February 14-19
YOSEMITE
Last you’d heard, we had just picked Bethany and Owen up from the airport and found our way to our campground.
YOSEMITE DAY ONE! Monday morning started slowly. We enjoyed our coffee, I made breakfast while Owen and Bethany gave Isaac a haircut (yes, you read that right), we packed up lunches, changed into adventure clothes, and finally headed toward that glorious place. It was nearly noon when we finally entered the park, but we had no agenda and no rush. First stop: a pullout on the road from which we could see El Capitan, Half Dome, Leaning Tower, and Cathedral Spires. That was our first look at the Yosemite National Parks icons, and we all had to remind each other to breathe again because the sight took our breath away entirely. If you’ve been there, you get it. If you haven’t, you should go. Wow. When we made it to the valley floor, we parked with a great view of El Capitan and marveled. I climbed on top of the car and just stared. Incredible. Unreal. After we’d all had our satisfactory eye-full of the huge wall, we decided to get a little hands-on. There was a huge boulder near the road. I’m talking 25 to 30 feet tall and wide. Since we were in one of the top rock-climbing destinations in the country, we obviously had to climb the rock. Ike and Owen scramble up first, and I followed shortly after. B was more for watching from the ground, and I probably should have been too. I had a couple of close calls but didn’t actually get hurt, so it’s all good! Right? Yeah. After we all made it down off the boulder, we headed down to the river to enjoy the view, climb on a few more rocks, throw some sticks into the current, and enjoy the view a little bit more. After a short drive deeper into the valley, being mind-boggled by the splendor and each picking which campground, hotel, or tent village we would stay in, we decided to stop in Yosemite Village for some info. We moseyed around the general store in Yosemite Valley for a bit, grabbed some snacks, then headed back to the car. Next stop: Bridalveil Fall.
It was closed. The parking lot and the trail were closed. Big ol’ bummer! So, we just found a place to park nearby and started walking. We were headed in the general direction of El Capitan, without much determination. Somewhere along the way (okay, right away) we left the trail and made our own way up the riverbank, across a meadow, over the road, through the woods (to grandmother’s house... Wait. No. Wrong story.), and up the rockfall to the face of one of the huge cliffs that line the valley. Isaac and Owen, of course, tried to climb the wall. Bethany and I enjoyed the amazing view of Half Dome, the Cathedral Spires, and the sprawling valley. Dazzling. We continued our aimless hike, heading toward the tallest wall. The valley was so quiet, so peaceful, so welcoming. The trees and river and trail guided us onward. We started seeing people gather to take in Fire Fall. This phenomenon, which only happens under very particular conditions during the second week of February, is a stunning display of sunset colors if all the conditions align. We found our spot with a great view of Horsetail Fall and waited. It was a bit of a wait, and it was kinda chilly, but we didn’t mind. It was going to be worth it to see that orange glow trailing down the cliff face.
It didn’t happen.
It looked like everything was aligned just right. The right week, a clear sky, a running waterfall. Nope. At the very last moment, a cloud covered the sun, and the cliff face went dark. That was that. The crowd packed up and we all marched back to our cars, chuckling about how close we were. Oh well, maybe later in the week. When we reached the car, my Garmin watch told me we’d hiked just over five miles since setting out that afternoon. I was surprised that we’d traveled that far; it hadn’t felt like that many steps. Now, to drive back to camp. The road leading into, and out of, Yosemite Valley is no joke, especially after dark. After about a billion twists and turns around the mountains, we pulled back into camp, hungry and ready to snooze. It was late, so there wasn’t much time to do anything but those two things. More adventures in Yosemite await!
Tuesday: Since we knew it was going to be cold and rainy today, we didn’t plan to go back into the park. Instead, we drove into town for some urban adventures. Oakhurst isn’t a very big town, but it had what we were looking for. A Denny’s for breakfast, some antique stores for entertainment, and a hip coffee shop for a late-morning wake-up. Without a lot more to do, we headed back to camp for some relaxing and check-list checking. After a long stretch of non-stop days for Isaac and me, it felt great to just rest. But don’t worry Yosemite, we’ll be back tomorrow!
