Yosemite National Park
Saturday 20th March
Departed at 9am Saturday morning (good, given that we'd planned to leave at 8am). On the way, we discovered the excellent Rest Stops that CalTrans (California Transport/Road Authority) constructed along the way. The two we stopped at had many others making use of the facilities which included vending machines for drinks, snacks and icecream, a dog excercise area, and plenty of restrooms, grass and picnic tables. There were also some interesting sights - a guy polishing his car, and another man asleep on a picnic table with his socks shading his eyes.
Yosemite National Park has a number of entrances: south, two west, and an east. The eastern entrance is closed until April/May due to snow. We entered at the southern entrance, and right after the entrance station stopped to go for a walk.
There was still snow on the ground and on some parts of the road edges, though it didn't seem to have snowed for some while - the snow was either 10cm thick or more, or had melted. It was a pleasant temperature, mabe 20° in the sun, and there was a clear blue sky. We walked about 2 miles to the Mariposa Grove, a grove of Giant Sequoias. Whilst the road we walked along was generally clear of snow, the grove and trails weren't. Jo was the only one of us wearing boots, and was dispatched to see how badly the path was covered in snow. She purchased a map and we walked a mile or so through the grove of trees. We saw the Grizzly Giant, a tree ~1800 years old as well as the California tree through which a hole had been cut big enough to drive a horse and cart (albeit a small one). We walked back to the car as the sun was getting low in the sky, and were surprised to see a number of people heading for the trees, so to speak. We were sure that it would be getting dark by the time they made it back to their cars.
It was the first of a number of times that we were surprised to see such a quantity of people walking the trails - and often with children of all ages. This was unusual in our experience, but it is quite possible that those who visit Yosemite know that they will need to go walking to see the sights, or it is the type of people who visit Yosemite.
Whilst we had intended to then drive on into Yosemite Valley, we quickly did the maths and decided there would soon be nothing to see, given the setting sun, and so we drove back along less winding highways and north onto Mariposa. If first impressions count for everything, we won't be staying in, or recommending anyone else stay in the hotel where we had 3 nights booked - Jo put one foot into the room and then returned to the reception to ask for a real "non-smoking" room. The next room was better, but still smelt of smoke. We decided to put up with it. We had selected the motel for the microwave and fridge, a feature none of the others in the town had.
Sunday 21st March
Mariposa is about a 60-70 minute drive from Yosemite Valley, most of the drive at the banks of the Merced River. The Merced is the only river in the valley and all the waterfalls flow into it. The drive from Mariposa into Yosemite is pretty - there were Redbud in flower along the banks of the Merced, and the Merced was running pretty strong with the spring snow melt. Once inside the park, we passed through the arches, a gap between two bolders. The road then became even more winding as the river rose up to the valley floor.
The first waterfall we saw was the Cascades. Yosemite Valley formed over time by glacial erosion. All the surounding mountains are granite, mainly grey. The erosion of the granite continues especially in winter with the freezing water pushing the rocks apart. Falling rocks are a constant danger in winter and we saw a number of fresh rockfalls. The grey granite gives Yosemite a lot of its character, with the distinctive steep cliffs surrounding much of the valley.
We then drove on, across the Merced, and saw Bridalveil Falls. There was a tremendous amount of water coming over it and standing quite some distance from the base we were being slowly drenced by the fine spray emenating from the base of the fall. Being morning, the sun was not shining on the waterfall and we decided to try and see it in the afternoon.
We drove through to the Yosemite Village, where we booked a Photographic Walk for Tuesday morning with a professional photographer from the Ansel Adams Gallery - more about him later. We looked around the Indian Village, and watched a 20 minute movie on the history of the park.
We took our lunch near Yosemite Falls, and then walked up to near the base of the falls and again got rained on by the spray. The Yosemite Falls are the xth tallest falls in the world, though they are really two waterfalls - Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. The spray and wind which they generate stopped us from wanting to get any closer. The paths that have been built to allow visitors to walk to near the falls are arranged so that visitors have a clear view of the falls from the beginning of the path - this allowed us to photograph the falls without getting wet, and to frame it with people in the foreground.
