October 29, 2014 - Yosemite Valley West

Title: October 29, 2014 - Yosemite Valley West

Trail head: Valley Chapel

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Valley Loop

Destination: Complete Loop from Valley Chapel to Pohono Bridge to Yosemite Falls and back

Distance:  12.23 miles ¹

Start Time: 9:52¹

End Time:  16:06

Travel Time: 6:13 (1.97 mph)

Moving Time: 5:32 (2.21 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,670'

Maximum Elevation: 4,164'

 ¹The mileage and time is a bit understated. The first quarter to a third of a mile the GPS did not pick up a signal. Also by its nature a GPS has a certain amount of inaccuracies which I try to compensate for. Another GPS on the trip obtained a reading of 12.8 miles. On a previous trip, I had a reading of 12.48 miles.

Jerry, Carly, and Eli

Description:
This is the complement of the trail I hiked on Saturday, Oct 18th. Instead of heading towards Happy Isles and Mirror Lake, we go westward to Bridalveil Falls, the Pohono Bridge and El Capitan. It is a good hike to do in the Fall when the dogwoods, maples and cottonwoods are turning colors. We have done this same hike the past coupe of years and it has become our favorite Fall hike. This is my first hike as a meetup organizer. So we shall see how things are at the end of the day.

Gary back to pontificating

 At 6:40, I got to Kohl's where we are gathering. First ones there. Amazing! People started coming in and all had arrived by 7. So we were able to leave by 7:05. I think that is a record for any meetup hike I have been on. Then it us up to Starbucks in Oakhurst. We meet Sonya, Jerry, Carly and Eli there and are away by 8:15. I am looking at the coordinates on my car's GPS for remnants of the Old Wawona Road. Don't think I found anything so I will need to go back and piece everything together. But we do get to the Valley Chapel at 9:30. We are 17 adults plus Eli, Jerry K's two-year old grandson. It will be a good group.

Autumn along the trail

The excitement of our hike starts even before our feet hit the trail. A coyote pays us a visit. It seems unperturbed by our group, that is until some of us turn a camera lens on him. He turns camera shy and trots off. 

We start out at 9:45 with the trail right in back of the Valley Chapel. We quickly turn west and get a fine view of the Cathedral Rocks through a break in the trees. The weather is cool-I start with my pants legs and a SmartWool shirt on. I hike with Eli, his grandfather and his mother. It is fun watching him walk along this gentle path. He experiences this path for the first time.

Gary on the trail

 
As I mentioned, the air is brisk, but the skies are clear allowing us to enjoy the Valley experience the best. Almost all of this trail is a gradual down or gradual up.  On the average, less than a hundred feet of gain or loss a mile. As we pass along the south side of the Valley walls, semi-paved path is an easy walk, mostly sandy gravel or pine needle covered. Pine trees line the side with a few broad-leaves, such as dogwood. Just a most excellent time to walk.

As we come close to Cathedral Rocks, the trail does grow more rocky and we experience an incline. This is said sort of tongue in cheek as it is only an incline of maybe 150'. Still when a 2 year old is doing it, I had better buck up and look strong. We all look at the climber's routes up to the Rocks. Each of us says that those routes are not for us, but evidently this is right up Carly's husbands alley.

El Capitan

Our first rest stop happens at Bridalveil Falls parking lot. I think this is rated as the smelliest outhouse on our trail today. Most of us gather a safe distance away from the outhouse. This parking lot is where I almost always lose the trail. While today I did not lose the trail-I knew right where it was-I just did not want to go through a tangle of thorn-covered vines to regain the trail. So we walk an eighth of a mile along the roadway where we find good access to the trail. From here, we walk along the Merced. Most of the time this river is rushing long its long journey to the ocean. But today, it is pretty laid-back. We see the reflection of the trees and rocks in the shallows. This is what the end of year will do to a mighty river, particularly the third year of a drought.

Our Path

Around noon, we round the west side of the Valley on the Pohono trail. I really like the section we just passed through, between Bridalveil and Pohono. The trees drape over the trail, the river flowing beside us, the colors and reflections are there for me to enjoy. Just so good to be alive and experiencing all which God gives us during this season.

Merced River

  

But now we are past noon and it is time for lunch. We go along on the return trip. With the afternoon sun, while not hot, the shadows have disappeared under the more direct light. Still there are the Fall leaves still being attractive. The pace is still good and conversations still flow-a good sign that people are still enjoying the hike and it has not become a trudge.

 

El Capitan

Climber Tent suspended in space

Under El Capitan, we stop for lunch. Most of us take up the time-honored occupation: watching for climbers. Sure enough, there is one party going up the west side, under a heart-shaped overhead.  Later on some of us will see a tent hanging from the east side of the nose. In the meantime, I am learning a secret to being a good organizer: cookies! I brought some Golden M&M Bar cookies and Black Cat cookies. They were enjoyed. Long time ago Sherri and I learned that a well fed group is a content group.

Sentinel Rocks, not Dome

With two-thirds of the trail behind us, we still need to continue on. Now our eyes are focused on the big rocks of Yosemite: El Capitan, Half Dome, the Three Brothers, Glacier Point, and on and on and on.  Seeing them is always awe-inspiring. Makes me feel so privileged to live so close to this beauty. Even with the grass golden, not green, Yosemite has a magical air to it.

Now that we are under a mile of Yosemite Falls, we are seeing people-something which we have only seen around the parking lots and road. Sort of jarring to have voices besides our own. Still, it is not nearly as much as it would have been just a month ago. We cross Northside Drive again and come to the Native American exhibit area. We see a couple TeePee's on the hill side and where they are building a roundhouse. Then we come to Camp 4-where most of the great climbs of the Valley started out from. It is always a good thing to breath that air. But we do notice a few campers giving us side-glances: Are they thinking what is this trail rift-raft doing here? We only stop to use the bathroom and enjoy watching someone climbing a large boulder.

Fawn in meadow

Now it is off again and we shortly come to the Yosemite Falls area-no Falls today so we fore go the side trip and cross back over for the final leg back to the Chapel. Some sharp-sighted people in our group spot some deer in Cooks Meadow. Then we head over Sentinel Bridge and finally into the Chapel parking lot.

So good to be back after 12 1/2 miles. All hikers accounted for and there is even smiles on faces-so I think I have passed the first test of being a meetup organizer. About half the group needs to be getting back home so they take off. But we stop at Todds in Oakhurst. Not only do we get good food, but we even get to  root for the Giants in the World Series. What a day! Sherri and I get home at 7:30.

Half Dome

Trail Lesson:
A well fed group is a content group.

Autumn and Cathedral Rocks

Autumn Trees

Gary on trail

El Capitan

Merced River