Hike Info:
Type: Hiking
Trail: Valley Loop Trail
Destination: Loop
Start Time: 9:18
End Time: 4:27
Travel Time: 7:08 (1.40 mph)
Moving Time: 5:18 (1.88 mph)
Elevation Rise: 1,118'
Maximum Elevation: 4,242'
1Walking mileage and elevation only. Does not include riding on bus.
Description:
Another meetup hike today and this is Sherri's and mine game today. There are seven of us going this morning: Art and Phil who will meet us at Eddie's Bakery and Vic, Sharon and Don in Oakhurst. With only four of us, we pile into my car a little before 6:30. So we get to Oakhurst early. Things are going well. Art wants to do a stop at Tunnel View for a few shots before making it down to
Camp Curry. As a note: Even though we will be going to Half Dome Village and The Majestic Yosemite Hotel, I prefer the older and more historic names of Camp Curry and the
Ahwahnee Hotel.
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| Silver Strand Falls from Tunnel View |
Around 9:15 we start walking though Camp Curry on our way to
Happy Isles. Weather is cool. On the way in, there was snow all along the road, even ice on one section. But down in the Valley, the ground is damp and much of what we travel along is somewhat paved.
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| Merced River |
Before moving on from Happy Isles, we take advantage of the facilities. Our next section is the eastern end of the Valley Loop trail. This goes underneath part of the ridge between
Half Dome and
Grizzly Point. So we are in the shade here and the hand are starting to freeze up. But soon it will be warm enough. I have migrated to the front and am having conversations with Don, Art, Vic and Phil while Sherri has Sharon Vic and Phil at the rear. But this is a pretty homogeneous group, as far as the rate we are traveling. So the difference between the front and back is only a matter of a minute. Our conversations range from the mundane to quasi-political to how the group makes sure that it has a comfortable environment. With a small group as ours, we have a bit more latitude with our topics.
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| Edge of Mirror Lake |
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| Tenaya Creek |
When we get to
Tenaya Creek, two things happen. The first we turn right to go along the
Mirror Lake Loop trail and second, the rate of stoppage increases dramatically. Why you might ask on the second? Well there is so much to take pictures of that ever couple hundred feet, there is something new (Art will take over 600 pictures today). Even before getting to Mirror Lake, there are a myriad of stops admiring
North and
Basket Domes. Of course when we get to Mirror Lake, the whole parade stops. There has only been a few times in the last five years which Mirror Lake has had enough water to create a mirror. But today, there it is and we, along with several others cannot take our eyes off of it. One couple is working on their sketches, others are content with their cameras.
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| Falls by Basket Dome |
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| Ahwiyah Point Rock Slide with Mt Watkins |
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| Mirror Lake Loop |
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| Tenaya Creek |
But wait, there is even better as we go along the trail. Some of our seven have not been this deep behind the lake. The trail takes us more than a mile beyond the lake.In that mile, we spot an unnamed waterfall coming out of a creek close to Basket Dome, the
Ahwiyah Point rockfall, along with Half Dome. Of course there is the "normal" hiking stuff such as dogwoods in bloom, Tenaya Creek raging under us and us hopping across small ponds on logs. When we walk, we walk pretty good, but there is a lot of time we are only going a ways and taking pictures.
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| Royal Arches Falls and the Ahwahnee |
We finally get to the west side of Mirror Lake. It is about noon and we have gone something like 5 miles. Now that is some very enjoyable miles. But as I am looking at our pace, I am calculating we will end our hike around 6pm. So what to do? We talk it over and decide we will walk on to the Ahwahnee Hotel. Then pick up the bus and get off at Yosemite Falls. From there we will walk back to Camp Curry and our cars.
And that is pretty much what happens. We stop at an outhouse a little below Mirror Lake, then head on to the Ahwahnee where they have a lot more classy bathrooms. Also we look around and enjoy the grounds. The bus is very crowded at the Ahwahnee, but all seven of us get on. Fortunately for us the ride is short as this is a sardine-packed-type bus. Before we move out the the Ahwahnee, it should be noted that
Royal Arches and its falls played a gracious host to us. It kept us enthralled for about 15 minutes.
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| Yosemite Falls |
Yosemite Falls is spectacular when there is water in it. While the spray is sparse at the bridge, it is roaring with life. So good to see it that way. Once we get back to the road, Half Dome is there, crystal-clear with a mantle of clouds on its forehead. Such a good day to be in the park.
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| Gary and the New Yorkers |
Some folks from New York wanted their pictures taken, and I do that for them. Then they ask a crucial question: if you had a few more hours in the park, what would you do? Here I go into tour guide mode and give them places on the west end of the Valley: El Capitan, Bridalveil, Tunnel View. They day this is the most information anybody has given them in four days. It feels good.
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| Photo taken by Art/Bill, caption unnecessary |
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| Yosemite Traffic Jam |
But what does not feel good is when we cross over the
Merced and come up to Sentinel Bridge, there is a long line of traffic with rangers directing them to go back to the west end. No room beyond here. We walk back to Camp Curry, still hitting a good pace. And then we see a line of cars trying to get out, but stuck in traffic. Pretty soon we hear shouts from a couple of the cars and there are folks we know. So we go out into the road-traffic is not moving-and talk with them a bit.
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| Staircase Falls |
We decide that we might as well eat here since we are not going to get out anytime soon. So we trot on over to Camp Curry and munch on pizza for awhile, enjoying a post hike fellowship. Yosemite even has one last treat for us. As we look up towards
Glacier Point, there is a waterfall coming down sort of sideways-stair stepping. It turns out that is the name of the falls:
Staircase Falls. As the air cools down, we decide to leave. By the time we make it back to our house, it is 9:00pm. Tired, but a great day of hiking.
Trail Lesson: Too much beauty to take in with the mind; open your soul.
Another meetup hike today and this is Sherri's and mine game today. There are seven of us going this morning: Art and Phil who will meet us at Eddie's Bakery and Vic, Sharon and Don in Oakhurst. With only four of us, we pile into my car a little before 6:30. So we get to Oakhurst early. Things are going well. Art wants to do a stop at Tunnel View for a few shots before making it down to Camp Curry. As a note: Even though we will be going to Half Dome Village and The Majestic Yosemite Hotel, I prefer the older and more historic names of Camp Curry and the Ahwahnee Hotel.
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