Wednesday: We had big plans for today. We were going to get up early, get out of camp, and make it down into the valley. We planned to stop into the visitor’s center for info, hit at least two hikes, and feel like absolute bosses. That didn’t entirely happen. But, we did get out of camp earlier than the previous two days and found our way down to the information desk to gather intel about the trails. It had appeared that many of the trails were closed for the winter, but the ranger told us otherwise. Taking her pointers, we of course chose the most difficult of the suggested trails for our first hike. Before we started the trek, we stopped at the general store and grabbed some souvenirs. Can’t leave without the souvenirs! With lunch in our bellies, we set out for the Yosemite Falls Trail. Our first view of the double waterfall was from the lowest point. Stunning, loved it, couldn’t wait to see more. We followed the trail past the falls, through one campground, glimpsed the infamous Camp 4, and began the ascent. We knew it was going to be a challenging hike, but we didn’t realize just how challenging. (I found out later in the week that the Yosemite Falls Trail is the most difficult trail in Yosemite Valley.) From the start, the trail was switchback city. We ascended so far, so fast. We were all out of breath, feeling the intensity of the climb, but loving it. The trail offered us the most dazzling views of Half Dome, Cathedral, and the valley below. I don’t recommend this hike for beginners, but if you’re looking for a great view of Yosemite Valley, head up toward Upper Yosemite Fall.
When we’d completed just over half of the climb, a vista point gave us a chance to say hello to Half Dome. Who wouldn’t want to say hello to Half Dome when it’s standing so close? We rested, snacked, hydrated, then continued the climb. Finally, we reached a place from which we could see the base of Upper Yosemite Fall clearly. The huge pile of ice and snow at the bottom of the roaring waterfall dwarfed the massive rock piles nearby. The water, rushing over the edge of the cliff face, fell so far that much of it turned to mist before reaching the bottom. This mist traveled and dampened our already-sweaty clothes as we stood and admired the majesty and power of this slice of creation.
The hike back down wasn’t easy, but it was easier. We drank some clean mountain water from a stream, admired Half Dome again, and managed to slip and skid our way down the very steep trail without actually falling. At some point during the descent, all four of us exclaimed something to the effect of “how the heck did we climb up this?” We were absolutely spent when we arrived back at the car, with 7.29 miles hiked and nearly 4,400 feet ascended. We had just enough energy to admire the sunset on the drive back to camp, make dinner, and tuck in for the night. (We probably played a game or five of Uno, too.)
Thursday: What’s a group of adventurers to do after tackling the most difficult hike in Yosemite Valley? Simple: don’t go down into the valley. Our Yosemite day 4 adventures began at the Mariposa Grove Visitor Center. From there it is a crazy beautiful two-mile hike to the giant Sequoia grove. We took a few detours along the way to climb rocks and take in the views. There was a prescribed burn happening on the southwest side of the park and the smoke was pretty heavy in the whole area. Unpleasant as it was to breathe that in while we hiked, it added a beautiful amber tint to the sunlight and none-too-little drama to the distant pine tree line. You know I loved the added drama!
When we reached the grove, we found a surprise: a mono wind, a hurricane-force straight-line wind, had gone through that corner of the park just a couple of months before and toppled several of the glorious giants. We moseyed up the one trail that wasn’t barricaded by signs or fallen trees and were rewarded. Just a few steps off the main route lay the Giant Sequoias. It was sad to see them lying down, but it provided the opportunity to see them in a totally different way. Instead of just staring up the trunks toward the branches, we got to walk up the trunk and lay on the fibrous bark, and feel the incredible mass beneath our feet. It felt like we were walking on the ground. Truly amazing. Even though technically, we shouldn’t have been off the trail, it was an adventure I wouldn’t give back. I would, however, give back the devastation to the beautiful Mariposa Grove. So many of the red giants were brought down by that storm. It is so sad. We walked and climbed and scramble around and under and over several Giant Sequoias until lunch started calling us back to the trailhead.
