Yosemite National Park Pt. 2

I woke to some snow on the ground. I dressed in layers and started out for the day. I hiked Upper Yosemite Falls, which the sign said was about 6.8 miles but I did 8 miles somehow. Along with over 3,000 ft in elevation gain. The hike was switchback after switchback until reaching the top of the cliff where the Yosemite waterfall stands, or should I say falls. It was a beautiful, chilly day and the trail was pretty busy. Some people practiced good trail manners, and some did not. . .

Once you gain some height there was a beautiful view of the valley for a large part of the way. About a mile and a half into the hike you could start to hear the falls before you could even see it. After rounding a corner, there it was.

The Upper Falls boomed and crashed and thundered down. Ice chunks would occasionally fall and the water would come back up after hitting the bottom so fast. The trail conditions were really good for the first half, even though it had rained and snowed the day before. It wasn't until getting closer to the falls and then going up the last mile and a half that the snow stuck and it was like walking in a winter wonderland. Pines were caked in it, blooming trees were weighed down, and snowmelt was just starting to trickle down the slopes of the switchbacks. Often snow would fall from the trees or be blown off by the breeze.

I won't lie, the last 10 or so switchbacks kicked my a** as I was running out of steam. I tried to eat a little bit while continuing to hike but I just wanted to reach the top already. And I did.

I was rewarded with 0.2 miles of flattish trail that lead to the overlook and a stunning view of the valley below. While I had shedded a few layers on my way up, I quickly put them back on since it was much colder at the top. I got closer to the falls, which was by way of a very slender path/stairway with a railing along the cliff edge. It felt safe enough. The little pathway and steps took me down to an overlook area where you could lean over the railing to see the mighty falls. It was windy and painfully cold, but it was incredible! The few people I was on the little overlook with were all feeding off the same electric energy.

I made my way back up to the main overlook and took a seat on a big boulder to have some lunch. I let the sun try to warm me as I looked at the view. After a long while, I made my way back down. The sun had been busy warming up the trail where more snowmelt ran down the trampled ground than there was on my way up. Some spots were slick and steep, but overall coming down wasn't too bad. I was moving along pretty quickly, sometimes it's just fun to hike down fast. I got stuck behind some slowpokes a few times but it only gave me a chance to look up at the view again.

Finally, I was down and I started to head towards the Lower Yosemite Falls little trail loop since I was already in the area. I decided to just walk the mile or so to get over there and back since I knew there would be no parking closer to it. It was entirely too busy for my liking. But it was cool to see the lower falls, and upper falls, up close. I snapped some pictures and headed back to my van. Traffic leaving the park was crazy backed up, but luckily I was on the quicker side of the road. Once I got back to my site the tiredness kicked in. I cooked dinner outside and enjoyed the chilly, but nice evening. I read my book in my camp chair as daylight disappeared. I made some popcorn and watched a show before calling it a night.