Hike Info:
Type: Hiking : Car
Trail head: Cathedral Beach Picnic Area
Trail: Valley Loop, Four Mile
Destination: Half an hour up Four Mile Trail
Distance: 5.98 miles
Start Time: 12:28
End Time: 4:12
Travel Time: 3:43 (1.61 mph)
Moving Time: 3:23 (1.77 mph)
Elevation Rise: 1,197'
Descent: 880‘
Maximum Elevation: 4,451'
GPS Tracks
Description: |
Table at Cathedral Beach
|
We get to go to Yosemite
today. Our daughter is getting married in the Valley next month.
There were a few questions concerning the area. First, where could
we park the cars? We will be looking at the road coming and leaving
the picnic area for turnouts and capacities. Also because we might
want to communicate the status and track done lost attendees, so we
will look at how to communicate in the Valley. Finally Sherri wants
to make sure about the table. But these are just excuses to go to
the Valley, as if we needed that.
I wake up at 6am, pull down
lightning data-sort of getting repetitive isn’t it? No lightning.
So I puttered around for a little while, had breakfast, and then
got ready to go. Sherri gets up and gets prepared for our day. We
leave at 8:20 with Sherri driving. She drives all the way to Wawona
where we switch drivers.
 |
Sherri and El Cap
|
While in Wawona, we decided to
go past the cabins we will be staying in in a couple of weeks. To me
the term cabin reminds me of logs. But these are two story
mini-mansions. We do not go in, just drive by. We go on to the
registration and ask if they have any information about what will
happen in case of a government shutdown? They are in limbo like the
rest of us. So we continue on.
We do note that there is cell
phone connection there. But we see the cell service drops shortly
before Mosquito
Creek.
We keep an eye on the cell service-we do pick up service when we
emerge from the tunnel. When we get to the Bridalveil
area, service decreases a bit and we start looking for parking
places. Bridalveil area probably will not be the place to park. Even
on a Wednesday, there is not much in the way of available parking as
the slots are taken up.
But we do find parking in
several turn outs along the way. There is also parking along the
crossover to El
Capitan |
Start of Four Mile Trail
|
.
We get caught in going down that road. We could have turned around,
but if there was any traffic, it would be tough. We go on the loop
past the Pohono
Bridge
and past Bridalveil again.
Right after the crossover is
Cathedral
Beach Picnic
area where the wedding will take place. The first thing I do is look
at the parking places. When we were here in April, I counted seven
places. But the area was covered by snow then. Today I count 23 in
the area. I think this is enough for us. Sherri tries out the table
cloth. Things are looking good.
 |
Yosemite Falls
|
It is noon, so we have lunch
and then explore the possibilities for a hike. Leaving from Cathedral
Beach is the Valley Loop Trail. We decided to take this as it is an
easy trail, to hike up it for a couple of miles. Sherri wants to be
back in Fresno by 7pm, so that is a limiting factor.
We crossed Southside Drive and
met the junction with Valley Loop Trail. We head east up the Valley
with the idea that it will be generally downhill on the way back. The
key word here is generally. The Valley is not flat and there are a
series of small ravines and ridges which we go along. Yosemite
Fire has
done a series of prescribed burns. We stroll along making OK time.
After about an hour of walking
we reached the Four Mile Trail junction. This precipitates a
discussion about what we wanted to do during the next hour. This came
down to four options: 1) Go over Swinging Bridge; 2) Continue up the
Valley Loop Trail; 3) Go up the Four Mile Trail; or 4) return back to
the car. In the first three options, we would go half an hour. We
chose #3, going up the Four Mile Trail. |
Looking into the Valley
|
I have been up the Four
Mile Trail before,
when I was physically in much better shape. Today it will be one step
in front of the last. The legs are not the issue, but the lungs are.
And so we begin. I start slow, but steady. When we get to the gate
which indicates that the trail is too dangerous to walk, Sherri stops
and rests, but encourages me to go on. The gate is open. I continue
up at my plodding pace. This is a surprise to me. I think if I had
the time, I might be able to do all of the trail. But fortunately, I
only have about another 15 minutes to go up before hitting the
turnaround time.
I ran out of time about 40
yards from a switchback. So I tell myself I will go that far and turn
around. I do spend a few minutes taking care of some personal
business. Later looking at the map, I think I got to the end of the
switchbacks and where the trail starts a long straight climb along
the Valley walls. When I turned around, Sherri was coming up the
trail-good for her. She did not give up. Where we meet is a small
clearing where we can see a little bit beyond the trees we have been
in. The view is OK, but it would be better further up.
 |
End of Four Mile Trail
|
It is much easier going down,
but the trail has many loose stones, so we pick our way down it. At
least my lungs are not an issue going this way. It takes us almost as
long going down as it did going up. We reach the Valley Loop Trail
and retrace our steps. Why does this always seem like it is longer
than when we came up it? But we do and we do enjoy the walk. We got
back to the car at 4:10, a bit tired, but glad we did this walk.
And now for the ride home. We
thought about stopping at El Cid’s in Oakhurst for dinner, but it
was crowded and we are in a hurry. So Carl’s place, it is. Then
onward. We do our family’s Zoom call while driving down-I drive,
Sherri has the phone. We get back around 7. This gives Sherri time to
run some errands while I attend the Zoom call. A full and tiring day.
So glad to get a shower after the call.