We then went on a walk to Mirror Lake/Meadow - it is a lake in spring and a medow the rest of the year.
We caught the Yosemite bus from the Trailhead Carpark to the start of the walk - it was packed full of UCSD science students who were also going to Mirror Lake. We found it to be a short (< 1 mile) walk to the lake. Jo took some nice reflection photos, and we took in the scenery. The lake was below Half Dome (a half dome of granite) and it was interesting to see trees, snow and waterfalls in different places across the steel granite face. The trees appear to grow out of the rocks in quite unlikely places. As we read the next day, it is the moss and lichen which trap dust and dirt and, over time, accumulate enough so that a falling seed is able to germinate. There were many other people enjoying themselves on the shore of the lake - at this time of year the water is too cold to swim in. We arrived back at the bus stop just before the UCSD students returned and we couldn't all fit on the bus - fortunately there was room when we got on, but their group was split up.
It was getting late in the afternoon, so we drove to Tunnel View, as we had read it was a good spot for sunset views. Well, it was a magnificent view, looking east through Yosemite valley. We could see El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil falls, the tree-filled valley, and the snow capped peaks in the distance. There were many others taking in the view as the sun set, including an elderly woman in a wheelchair, whose son had brought her to see the view. She remarked that it never loses its beauty no matter how many times she sees it. We saw her again the following night on the same spot with a content smile on her face, and a warm word for those who spoke to her. As the sun set, the colour of the granite cliffs warmed, and the distant snow became golden. Bridalveil falls seemed to catch the fun for a long time after the rest of the valley was in shadow - and was shining through the valley lighting it up.
Once the sun had set we travelled back to the valley floor and had dinner at Yosemite Lodge in the cafeteria, after which we watched a movie about Ansel Adams in a room in Yosemite Lodge. The movie was interesting - Ansel was very intelligent and was given the freedom to learn and develop his talents as a child. He lived near San Francisco as a child and when the World Exposition of 1912? occurred, he was given a year's ticket and a year off school by his father. His talent was piano playing and he planned to be a concert pianist. His father-in-law, seeing his talent for photography encouraged him to work on developing in that area. Over time he became a full time professional photographer, taking his camera up mountains, through valleys to take some beautiful photographs. He (along with others?) developed the Zone system, a system for obtaining a good exposure - it was particularly suited to Black and White photography. The movie showed Ansel in his developing lab, including him placing an exposure in the microwave oven to dry it quickly so that he could check whether he had the exposure correct. He was a very modest man, and didn't think himself much of a pianist in his later years. But, from the short sections he played on the movie (he was ~80 years old and suffering greatly from arthritis), he certainly had excellent musicality. We were sad to find him playing on only one track on a movie soundtrack CD for sale in the Ansel Adams Gallery.
Monday 22nd March
After enjoying breakfast at the motel, we drove again up the Merced, stopping to take some photos of the Red Bud, and into Yosemite Valley. We again parked in the Trail Carpark and walked to Happy Isles Camp where there was a bridge across the river. There we started our walk to see Vernal Falls, ~0.8 miles from the bridge. The website said the trail was moderate in difficulty, though we disagree. The trail was uphill, nearly all the way, and was quite steep for some extended portions. As we proceeded upwards, there were a number of views out over the valley we were climbing, and we could see small waterfalls and cascading water in another valley to the west. We made it the 0.8 miles to a bridge which crossed the roaring river, from which there was a partial view of the Vernal Falls. It wasn't a particularly good view, and after Rob very briefly consulted the map and decided it was 7 switchbacks to a view, we started off up the mountain again. After 7 swichbacks, there was no view, and a couple later there was a tiny view through the trees, and a couple more (after we reached the patchy snow), Rob consulted the map again and declared he was mistaken and there were maybe another 7 switchbacks to the top.
There were plenty of other people on the trial, going both directions, so we were pretty convinced that there was something worth seeing at the top. The snow mainly congregated on the ends of the switchbacks, and many times we had to scramble over it, though there were often well used foot holes from previous walkers. Near the end we met a group of people coming down who assured us it was worth continuing and we were "almost" there. Finally, after nearly an hour's walking, we were there - at Clark Point where we had a magnificent view of Nevada Falls.
