April 19, 2024 - Yosemite Valley

 

Title: April 19, 2024 - Yosemite Valley
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Animals 

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Camp Curry Parking area

Trail:  Northside Drive, Yosemite Village, Valley Loop Trail, Lower Yosemite Falls Trail, Cook’s Meadow, Southside Drive

Destination:  Loop

Distance:  4.39 miles ¹

Start Time: 2:10

End Time:  5:10

Elevation Rise:  678'

Descent: 676‘

Maximum Elevation: 4,107'

 ¹I forgot my GPS. So I plotted out the route on Google Earth. So this will not have been the exact mileage and time. Steven’s Strava recorded 5.5 miles. He did make an extra trip of about half of a mile. So I think the truth is someplace between 4.4 and 5 miles.

Description:

This was going to be a long day as I needed to repair a sprinkler pipe before we went to Yosemite. It got even longer that evening. The first was planned while the second was thrust upon us.

Lunch at Cathedral Beach-Sherri and Steven

I got up at 6:30. I finished repairing the pipe, then let it set while I had breakfast. After that I tested all of the sprinkler lines and they looked good. I got all of this finished by 8:30. So why didn’t we start sooner? First, I was relaxing a bit and then I think everybody was waiting for everyone else to say they were ready. That was the state until Sherri came in at 10:40 and asked if we were still going to Yosemite? Yes was the answer.

So we got ready in about 25 minutes. Sherri got us out of the garage by 11:05 and drove us to Costco to get gas. Then she drove straight through to Chinquapin. By this time, she had enough of driving and Steven took us down into the Valley.

Vows were said here

Unless we have company, we usually do not stop at Tunnel View-usually too crowded for our tastes. Today we did not stop, but there was plenty of room. It will not be that way in a couple of weeks. The Bridalveil parking area is open, looks crowded, but a lot better than before the construction of the past couple of years.

Steven has a destination in mind for lunch. That would be Cathedral Beach

Mist from Yosemite

. We arrived there at about 1:45. This picnic area has a special place in our hearts. It is where Andrea and Lawrence got married last October. Certainly looks different without the table covering. Also the Merced River is higher, much higher than in October. If they had gotten married now, the water would have been above their boot tops.

We continue on to Camp Curry’s parking lot. This area is also under construction. But fortunately there is a lot of parking. We only decided what we were going to do a few minutes before driving in. The thought was to go up to Vernal Falls. But I suggested just walking around the Valley. A couple of days ago I strained my hamstring muscle and I am not sure about doing any steep climbing. It is too late to go around Mirror Lake. The decision was to walk around Yosemite Valley, heading towards Yosemite Falls. By the time our boots hit the pavement, it is 2:30. Sherri has discovered she is missing her phone. I guess she will need to rely on Steven and I for pictures.

Gary, Steven and Sherri

 

 

 Our goal is to walk the relatively level route to Yosemite Falls. The road by Stoneman Meadow is being revamped. Maybe into a bikeway connector? It does change the traffic patterns, for the better. We get a good view of the Royal Arches. But it is a relatively unshaded area. So after a quarter mile, Steven decides he needs his hat and goes back for it. 

Sherri and I continue on towards the Visitor Center. We passed by Ahwahnee Meadow and into the Yosemite Village area. It is just pleasant walking and surprisingly there are not the usual crowds of visitors on this Spring day. When we get to the Visitor Center, actually by the Ansel Adams Gallery, we wait for Steven. But there is a new Welcome Center and Steven thinks we are there. So Sherri and I get a good rest before Steven joins us. By this time it is about 3:20.

 

 

Yosemite Falls

We head west again, getting to the Yosemite Cemetery which Sherri starts to head through. This is OK with me as I am interested in the names I have seen here. While the cemetery is not well protected and has a very low fence to mark its boundaries, it does seem wrong to purposely use it as a shortcut. That is not Sherri’s intention. So we go around the cemetery, past the Law Enforcement area and up the short trail besides the stables. This leads us up to the Valley Loop Trail.

