Yosemite National Park

We’ve been looking forward to this one. It feels like the pinnacle of national parks. We’ve heard and read and dreamt so much about visiting this place. What will it hold for us? And can it live up to the expectations?

Start with the fact that this is the first ever parkland preserved by the federal government for us, the citizens. Sure, technically Yellowstone became the first National Parks in 1872, but Yosemite Valley was preserved for the enjoyment of all by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864. That’s before the end of the Civil War. Something magical must have provoked this preservation.

But for us — first — fires. Fires haven’t been uncommon on our trip. Either evidence of fires or actual ongoing burns have occurred in multiple parks. This time the Washburn Fire has been burningnear Wawona for about 10 days prior to our arrival. This fire threatened the Grizzly Giant — a 3,000 year old Sequoia. It also squaleched our plans to being out trip in the Wawona section of the park. We’d been tracking the fire, concerned that our entire visit to Yosemite might be scuttled, and as we arrived we could detect the smoke in the air.

We actually came down with no place to stay (since the Wawona Lodge was closed), and we luckily snagged a spot at a Forrest Service campground outside of Yosemite called Sweet Water. Either we stumbled on a hidden gem, or no one was around because of the impending fire issues.

But when we woke up to enter the park on Monday: no smoke. In fact, it was a gorgeous day with no evidence of the fire. A combination of fire suppression and a wind shift left the majority of Yosemite with a wonderfully low AQI.

We entered through the Big Oak Flats entrance and hit the visitor center. We started with Tioga Road. We did a 4 mile hike into Tuolumne Grove and saw some really big trees. The difference between the Coast Redwoods we’d seen last week and the Sequoias we were staring at now isn’t significant to the untrained eye. But there’s a difference. Redwoods are tall. Sequoias are massive. But tall and wide and huge and imposing — and stupendous and awe inspiring. We haven’t even his Tuolumne Meadow or Yosemite Valley and we’re already mouth agape.

We made our way into the Tuolumne past Olmstead Point and Tenaya Lake to the Visitor Center. We got up close and personal with some through hikers (with the body odor to prove it). For our little hike, we chose Lembert Dome. It was about three miles, with the terminus on an exposed rock that climbs to the overlook. The catch for us was the oncoming thunderstorms and the safety threat they posed. We took the calculated risk — since the storms looked far enough away — and made to the the vista. After with we drove back down Tioga Road and prepared to enter the Valley.

We entered Yosemite Valley from the West catching the first glimpses at the Valley View vista point. It’s worth soaking up and coming up with all the words to describe it’s beauty: majesty, magnificence, grandeur, and whatever else the thesaurus can provide. In all honesty, though, the views through the week from various points in the valley continued to amaze just as much. Yosemite Valley is one of those places that you just can’t take for granted, even if you try.

We found out campsite at Upper Pines and settled in for the evening. We feel very lucky to have a campsite in the Valley, particularly at Upper Pines. It’s highly sought after and requires quite a bit of pre-planning. The campsites for Yosemite release a month at a time five months in advance (which is different from most parks that do the reservation release on a day-by-day basis six months out). So to get our July reservations, we were online at 5am (Honolulu time) on Februrary 15th. As far as we could tell, the month of July booked up in about two minutes. So, needless to say we were happy to set up camp at Upper Pines.

Perhaps the highlight of the day, was a notice email notice of a “win” in the Half Dome lottery. Meaning that in 36 hours the journey would begin to accomplish one of the most famous and difficult day hikes in the National Park system. It’s not a guarantee that you’ll receive a permit to climb Half Dome, in fact if you don’t win the advanced lottery, its smart to plan your time in Yosemite with the flexibility that you might win the short term lottery on any given day.

Tuesday was Day 2 in the Valley and we took the guided tour of the valley floor, hitting Valley View (again), Tunnel View, and various sights pointed out by the Ranger along the way. In the afternoon, we decided to go on our own tour, so we rented bikes and pedaled all around the many miles of bike trails on Yosemite Valley. One of the best secrets of Yosemite is the bike ride to the non-automobile accessible, unmarked swimming holes along the Merced River. They aren’t hard to find if you’re on the trails. They appear near old bridges and along bends in the river. Sometimes you’ll see a few people splashing around, sometimes you’ll have it all to your self.