The hike to the car was uneventful but full of laughter. We were all super tired, sore, tired of breathing smoke and feeling goofy. Ike and Owen had a strongman competition at every fallen tree and medium-sized boulder. Bethany and I just hiked along, laughing at the guys, and drinking in every sight Yosemite had to give. After some quick PB&Js at the car, we headed deeper into the park this time. Without any particular destination in mind, we headed back down into the valley. We drove up this road and down that one, just taking in the beauty of the valley, not wanting to miss anything; not wanting to leave any sight unseen. (That was, of course, an impossible hope. But we tried!) Half Dome looks a bit different from close up, and El Capitan looks a bit different from a distance. The towering walls that frame the valley are broken up by cascading waterfalls, spouting from nowhere. Have I mentioned that this place is incredible? Without a specific goal in mind, we still found endless beauty to look at. As the smoke from the prescribed burn grew denser, we figured it would probably be a good idea to get out of the park before dark. We just so happened to be at the highest point of the road when the sunset reached its peak colors. Now, I know I’ve told you about a lot of really great sunset experiences. I know you’ve heard a bunch of stories about these glorious color shows and how in awe I was and all that. Well, this one was the most incredible yet (except for maybe the one in Big Bend. And the one in Big Sur. Whatever.) The smoke was a perfect color-catching substance. Bright pink, rich purple, deep orange. The pictures don’t do it justice. I stopped several times on the drive back to camp because I was so ecstatic with the colors. A band of denser smoke created a gradient of color depth. Truly a spectacle of the best kind!
It took a bit longer to get back to camp than we’d anticipated, for a couple of reasons. One of them was that I kept stopping to admire the sunset. The other reason is that we ended up driving directly through the still-smoldering (and flaming!) prescribed burn. Have you ever driven through a forest fire? I really hope not. I think usually that would not be a good thing. In this situation, however, it was THE coolest. Isaac and Owen got out of the car to take a closer look. Bethany and I stayed in the car where it was safer. It was eerie and mesmerizing to look up the hill, through the glowing remains of burnt trees, to the few that were still flaming. It made me feel small and powerless. At the same time, I was reminded that I was living the greatest adventure of my life. There I sat, in my car, in California, surrounded by a forest fire and my favorite people. Doesn’t get much more perfect than that! When the boys had their fill of the close-up view, we continued slowly, oo-ing and ah-ing all the way. What a day. What a drive. What an adventure!
Back at camp, I made dinner while Isaac and Owen gathered firewood. Steak bites and salad were on the menu, as well as smores and Uno by firelight. We went to bed early in anticipation of our last day of adventures in Yosemite. It was a pleasant change to not be shivering as I fell asleep. Goodnight!
Friday: Our last day in Yosemite. Sadness! What an amazing week we’ve had! We’ve marveled at all the icons of the park and gotten up close and personal with a couple of them. We hiked our legs to death. Mission accomplished. After breakfast, we started driving back toward the valley without much of a plan. Without any plan at all, in fact. As the driver, I made the decision to take a random turn off the main road and do some exploring. I’m not sure what road I took, but it guided us into a collection of cabins tucked back near a river and waterfall. I drove on some pretty nasty roads, dodging potholes and trees and cabins and bears. (Just kidding, no bears.) When the road ended, we parked in a probably legal place and walked to look over the nearby bank. There was the river, inviting us to come find an adventure. How rude would it have been to turn down that invitation? Very. So, we went! The first person down the bank was Ike, then Owen. Bethany and I took a slightly safer, slightly less steep route and then caught up with the dudes. We tromped across the field, jumping logs, climbing rocks, and tripping through the tall grass. We took our time enjoying the scenery and the aloneness. It felt like no one had ever been there before like we were the first to reach this riverbank. That was, obviously, not the truth, but the truth didn’t stop me from imagining. By the time B and I reached the river, Isaac had already Supermanned his way onto an island and was hefting a tree trunk across the span of the rushing water so us dainty damsels could join him. (Please note: I am not calling Owen a dainty damsel.) After some pushing and propping and testing, Bethany made the first tenuous crossing of the single-lane bridge and I followed. All shoes stayed dry, and we gave the architect high fives as a reward.
Once on the island, we recommenced exploring. The familiar icons of Yosemite National Park were not visible from that bend of the river, but the area still had all the majestic quiet of the famous valley. The four of us tromped through the grass, over fallen logs, tip-toe on rocks, and climbed trees for a long time. I don’t even know how long it was. We were in paradise; does time even exist there? Isaac got himself back to the opposite riverbank and somehow a rock-throwing match got started. What began as a game of “I’m gonna throw this big rock into the water near you so you get splashed,” evolved into “look how big a rock I can throw and how close to your feet I can get it to land.” Soggy and laughing, Bethany, Owen, and I shimmied back across the horizontal tree trunk, caught up to Isaac, then found ourselves looking into the most magical scene yet. Set back from the island and shaded by trees, a large collection of boulders and logs formed rapids and a waterfall, which tumbled into a small sun-speckled pool. The scene was so beautiful. The rich greens, the soft grays, the foamy water dappled with sun; it felt like some iconic scene location from Lord of the Rings or Narnia. While I tried to take pictures of the scenery, Isaac and Owen stripped down to their boxers and jumped into the ice-cold water. Crazies. Absolute crazies. I joined Bethany in fully-clothed observation of the shenanigans. We had zero interest in joining them.
