The entrance to Yosemite Valley. El Capitain is the closest formation to the left with Half Dome in the very background.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” These words were penned by Scottish immigrant John Muir in 1901 from the work Our National Parks. Muir found his way into Yosemite in 1868 and the raw untouched beauty of the place stole his heart. Thanks to his efforts, president, Abraham Lincoln, who first declared the area a national park, President Theodore Roosevelt and many others this magnificent natural splendor is still around for everyone to enjoy.
These days the geological anomalies may look the same as when Muir first laid eyes on it, but the park itself has certainly changed a lot. I found Yosemite just like most other entities in California to be overcrowded to the extent that in many cases it ruined the effect of being in such an enchanting hamlet should have on one. All of the most popular sites had full parking lots, traffic jams to get to and in some cases regular shuttle bus service. At some points I found myself hiking in the middle of the forest with over 100 other people. When I was checking out the giant Sequoias I felt like I as walking down an NYC street in the middle of lunch hour.
It took me nearly twenty minutes to get this picture waiting my turn with all the other big tree enthusiasts.
That being said Yosemite is the heaviest visited National Park in all of America and it is the summer time at the height of their tourist season. The scenery is absolutely breath taking and for me it was unlike any other place I have ever visited in my life. Crowds aside the park is over 1000 square acres and there are plenty of nooks and crannies that are just as marvelous and way less visited. If one is feeling a tad bit on the adventurous side it is more then easy to go off the beaten path, blaze your own trail and be alone in the wilderness. I took so many pictures and saw so many amazing things I am going to break my Yosemite experience into two posts. This one will focus on Yosemite Valley and its surrounding area.
Glacier Point
Half Dome as viewed from Glacier Point.
My parents and I arrived in the park in the early afternoon, checked into our condo, which although not the best situation lived up to the promise of having ready to use kitchen. Since I was to be my parents personal chef for this leg of the trip I needed to make sure we had the basics. I stowed all the food so it was bear safe and off we went for our first Yosemite excursion. Glacier point seemed the best option considering the amount of available daylight afforded to us. From this bird’s eye overlook one could get an easy “pull up and park” panoramic vantage of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Half Dome, and Vernal and Nevada Falls. No hiking or climbing necessary. I love modern convince. I bet Muir wished there was a road to the place back in his day.
Vernal and Nevada Falls
This was our first look at the valley from above and some of the main draws of the park. When we pulled up at the first overlook my dad pulled out the park map to see what we were looking at (we were staring right at Half Dome) when I noticed that what was a front also happened to be the photo on the cover of the map. I must say I was rather impressed. The lighting was perfect to get some really cool photos. At this view point the crowd was some what light.
From there we worked our way to the actual tip of the Glacier Point. Here parking was a bit hard to find and people were in no short order. I heard more languages spoken then at a meeting of the United Nations. I am glad that America has become the bargain basement of travel for the rest of the world. Despite the fact that there had to be over a hundred and fifty people I still managed to have my breath taken away by the 180 degrees view. I also decided that if I ever want to commit suicide that is the spot Its going to go down. There was even the perfect diving rock off the cliff. Next stop the Yosemite Valley Floor. Just think of the unscheduled entertainment all those Euro’s could go home and tell their friends and family that they got to witness a real live American suicide. All the little children would have sworn they saw Super Man.
My future suicide bridge…its a bird, its a plane, its…SPLAT
The Giant Sequoias
I have to admit I have a serious obsession with trees, especially old trees. As a kid I was captivated by the California Redwoods. Later while living in New Zealand the giant kauri trees were one of the craziest things I have ever beheld. When I heard Yosemite had their own collection of larger then life trees that have lived for hundreds of years I just had to check them out. Apparently hundreds of other visitors felt the same way. As a matter of fact that section of the park was so full that we had to take a bus into the Sequoia area.
These Sequoias trunks are bigger then my dick and that is a feat in itself.
Taking the bus was fun. I love pubic transportation. If they would have thrown in a few smelly bums and some guy passed out in a puddle of his own vomit I would have felt like I was riding a local Santa Barbara bus to Isla Vista. There were about another two bus loads behind me. When I stepped out the line leaving the spot looked like the line to get on Space Mountain at Disney Land. Then we began the 2 mile hike up to Old Grizzly the oldest of the the gang.
. Old Grizzly
There were all these signs about bear safety and what not. since there were hundreds of new friends of mine meandering all over the trail I figured even if we got attacked by a pack of bears there was plenty of food for everyone. Really I shouldn’t be sour grapes. These trees were put on this earth for everyone to enjoy. Maybe the problem is there are just too many people to enjoy them. The tragedy of the commons has moved along way from the village. Still at the end of the day I am glad to have gotten to see these grand trees and from what I have read there are plenty more in remote areas that can be accessed through a vigorous hike.
My mother and I at a foot tunnel cut in one of the living Sequoias. I don’t know who this dude is in the foreground.
The Valley Floor
After the Sequoias my parents and I cruised down to the bottom of the Yosemite Valley to see the open meadows and get a feel for the vast size of the Sierras from the ground level. You know sort of like when your in front of a sky scraper and look up. The Valley Floor as it is called is also where the largest concentration of tourist accommodations in the park are located. This equals even more crowds. At this point I had it up to the top of Half Dome with people, but there were still some things to check out so I sucked it up and promised to keep my cool.
This tunnel is one of two that allow entry into Yosemite Valley, bored right through the granite of the mountain.
I had no idea that a place with such limited internet and cell phone reception could ever be so popular. I guess I should be happy that so many people could embrace going back to their roots when man lived a bit simpler. My parents on their usual obsession with Visitor center videos made sure we sat through the one there. It was not much for content, but amazing cinematography. From there I was itching to make the hike up the base of Vernal Falls which happens to be the trail head for the John Muir trail. The Muir trail runs 211 miles an impressive trek.
This climb was a pretty steep grade, but a well cut trail even paved a good portion of the way. Just like everything else so far it was also very crowded. Luckily by this point I had acclimated to the insanity and just pretended it was another day at Lower Trestles. All three of us made it to a foot bridge about a mile into the trail. Then my Dad and I went a bit further so I could get a better picture of the falls. This portion of the trail was a semi treacherous stair case cut into the side of the cliff. It was a rather vigorous climb and it felt good to be working at such a feat. The pictures were worth the reward. I only wish I had more time to climb even higher.
Vernal Falls
The view on the way back down the stairs.
I know this installment sounded a bit on the negative side. I really did cherish every minute I spent in this part of the park despite the crowds. Yosemite National Park is a must see for everyone of this great nation before his expiration. The fact that I waited six years of residency in California to make it to Yosemite makes me sad. Now that I know what I have been missing I will be sure to get back there as much as I can. Stay tuned for part two of my Yosemite chronicles soon when I explore the the Tuolumne Meadows area and find a much needed escape from people.
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It did not take long of us not paying attention to our immediate route to realize we had lost the trail and been wondering about on this giant granite hillside. With out throngs of people all over the place our situation seemed a bit scary. Luckily a pack of foreigners came out of the trail head and up onto the granite hill we were meandering. Its a good thing they did because we were totally looking for the trail in the complete opposite direction of where the car was parked. At that moment it became apparent how easily it would have been for us to end as another national park statistic.
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