We stopped for a while and rested our legs. There was also a great view of the back of Half Dome and a number of other peaks.
We read the signs and discovered that we had walked 2.4 miles from the trail start, or 1.6 miles from the second bridge. We could have walked down to the top of Vernal Falls (we were above it), but the NPS had closed the trail from the top of Vernal Falls back to the second bridge - ie a loop trail. Lots of people seemed to be trying that option and after walking back down the many, many switchbacks, we discovered that these people had ignored the NPS gate and warning signs and walked the loop. We were encouraged by some walkers, who were quite wet from the waterfall's spray, that if we walked around the gate and a couple of hundred yards up the track we would get a great view of Vernal Falls, and not get anywhere near the dangerous area. So, we took their advice and were rewarded with a much better view of Vernal Falls. Unfortunately, we hadn't brought our lunch with us, and getting towards 2pm we made our way back to the car, only stopping for a couple of photos along the way. In total, we estimate we walked over 6 miles.
After a late lunch we drove up to Badger Pass, a ski field inside Yosemite National Park. It was quite pretty, and with ample snow on the ground had closed for the end of the day. We were trying to locate a good sunset sopt, but all the views to the west were very hazy. So, we stopped at Tunnel View and joined the other people taking photos of the sun setting on Yosemite Valley.
Tuesday 23rd March
We had booked a photography walk at the Ansel Adams gallery entitled "Color Landscape Photography", and rose early - so early that we had to ask for the breakfast room to be opened (though that may be because there seemed to be very few people staying there that night). The walk was lead by Christine ???, a professional photographer who works part of the time at the gallery. The walk was two hours long, had about 15 people in the group, and was free! The group walked out into the meadow near the Merced River, and Christine showed us a number of locations from where good photos can be taken. Each time we stopped, she would discuss a different topic, such as composition, how the camera works, what apeture/shutter speeds are good for what subjects, the effects of different filters and how they can improve photos takin in Yosemite. We found it to be extremely interesting and useful, and will invest in some filters as a result. One of the difficulties on the clear spring day like we had, where the water coming over the waterfalls is bright white, the rocks reflect the sun, and the trees are dark green, so it is difficult without a filter to capture it all. One effect of a filter can be to reduce the light coming into the camer, and for a consumer such as ours, this can be a good thing - with so much light, it is not possible to slow down the scene - eg make the river or waterfall smear the picture.
The walk took us near the Yosemite Chapel, which we hadn't seen before - it is quite picturesque sitting amongst the pines. After the photography walk we met up with Margaret who had looked through the museum and she suggested we all go to the Ahwahnee, where she had been earlie. It is the upscale hotel in Yosemite, but we didn't look too out of place, it being a National Park and all. It is a beautiful building, built from grey granite and timber, and has that classic American Mountain Cabin look to it. There was a "back to the 20s" even occurring, and many of the staff were in period costume. After a look around, we started on our long trip homewards.
There was still snow on the ground and on some parts of the road edges, though it didn't seem to have snowed for some while - the snow was either 10cm thick or more, or had melted. It was a pleasant temperature, mabe 20° in the sun, and there was a clear blue sky. We walked about 2 miles to the Mariposa Grove, a grove of Giant Sequoias. Whilst the road we walked along was generally clear of snow, the grove and trails weren't. Jo was the only one of us wearing boots, and was dispatched to see how badly the path was covered in snow. She purchased a map and we walked a mile or so through the grove of trees. We saw the Grizzly Giant, a tree ~1800 years old as well as the California tree through which a hole had been cut big enough to drive a horse and cart (albeit a small one). We walked back to the car as the sun was getting low in the sky, and were surprised to see a number of people heading for the trees, so to speak. We were sure that it would be getting dark by the time they made it back to their cars.
Mariposa is about a 60-70 minute drive from Yosemite Valley, most of the drive at the banks of the Merced River. The Merced is the only river in the valley and all the waterfalls flow into it. The drive from Mariposa into Yosemite is pretty - there were Redbud in flower along the banks of the Merced, and the Merced was running pretty strong with the spring snow melt. Once inside the park, we passed through the arches, a gap between two bolders. The road then became even more winding as the river rose up to the valley floor.
