Yosemite

Yosemite Valley: Merced River

Date Saturday 6 June 2015

Track A well-trodden path along the banks of the Merced River. Very picturesque. Just a pleasant ramble after a strenuous week.

Weather Fine and warm

Access Drive or shuttle bus

Who Peter, Di, Ashley, Sophia

Duration 2 hours

Comments

Don’t forget your camera. Take a picnic. Watch out for mountain lions!

Half-Dome from Merced River

Half -Dome from Merced River

Merced River

Spider web

Yosemite Falls

Date Friday 5 June 2015

Weather Fine and hot in the morning. Rainstorm in the afternoon.

Track Relentless ascent / descent. Never levels out. Total ascent 749 metres. Slippery gravel in places. Spectacular views. From the cliff-top climbed down a perilous stairway to a lookout on a ledge on the the cliff-face, to look down on the whole cascade of the falls. Very scary!

Access Drove to base of climb. (Bus is available).

Who Peter, Diana, Ashley, Sophia

Duration About 5 hours

Comments

I was very pleased throughout the ascent that the views were so impressive, so that I could legitimately stop often to take a photo! Otherwise it was pretty hard on the legs. Awesome!

Yosemite Falls

Lookout on ascent

Yosemite Falls

Half-Dome from Yosemite Falls Trail

Valley from top of Yosemite Falls

Pines on bald dome

Pines on cliff edge

Redwood at top of falls

Lower lookout

Falls from lower lookout

Stairway to lower lookout

Ashley on ascent

Yosemite: Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest return

Date Wednesday 3 June 2015

Weather Fine. Cold start. Hot later.

Track Steadily uphill. Mostly well marked, but a bit confusing at times. Begins at 9,000 feet and climbs to 9,900 feet. A few steep pinches.

Access An 80 mile drive from our accommodation at Tenaya Lodge, or about 40 miles from the valley floor (4,000 feet).

Who Peter, Diana, Ashley, Sophia

Duration About 8 hours, including lunch and a lie-down at the summit.

Comments

We were up at 4.30am and on the road by 5.00am to drive up to the start at Tenaya Lake. After some confusion about finding the trail head it took 4 hours to hike up, and 3.5 hrs down, with a half hour break for lunch. I suffered a bit from the altitude when the going was steep, but the others didn’t. The view from the summit was magnificent. Looking down on the ant-like figures strung out on the Half-Dome ascent, I was very glad we’d missed out on the ballot to climb it. The total distance was 24km, and pretty exhausting at that. Ashley spotted a garter snake by a little lake where we stopped for morning tea, and we also saw several marmots, squirrels, chipmunks and a sage grouse cock.

Lake Tenaya (start)

Lake on ascent

Garter snake

Ascent to Clouds Rest

Final ascent to Clouds Rest

Clouds Rest

View from Clouds Rest

View from Couds Rest (Half-Dome)

Half-Dome from Clouds Rest

Lake Tenaya

Marmot

Squirrel

Yosemite: Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, Panorama Trail

Date Tuesday 2 June 2015

Weather Fine and hot

Track Pohona Trail easy to medium. Panorama Trail medium.

Access Drove to Glacier Point (7,000 feet). The track-heads for both the Pohona Trail to Sentinel Dome, and the Panorama Trail are near the visitor centre.

Who Peter, Diana, Ashley, Sophia

Duration About 8 hours

Comments

Awesome views from Glacier Point along Yosemite Valley. We walked the Pohona Trail to Sentinel Dome, from which there are again spectacular 360 degree views, stopping for lunch on the way up (We’d got off to a late start). Then back down to the carpark ond a right turn onto the Panorama Trail, which we followed as far as Illouwea Falls. It was a strenuous afternoon. The trail is pretty steep in parts and we were uncertain how long it would take, not wanting to get caught in the dark.

Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls from Glacier Point

Half-Dome from Glacier Point

Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls from Glacier Point

Sentinel Dome

Half-Dome, Nevada Falls from Sentinel Dome

View from Sentinel Dome

Half-Dome from Sentinel Dome

Nevad Falls, Vernal Falls from Sentinel Dome

Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls from Sentinel Dome

View from Sentinel Dome

Illouwea Falls

Yosemite: Vernal Falls and Nevada falls

Date Monday 1 June 2015

Weather Fine and hot.

Track Well made and well marked, like all the trails in Yosemite. Much travelled. Patrolled by volunteer rangers. We encountered several trail-runners. Some steep climbs and uneven descents.

Access We drove to the start point in Yosemite Valley. There is a shuttle bus, if you’re staying in the valley itself. Plenty of accommodation. The Awahnee hotel is magnificent, otherwise there are cabins and camp-grounds.

Who Peter, Di, Ashley, Sophia

Duration About 6 hours

Comments

Our first walk in Yosemite! A tar-sealed path at the bottom gives way soon to dirt and rock, following the river steadily uphill. The route up is aptly named the Mist Trail. As we approached Vernal Falls we had to cover ourselves and our packs, so as not to be drenched by spray. Wonderful standing rainbows hover in the mist at the base of the falls. Onward and upward then to Nevada Falls, very impressive, plenty of water, though not in full spate.

Had we been successful in the ballot to climb the Half-dome, we would have continued on from there. Having later looked down on the Half-dome ascent, I’m rather glad we missed out!

We followed the John Muir trail back down with great views along the valley and towards the falls. The highlight of the day was a close encounter with a black bear, who suddenly appeared about twenty metres from us when we paused for a snack!