So, we hit a couple spots for swimming. One was unofficial (and our favorite), the other was a well known spot called Swinging Bridge. After dinner that night we went for a stroll in a meadow in search of bears, but had no luck.

Wednesday was Half Dome day. From the campsite in Upper Pines you can walk to the trail head. Half Dome is an 18-mile hike with over 5,000’ in elevation gain. The journey should begin before sunrise, so bring a flashlight. It climbs past Nevada and Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail, then winds through Little Yosemite for a taste of the backcountry. Eventually it climbs back toward the valley and the backside of Half Dome. Before ascending Sub Dome you have to show the Ranger your permit — it’s pretty strict. Then it’s just up and over Sub Dome to the base of Half Dome and “the ropes”.

The fixed ropes are more like cables connected to holes in the ground by metal poles. And the route is steep and narrow. At some points you realize that, without the ropes, your boots — no matter how good the tread — would give way on the slick granite and send you careening down the face of the monolith. The climb, which requires both arm and leg strength, along with balance, takes at least 45 minutes depending on how the people in front of you are moving. And don’t forget, there are likely people coming down too. This is a two-way road, and that can make it all the more treacherous. Indeed people have been injured and even died on this hike.

Are the hike’s length, elevation, and final climb worth it? Absolutely. Atop Half Dome, you feel like you’re on the very top of the Park with a view straight down the Valley. It’s amazing to think that all those people down there are taking pictures of this giant rock landmark, while you stand atop it — so far away that they are oblivious to your existance up there.

The climb down the ropes is perhaps more harrowing that the climb up. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a stretch without many upbound climbers and allow you to move safely down. But inevitably you’ll need to make those passing moves around other hikers. And then it’s just another 8+ miles out to the valley floor. The reward for making it back to Upper Pines was a soak for weary legs in the nearby Merced, which isn’t quite an ice bath, but is cool enough to be soothing.

Thursday found us deciding to do another bike ride around the Valley. We visited Lower Yosemite Falls, had lunch at the Village Grill, went swimming at Royal Arches bend, grabbed ice cream at Curry Village, and saw a black bear near the Ahwahnee. After returning the bikes we drove to the base of El Capitan — if only for the reminder that there are people climbing cliff that are way more gnarly than the back side of Half Dome. The girls have officially “free soloed El Cap” if only for about 10 feet.

Friday began with an early morning hike to stetch the legs and explore some of the other accommdation sites. Then we took an art class in Cook Meadow near Senital Beach. With chalk pastels, we each selected an iconic vista to put on canvas. The class was put on by the Yosemite Conservancy and booked through the Happy Isles Art Center.

After lunch in the campervan, we abandoned our campsite (we didn’t have it for the last night) and checked into the Ahwahnee — the most upscale accommodations in the park. We had previously booked Yosemite Valley Lodge (also a nice place to stay), but upgraded when we realized found one available night at Ahwahnee.

What’s funny about this hotel is that I kept thinking it reminded me of something at Walt Disney World. But then you recall that this is precisely what Walt was trying to recreate at his resorts, and he did a pretty good job. Showers and prime rib at the Ahwahnee Dining Room brought us a bit back to civilization.

Saturday morning we had snacks and played cards outside on the patio at the Ahwahnee. The night prior we had seen some signs of smoke (after a completely clear week). By lunch time, ash was falling in the Valley. This was the Oak Fire and it was inundating the Valley with thick yellowish smoke. It caused our early departure with N-95s on. We quicky stopped at the visitor center to collect well-earned Junior Range Badges, and while we were inside they literally closed the visitor center because of the smoke. We got int he car and drove toward the exit, stopping for a moment to take a picture at Valley View to compare to the previous snaps we’d gotten, and then we were gone.

We had arrived the day the smoke cleared and departed as the Valley filled. The impact of fire on National Parks — almost all National Parks — cannot be overstated. Even America’s most precious locations can be ruined by a combination of human carelessness and human selfishness in the form of climate change.

But we were lucky. We had a near-perfect week in Yosemite National Park and we can’t wait until we can come again. We still need more time in Tuolumne, a visit to Hetch Hetchy, some time in Wawona and the big trees down there, and a chance to climb to Glacier Point, which was closed during our visit.

For now, onto Sequoia & Kings Canyon.