Yosemite Falls

Along the way up to the Loop Trail, we spot a mountain quail. Much more attractive than the quail we see around Delilah. Once on the Loop Trail we continue our westward trek and come to the bridge crossing Yosemite Creek. But before that, we see signs that the Falls are coming. First, there is the mist flowing well above the trees. Then there is Yosemite Creek thundering past the trail. And now crossing the bridge, we feel the wind created by the force of the falls. The sight of Yosemite Falls never fails to elicit a sense of awe.

 

 

 

We continue on our walk down to the Yosemite Falls Bus Stop. There are two women parked in the bus place, but it looks like they are pretty agitated and there is no bus while we are waiting. And while we wait, we consider the new bus routes. This bus will go all the way to the Pohono Bridge. So we decide to cross Cook’s Meadow and go to the Sentinel Bridge Bus Stop. Crossing Cook’s Meadow gives a great view of the eastern end of the Valley. So we take our time and walk through there.

Briefly after arriving at Sentinel Bridge we enjoyed its seats. That is until we realize that this is no longer a bus stop. Yosemite has been working on getting a better traffic flow around the Valley. It looks like as part of that, this stop has been discontinued. The traffic looks like we are in England as the flow has vehicles going on the wrong side of the road, that is the left side..

Indian Canyon Falls

So what to do? Sherri would like to go to the Chapel, so we go there. It is a short walk to it, maybe a quarter of a mile. The chapel is the oldest building in the Valley. But it used to be a few miles west of its current spot. The doors are open and we go in. There is a group in the front pews of the chapel, so we stay back. The interior is pretty basic. If we were expecting large windows with stained-glass, this would have been a disappointment. But remember, this was to serve a purpose and that purpose was a wilderness chapel.

Having walked this area several times, I know that a short distance from the chapel is the other side of the Valley Loop Trail. And that is where we go. A short walk puts us back onto the bike path for Southside Drive. And then an even longer walk back to Curry Village and the parking area. I am dragging during this last part. I would like to think that it is my hamstring bothering me, but I think it is only a minor contributor. Ae all make it to the car by 5:10.

Fortunately, Steven drives us out of Valley and there is not much traffic. I do one misdirection on a roundtable, but after that it is Steven all the way into Oakhurst. We talked about where to eat. Steven is interested in Southgate Brewery. But I am thinking that there may be a long line since it is Friday night. When we got there, we were quickly seated. The service was a bit slow, but that just gives us time to revive and relax.I indicate I wanted a Deadwood BBQ Burger. Evidently that sounded good to everybody as they also ordered one as wel. When the Burger came out, it was piled high. But with a little scrunching, it all fit in my mouth and my mouth was ready for it. There was no disappointment.

Royal Arches Falls

I drove home and we got home a little after 8. I was looking forward to a nice and relaxing shower, when Sherri comes in with an urgent piece of news. You know how she was without her phone which serves as a camera? Well it is missing and the Apple Find Me app has it around a restaurant in the northern part of Fresno, about a half mile from the Costco gas station. We figure it must have fallen out when we got gas this morning.

And now for the truly frustrating part. We try to get a hold of Verizon to tell them the phone is missing. But they are not available until morning. You can go through their automated system, but in order to do anything with the phone, they want you to respond on the phone which is lost. Seems a bit circular, doesn’t it? So we try to go into their web pages. Same thing. We are not getting anywhere fast. Sherri does have the presence of mind to lock the phone through Apple.

So what should we do? Ask Rachel, of course! We figured out a plan which included driving up to the restaurant and seeing if the phone was just laying on the ground-it as not. Also how to proceed in the morning. It did not get better then, so Super Rachel called up Verizon and got things settled there. The long story is that Saturday Sherri got a new phone with a lot better camera.

Finally about 10:30 I got my shower and was asleep by 11:30-I was one tired big boy.

 

 

Trail Lesson: We will lose things. But learn from the experience about what is important and what is replaceable.

Animals

Mountain Quail