Gary-Summer: October 29, 2021-Yosemite Valley

Friday, October 29, 2021

October 29, 2021-Yosemite Valley

Title: October 29, 2021-Yosemite Valley
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Bridalveil Area

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Valley Loop

Destination: Loop from Pohono Bridge to El Capitan Bridge

Distance: 5.98 miles ¹

Start Time: 12:32

End Time: 5:00

Elevation Rise: 835 '

Descent: 722‘

Maximum Elevation: 4,076'

^{1Milage and elevations are a combination of GPS readings from a Garmin 60csx and drawn. The Garmin shutoff around 3.4 miles into the trip. About 2.5 miles of the trip is plotted on Garmin’s Base Camp}

Gary and golden trees

Description:

I got up a little before 7 and looked for lightning activity, my contribution to society-there was none. But got the “pleasure” of wondering who paid my AT&T bill-at least the payment information is not from me. Spent about 45 minutes with AT&T explaining and waiting. By this time, Sherri is up and feeding herself to breakfast.

Sherri crossing Bridalveil Creek

We leave our house by 10:00am, but stop at Costco for gas on the way out. Sherri is driving, so I read-The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles if you want to know. Sherri drives farther than she normally does. But our bladders give out in Wawona, so we switch drivers there. The rest of the drive was uneventful. One concern, which turned out unfounded, was how crowded is the Bridalveil parking area? This is a concern with the construction going on there.

We quickly found a place to park. It is about 12:30 when we landed. While I was waiting for Sherri, a first time visitor from Sacramento started talking to me about how beautiful the Valley is. I think she was only going to be here for a couple of hours or less. Still it should give her a taste of the Valley.

Our lunch view-Half Dome and Clouds Rest in the distance

Sherri and I set off at 1:00. We immediately were immersed in the yellows of broadleaf trees. So wonderful. The rain from last Monday is giving Bridalveil Falls some body, so the creek is flowing quite nicely. Which means it is a bit more of a task to cross it. The water is not rushing and is maybe knee deep at its deepest, and much shallower in most crossing places. I decided just to walk through since I was able to find a place where it did not top my boot. Sherri is more concerned and takes a while to pick through.

But once on the other side, we walk along, enjoying the sheer beauty of the fading forest. I try to identify where we ran into stinging bees several years ago, but to no avail. I do find where we stopped to pick the bees off of Sherri and Sonya. But before that, there are some inconsiderate photographers who have set up their tripods right across the trail, forcing us to go around them. On the other hand, Sherri stops and chats with one of them and picks up a bit about what the lady was looking for in her picture. We do stop at the trees right before Bridalveil Meadow for lunch. A good spot. We are able to gaze upon El Capitan and in the distance, Clouds Rest

Wounded hoary bat

barely pokes its head up to be noticed.

After lunch, which is getting close to two, we keep traveling west, through one of the more pleasant parts of Yosemite, in my opinion. While it is right next to the road, it is lower down so you see the river, but not close. This part of the Valley is moist and has a nice covering.

Sherri crossing logs

When we get to the Pohono Bridge which takes us across the Merced, we will start heading east. But first, we stop and enjoy the river scene. The colorful leaves grace the slow moving river-in the Spring, there is more water moving faster. One can stay here a long time admiring this. But like I said, we are half way through the afternoon.

El Capitan Climbers

So we cross Northside Drive and continue on the Valley Loop. Soon, we come to a place where four large logs block the way-too high to go over, so I start working on going under, until Sherri says to stop. The reason? There is a bat on top of one of the logs. But the bat is not moving. Is it dead? how did it get here-I was just looking at this very spot? Should we go on? But how? Is the bat dangerous? After all, this bat looks distressed.

I make a remark about maybe making a ding, maybe it is a dingbat? Sherri makes a “ding” sound, and it moves. She makes another and it moves some more. Finally, it has moved across the tree and out of sight. Well isn’t that something? I crawl under the logs while Sherri goes over it and we both make it to the other side safe.

El Capitan

We continue on and encounter several downed logs, none as adventurous as above. Having walked this loop several times, there are spots which bring back memories, such as crossing Ribbon Creek. Today it is dry, but one Spring with our Meetup group, we did a log crossing. Or talking with Sonya about her partner climbing El Capitan. And as the base of El Cap comes into view, we spot a couple of climbers just starting out. I see two of them; Sherri thinks there may be a third. We spend a good 15 minutes just following ropes and cracks up this rock.

And now I am looking for a means to cutover since we are close to the base of El Capitan. I get out my GPS and note we probably will be walking about a quarter mile further.I think it is here is where I may have stopped tracking with the GPS. A little ways up the trail, we cut over. When we used to do this trail, we would go all the way up to Yosemite Falls, but two things have to happen: 1) my body needs to be in better shape, and 2) we need an earlier start-it is closing in on 4pm.

Autumn Leaves

The crossover comes up and we come to the El Capitan Bridge. Once again the Merced is graceful appearing. When we hit Southside Drive, there is a question: Do we take the road-easier or the trail-more ups and downs. Sherri has a good point: the trail is more scenic and has more places of pleasure, so we take the trail.

Last week there was a prescribed burn just to the east of where we met the trail. The trail going that direction is closed. But that does not stop a trailrunner. We just wonder if he will regret it or not. Along those lines, going on the Northside, we hardly met anybody. But now, it is almost a regular freeway. We meet at least 8 groups of people.

Bridalveil Falls

But as Sherri said, it is more scenic and enjoyable. We get our last taste of hiking in the Valley in Autumn for the day, and it does not disappoint. Being in the shadows on this side of the Valley, the colors were more subdued, less intense. So we got to see a different aspect. Also when we rounded the corner, Bridalveil was there. Maybe because I see it with either more water or almost no water, or it could have been the angle, the Falls just showed a different aspect-being able to see the gap between rock and water. So glad we came.

As we got close to the car, a couple from the Bay Area asked if I would take their picture-always. I guess I must look like Ansel Adams. Sherri says it is more that puppy dog look of wanting to help. By the time we reach the car, it is 5pm, and a few minutes later we take off. A brief stop in Wawona before heading to Carl’s Jr in Oakhurst for dinner. We made it back to Fresno around 8pm. Steven has gone to Disneyland, so Korra has been caged up for a couple of hours-she is appreciative of being released. A good day. We are making plans to go back up before we lose the colors.

Background

Bat. A friend of ours is a docent with the Fresno-Chaffee Zoo. Jamie checked with the bat person there and reported back that it is a Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus). Unfortunately it has a broken wing and probably some broken fingers and will not survive. Yosemite notes that when you find an animal in distress, report it to a park employee. We did not see any park people after spotting this bat.

Extra Photo's