We caught the Yosemite bus from the Trailhead Carpark to the start of the walk - it was packed full of UCSD science students who were also going to Mirror Lake. We found it to be a short (< 1 mile) walk to the lake. Jo took some nice reflection photos, and we took in the scenery. The lake was below Half Dome (a half dome of granite) and it was interesting to see trees, snow and waterfalls in different places across the steel granite face. The trees appear to grow out of the rocks in quite unlikely places. As we read the next day, it is the moss and lichen which trap dust and dirt and, over time, accumulate enough so that a falling seed is able to germinate. There were many other people enjoying themselves on the shore of the lake - at this time of year the water is too cold to swim in. We arrived back at the bus stop just before the UCSD students returned and we couldn't all fit on the bus - fortunately there was room when we got on, but their group was split up.
It was getting late in the afternoon, so we drove to Tunnel View, as we had read it was a good spot for sunset views. Well, it was a magnificent view, looking east through Yosemite valley. We could see El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil falls, the tree-filled valley, and the snow capped peaks in the distance. There were many others taking in the view as the sun set, including an elderly woman in a wheelchair, whose son had brought her to see the view. She remarked that it never loses its beauty no matter how many times she sees it. We saw her again the following night on the same spot with a content smile on her face, and a warm word for those who spoke to her. As the sun set, the colour of the granite cliffs warmed, and the distant snow became golden. Bridalveil falls seemed to catch the fun for a long time after the rest of the valley was in shadow - and was shining through the valley lighting it up.
After enjoying breakfast at the motel, we drove again up the Merced, stopping to take some photos of the Red Bud, and into Yosemite Valley. We again parked in the Trail Carpark and walked to Happy Isles Camp where there was a bridge across the river. There we started our walk to see Vernal Falls, ~0.8 miles from the bridge. The website said the trail was moderate in difficulty, though we disagree. The trail was uphill, nearly all the way, and was quite steep for some extended portions. As we proceeded upwards, there were a number of views out over the valley we were climbing, and we could see small waterfalls and cascading water in another valley to the west. We made it the 0.8 miles to a bridge which crossed the roaring river, from which there was a partial view of the Vernal Falls. It wasn't a particularly good view, and after Rob very briefly consulted the map and decided it was 7 switchbacks to a view, we started off up the mountain again. After 7 swichbacks, there was no view, and a couple later there was a tiny view through the trees, and a couple more (after we reached the patchy snow), Rob consulted the map again and declared he was mistaken and there were maybe another 7 switchbacks to the top.
There were plenty of other people on the trial, going both directions, so we were pretty convinced that there was something worth seeing at the top. The snow mainly congregated on the ends of the switchbacks, and many times we had to scramble over it, though there were often well used foot holes from previous walkers. Near the end we met a group of people coming down who assured us it was worth continuing and we were "almost" there. Finally, after nearly an hour's walking, we were there - at Clark Point where we had a magnificent view of Nevada Falls.
We read the signs and discovered that we had walked 2.4 miles from the trail start, or 1.6 miles from the second bridge. We could have walked down to the top of Vernal Falls (we were above it), but the NPS had closed the trail from the top of Vernal Falls back to the second bridge - ie a loop trail. Lots of people seemed to be trying that option and after walking back down the many, many switchbacks, we discovered that these people had ignored the NPS gate and warning signs and walked the loop. We were encouraged by some walkers, who were quite wet from the waterfall's spray, that if we walked around the gate and a couple of hundred yards up the track we would get a great view of Vernal Falls, and not get anywhere near the dangerous area. So, we took their advice and were rewarded with a much better view of Vernal Falls. Unfortunately, we hadn't brought our lunch with us, and getting towards 2pm we made our way back to the car, only stopping for a couple of photos along the way. In total, we estimate we walked over 6 miles.
After a late lunch we drove up to Badger Pass, a ski field inside Yosemite National Park. It was quite pretty, and with ample snow on the ground had closed for the end of the day. We were trying to locate a good sunset sopt, but all the views to the west were very hazy. So, we stopped at Tunnel View and joined the other people taking photos of the sun setting on Yosemite Valley.