Back in the car, we began the bumpy drive back to the main road. Isaac and I both wanted to find a post office to get that cool Yosemite Valley postmark on our mail pieces, so we headed back into the valley. Along the way, I took another random turn and drove up and up and up to the Badger Pass Ski Area. Since we didn’t have skis (or snow pants or helmets or goggles or the budget) we took in the view that the peak offered, then coasted back down to resume the drive into the valley. When I say coasted, I literally mean coasted. Once we were headed downhill, I put the car in neutral and didn’t touch the gas pedal again until I took off onto the main road from the stop sign. (Those California gas prices, though.)
For the fourth time that week, rounding the turn to be greeted by El Cap and Half Dome took our breath away. I don’t think that could ever get old! I drove aimlessly through the valley again. This was our last day, our last time to take it in. I was so not ready for that. Maybe I took some of the side roads that we had already explored, I’m not sure (I definitely did.) I just wanted to be sure we had seen everything we could see from every angle we could get. A nice dinner awaited us, so we had to head back to Oakhurst. A short hike to the mailbox, a few last pictures, a reluctant goodbye, and we were cruising around the endless curving road to the restaurant.
Dinner was not quite what we had hoped for, but it was still a delightful change from the chilly scrapped-together dinners we’d enjoyed all week. I am thankful for the adventurous challenge of feeding four of us from that itty bitty tiny kitchen, don’t get me wrong! But I was also a-okay with letting someone else do the cooking tonight. With full bellies, we sat around the campfire back at camp, enjoying our last evening together and making plans for the next day. We couldn’t let the final night end without a game (or five) of Uno, but once that was checked off the list, we all gratefully climbed into our beds. Goodnight.
Saturday: This day had a lot in store for us. I thought I knew how much, but I actually had no idea. I knew we had to get B and Owen back to the Fresno airport and I knew we would be beginning the drive home. There was so, so, so much more.
Since they had a late afternoon flight, our morning wasn’t rushed. I made a big breakfast, and we packed up camp at a leisurely pace. We were trying to un-sadly enjoy our last morning together in this crazy amazing place. We ate and cleaned and tent folded and car packed and camper folded and all too soon it was time to roll out. Man, it was pretty tough to leave that last campsite. There would be more campsites along the route home, but only single-night stops. Nothing special like this one, or the dozens of others we’d enjoyed. All-in-all, the packing up was uneventful, as was the drive back to Fresno. Even though the In-N-Out was super busy, we had to stop for burgers. Gotta have those before flying, ya know? Our bellies were full as we sent Owen and Bethany off with hugs and “see you soons.” And just like that, the final destination adventure was over. It was time to head home. My heart was all sorts of confused. I was ready to go home, to get back to normal life, to be close to my family, and to have a rhythm again. But equally, I wanted to stay out there, keep exploring, hiking, learning, growing. Pulling onto the freeway caused a lot of big feelings. But, with the car headed south, we began the trek toward home.
Wait. South? What? Ike and I had decided that the best route for us would be heading south, back through Arizona and New Mexico to then start heading north through Texas, Oklahoma, etc. Since that route only added a couple of hours and less than 100 miles, we opted to avoid the incline and February snow of the Rockies. We made it all the way to southeastern California before pulling off for the night. I’d found a free campsite super close to the highway. It was great. Just a few minutes out of our way and right in budget. It was dark when we arrived, but that was okay. The miles we’d covered that afternoon had helped to get my heart ready to just finally be home.
And that’s where I’m going to end this blog post. Normally, I tell the tales of Monday through Sunday. However, the saga of this Saturday night through Wednesday morning, when we arrived home, should be told together. It’s just a whole lot. Just. A. Whole. Lot.
Until next time!