderful place,,,Thanks for sharing..

 

[Little Rickie]

Is there a trail book for Yosemite that anyone could recomend.

 

[bjc]

Gram, sorry to hear that the snow interfered with some of your hiking plans. Sentinel Dome was such an easy hike with absolutely stunning vftt. You'll just have to go back.

I bought a book of Yosemite hikes (can't remember the title or author offhand) but it wasn't that great. I think I've been spoiled by the AMC guidebooks. I haven't been able to find anything equivalent for hikes out west. If you search the internet on Yosemite hiking you'll find better info than was in the book I purchased. The nps website also has some trail info.

 

[Darl58]

Wow, great pics!!

I was there in Sept 2004, hiked out to Half Dome and rock climbed it. The falls were barely flowing..we could of used a refreshing shower...it was "hot"!


Vernal Falls:


From Tioga pass, not sure if same lake or not...


Descending Cables after our rock climb up:


I would love to see the falls flowing like you did!!! Such amazing power!

 

[erugs]

Is there a trail book for Yosemite that anyone could recomend.

When we were there we picked up a copy of Rick Deutsch's "One Best Hike; Yosemite's Half Dome; Everything you need to know to successfully hike Yosemite's most famous landmark" published by Wilderness Press.

As with most books, I've found I "get it" better once I've been there, but we found this book to be helpful. Yes, it describes hiking the Dome, but it includes information on the trails that get you there from the valley. So I'd recommend it even if you were only planning to go as far Nevada Falls via the loop of Mist Trail and John Muir Trail. In my mind, it would be worthwhile hiking in to the foot of the cables even if you didn't intend to climb up the cables. (I don't know whether the permit system that is now in place would allow people to do just that.)

 

[Little Rickie]

One of the things I'm wondering about it is how to prepare for these trails?

Are they wilderness hikes like the Adirondackse or well traveled tourist trails.

One requires more preperation: route/map preplanning, packing more stuff for eventualities and the other a rain poncho, snack and water.

 

[erugs]

Some of the trails were constructed during the Great Depression by the CCC. Some were originally paved, but allowed to deteriorate to their natural state. They are generally wide and well graded with sufficient switchbacks. They are not filled with New England's rocks and boulders. (We've kept those here for our own personal training ground.) Altitude sickness shouldn't be a problem, as even most of the high points are generally not high enough. Half Dome, for example is 8842 -- you'd feel tired.

 

[Darl58]

One of the things I'm wondering about it is how to prepare for these trails?

Are they wilderness hikes like the Adirondackse or well traveled tourist trails.

One requires more preperation: route/map preplanning, packing more stuff for eventualities and the other a rain poncho, snack and water.

I found the trails very easy to follow and nice walking...steps of stones when needed, etc.. also check at the ranger station to make sure but we were about to get running water on the trail to Half Dome and at the campground "Little Yosemite"..much easier hiking than White's or ADK's...

Parking can be a problem and make sure you know time schedule of last shuttle for the night if using...we ended up with a road walk by being 5 minutes late..watched the last bus pull away...ughh

I have some books at home.....can't remember which ones, I'll look at later and see what I have.

 

[Little Rickie]

How about weather fluctuations? Can anything extreem swing in on short notice, thunder storms, wind or snow? We're going toward the of July, mostly during the week.

 

[Darl58]

How about weather fluctuations? Can anything extreem swing in on short notice, thunder storms, wind or snow? We're going toward the of July, mostly during the week.

You probably don't want to hear this but.....we were climbing in 90 degree weather in the Valley and drove over to Tioga Pass and the temp changed to 20 degrees and snow in early Sept....we camped two nites with snow falling and drove back over to the valley and climbed in 80+ degrees.... we only had teva's and warm weather clothes and gear...

We also had a bad thunderstorm come in really fast...so it's pretty close to New England weather...watch and pay attention to forecasts..the Rangers are very informed!

 

[erugs]

We were there in early September and experienced temperatures in the 90s, too. Unless you are thinking of Half Dome, weather shouldn't be any more of a problem than hiking here in New England. Except there, there are mostly clear skies with an occasional shower. Here, it's the other way around, isn't it? Anyway, Half Dome get's very slick when wet, because of the steepness and the amount of feet that have polished it over the years. My friend Brian was stuck on the top during a thunderstorm (years ago) and felt the hair on his body stand on end. You don't want to be caught in the cable line on Half Dome in a storm of any kind.

 

[Little Rickie]

My wife won't do half dome, I don't want to get blown out from one long day. We are looking at 1/2-3/4 day hikes for views and back to the hotel.

 

[erugs]

I recommend the Four-Mile Trail, or the John Muir Trail/Mist Trail. All are out of the Valley and easy to follow. With the Mist Trail, without doing the loop, you would pass Vernal Fall, the Emerald Pool, and go as high as Nevada Fall if you wanted. The trail starts out as a paved walkway and has a lot of built-in stone steps. If stairs aren't your thing, the Four-Mile Trail is more wooded/graded. Views can't be matched for either of those hikes.

 

[erugs]

An example of the Four Mile Trail: