In May, when I traveled to Yosemite for the first time, the sight of the valley that lay before me robbed me of words. This is what I saw that day last spring.
We never quite got to see this view because, well, overcast skies in Yosemite Valley tend to come right down out of the sky and settle in the valley. Although we were unable to see many of the spectacular vistas in the valley, the fog that had settled in the valley created its own special beauty.
Things looked more like this for our two-day stay.Carol and I like to hike a lot, and we were not going to let a little fog get in our way. So, Friday morning we were up early to walk to breakfast at the Ahwahnee Lodge, a magnificent resort built by the WPA back in the 1930's. We felt very small in the grand dining room. We had a very good and filling breakfast and then wandered the main floor taking in the grandeur of the place.
Then we were off on our first hike, to Mirror Lake. Rain sprinkled us a bit, but it was a minor price to pay to immerse ourselves in the forests of majestic pines and firs. The temperature was surprisingly mild, and before long I stopped to remove my wool sweater. Although snow covered a lot of the valley, the trail to Mirror Lake was perhaps 80% clear, with only scattered patches of snow and ice. We were rewarded for our efforts with sights like these.
The fog created its own beauty.
After a lunch break, we joined a ranger-led geology hike in a steady rain. The ranger pointed out a sign post with a red marker line about seven feet above the trail we stood on. He informed us that this was the flood level in the valley in 1997, when people had to be air evacuated. As the rain fell on our heads and puddles formed in the saturated ground at our feet, I began to get an uneasy feeling.
The steady rain provided artistic opportunities.
After the geology tour, we hiked the short trail to the base of Yosemite Falls. At over 2,400 feet, it is the highest waterfall in the United States.
The waters of Yosemite Creek plunge so far that they seem to disperse and merge with the low hanging clouds, becoming one with the sky. The proof that the waters do not actually disappear into the air is in the majestic sound of the falls, which can be heard throughout the valley as they meet the granite surface far below. Lying in bed at night, we could hear the distant roar.
We only spent one full day in Yosemite. On our departure day, we planned to take two morning hikes before driving to Modesto to visit my nephew, Joe, and his wife, Susan. After breakfast, we set out to climb about a thousand feet from the base of the falls to get a different look at the falls and the valley. We started out in a slight drizzle and climbed for about an hour and a half. We passed by a half dozen deer grazing just a few feet from the path. We slowed our pace, expecting the deer to scatter, but they couldn't be bothered. They paused to watch us, then returned to their meal.
A trail sign noted that there are "about sixty" switchbacks on the climb. With each twist in the trail, the rain seemed to come a little harder. Up we marched past the twentieth, thirtieth and fortieth twists in the trail. We crossed rushing streams, watching our footing and pausing often to catch our breath. The valley below appeared through thinning tree cover.
If anything, the fog was thicker this second day, and the rain certainly heavier. Visibility was close to zero when Carol announced that we had covered well more than sixty switchbacks. We decided to turn around. By the time we returned to our room, we were sopping wet, our raingear having been outmatched by the steady downpour. We decided that maybe one hike would be enough for the morning. We put on dry clothes, purchased hot cups of coffee, turned on the car heater and left the enchanted valley.
Then we were off on our first hike, to Mirror Lake. Rain sprinkled us a bit, but it was a minor price to pay to immerse ourselves in the forests of majestic pines and firs. The temperature was surprisingly mild, and before long I stopped to remove my wool sweater. Although snow covered a lot of the valley, the trail to Mirror Lake was perhaps 80% clear, with only scattered patches of snow and ice. We were rewarded for our efforts with sights like these.
Near Mirror Lake
After a lunch break, we joined a ranger-led geology hike in a steady rain. The ranger pointed out a sign post with a red marker line about seven feet above the trail we stood on. He informed us that this was the flood level in the valley in 1997, when people had to be air evacuated. As the rain fell on our heads and puddles formed in the saturated ground at our feet, I began to get an uneasy feeling.
The steady rain provided artistic opportunities.After the geology tour, we hiked the short trail to the base of Yosemite Falls. At over 2,400 feet, it is the highest waterfall in the United States.
The waters of Yosemite Creek plunge so far that they seem to disperse and merge with the low hanging clouds, becoming one with the sky. The proof that the waters do not actually disappear into the air is in the majestic sound of the falls, which can be heard throughout the valley as they meet the granite surface far below. Lying in bed at night, we could hear the distant roar.We only spent one full day in Yosemite. On our departure day, we planned to take two morning hikes before driving to Modesto to visit my nephew, Joe, and his wife, Susan. After breakfast, we set out to climb about a thousand feet from the base of the falls to get a different look at the falls and the valley. We started out in a slight drizzle and climbed for about an hour and a half. We passed by a half dozen deer grazing just a few feet from the path. We slowed our pace, expecting the deer to scatter, but they couldn't be bothered. They paused to watch us, then returned to their meal.
A trail sign noted that there are "about sixty" switchbacks on the climb. With each twist in the trail, the rain seemed to come a little harder. Up we marched past the twentieth, thirtieth and fortieth twists in the trail. We crossed rushing streams, watching our footing and pausing often to catch our breath. The valley below appeared through thinning tree cover.
If anything, the fog was thicker this second day, and the rain certainly heavier. Visibility was close to zero when Carol announced that we had covered well more than sixty switchbacks. We decided to turn around. By the time we returned to our room, we were sopping wet, our raingear having been outmatched by the steady downpour. We decided that maybe one hike would be enough for the morning. We put on dry clothes, purchased hot cups of coffee, turned on the car heater and left the enchanted valley.
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