March 28, 2018 - Yosemite Valley Wander

Title: March 28, 2018 - Yosemite Valley Wander
Hike Info : Description :  Extra Photo's

 Trail head:  Camp Curry

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Vernal Falls-both trails, trail along Merced

Destination: None

Distance:  5.08 miles  ¹

Start Time: 11:26

End Time:     2:23

Travel Time:  2:57 (1.72 mph)

Moving Time:   2:27 (2.07 mph)

Elevation Rise:  938'

Descent: 784‘

Maximum Elevation: 4,553'

GPS Tracks

 ¹My GPS lost signal for a ways while I was in the trees.

Description:

Sherri and Steven at Yosemite Falls

We leave our house around 8:30 for Yosemite Valley. Sherri is driving. The plan is for Sherri and Steven to ride their bikes around the Valley while I wander around a bit on foot. We stop in Oakhurst to change drivers and gather in some donuts at Judy’s. Then it is off to Camp Curry.

We arrive there about 11:15. And now we split up. I get my boots on and am off by 11:30. This is going to be more of a wander than a set plan.

I head off towards Happy Isles, taking The Fen trail. Along the way, I wonder if I can get above the tree level, maybe on the apron of Glacier Point. I go up a ways, following a flow of a creek. But the more I go up, the more brush I encounter. So I turn around and return to the trail.

Valves along the trail

North and Basket Domes

At Happy Isles, I take off towards the Nature Center, but do not go in. Instead I continue around on a service road until I get to a trail. This is paved, but gentle. The trail pleasant and I travel quickly. Unlike the trail across the river, this one keeps close to it. Consequently, I follow a couple tracks to the river. One leads me to a sand beach.

Very pleasant being by the Merced, on a sandy beach, looking up at a paved trail with many people going by. Wonder if they see me? Actually I am not hidden, more accurately, does anybody notice this sole figure below them? Isn’t that how things are? We wander through our life, noticing only those things which almost hit us in the face? But ignore the fascinatingly? The interesting? The beauty? O Lord, help me to observe that which you placed around me, particularly that which you want me to see and understand!

Vernal Falls Trail above the Merced                                             My little beach from the trail

Water Tank

Now the question to me is: do I stay here and enjoy the day on the beach reading and meditating and praying and the like? You know that sounds like a good day, doesn’t it? Or do I continue on up a trail I have not seen before? Both sounds like a good day, now that I think about it. While I plan this more as a day of wandering than hiking, it feels like I should continue on. Maybe another time relaxing at the beach will win out.

Illilouette Creek

The service road continues to parallel my trail. What could so interesting this way? Shortly I see some valves, then a large pipe, looking like it goes to the river. Then the service road ends and there is a large water tank. I continue on and there is a trail junction saying I had gone a half of a mile from Happy Isles-and I not having met one person!

Illilouette Creek

The other trail, which looks well maintained comes from the water tank. Not that my trail is unkept. But why is this part of the trail so well kept up? Why the good bridges over Illilouette Creek? What are these red flags doing along the trail? Oh! There is a power panel back here as well. Why the panel? That one I do not know. But my guess is that the trail for this quarter of a mile is all part of the infrastructure of the Valley-maybe going up to the bathroom at the base of Vernal Falls.

The one disappointment I found on this trail was that Illilouette Falls was not visible-its creek was very nice, but not the Falls. After crossing the fantail of the creeks, the trail moved back from the Merced and I started my ascent up the the base of Vernal Falls. For some reason, it does not seem as steep as the other side, I still have to go up the same elevation though, so it must be better graded. The Merced is really nice from this side-I am still closer to it than on the other side. Also a lot of it is paved.

As I get close to the top, Four things happen:

Fan Tail on the Merced

• First, I meet my first people, a family who is going down the trail.
• Next, I meet up with the John Muir Trail. At that place, there is a sign saying Horse Trail, No Foot Traffic. Of course, there is not anything I saw at the base of the trail. (As a note, I have sort of reconciled in my mind that if I go up this trail again, it will only be when the stables are not open.)
• Third, when I come down to the junction with the Mist Trail, up to the top of Vernal Falls, there is a gate which indicates the trail is closed due to rock falls. I see at least four groups of people go up, with at least a dozen people total. The smartest one of the whole bunch was a four year old who begged his parents not to go that way. (Note: I would think that another sign would be appropriate. it would say: Hiker’s Intelligence Test).
• Last, I found myself a nice rock away from the trail and had lunch.

Illilouette Falls from Vernal Falls Trail

Then it is off. Both since the sign going down says No Foot Traffic and I am interested in making a loop, I go down the popular way, paved way. I group of four people seem to be struggling, except for one female who is encouraging them on. The guy says I am encouraging to them-must be the age thing. Illilouette Falls shows up good and I take several pictures. Also I stop at the place I saw from the bottom and take a picture there as well. One guy zooms by me, nothing unusually, but he is really fast-not a runner. When I get to the bottom and meet up with road at Happy Isles, I have a decision to make-to go straight back or do I have enough time to do more wandering?

The Merced River

Since I have about 40 minutes, I decide to wander along the Merced River until I reach Clark’s Bridge, then cut over to camp Curry. Pretty peaceful, even with the Spring break crowds. I only meet three groups of people. The first are some people speaking a foreign language. The second is a trail runner. But the third I have a conversation with. You remember the guy who passed me coming down from Vernal Falls? This was him. He asked me if I knew where he had parked. After describing where he did, I told him he was in the backpacker’s parking area and gave him instructions to get there pretty quickly-actually the same way I was going. But he was sure it was in a different direction. So I told him to backtrack and go past Happy Isles. That seemed to satisfy him.

Now it is off to Camp Curry and the car. It is only a short ways there. I cross Clark’s Bridge which brings me right to Camp Curry. I follow the path to the parking lot and there is the car, as well as Sherri and Steven. When I look at the time, it is 2:27. Not bad since I was aiming for 2:30. Steven and Sherri had been there only five minutes or so before me. Good plan. We pack up and go on home via Oakhurst where we stop at the Southgate Brewery for dinner.

Extra Photo's

Merced River

Pool by my beach

Glacier Point

Illilouette Creek