Gary-Summer: November 2, 2021 - Yosemite Valley, Central

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

November 2, 2021 - Yosemite Valley, Central

Title: November 2, 2021 - Yosemite Valley, Central
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's

Trail head: Yosemite Valley Chapel

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Valley Loop Trail

Destination: loop around central part of Valley

Distance: 5.48 miles

Start Time: 1:06

End Time: 4:33

Travel Time: 3:26 (1.60 mph)

Moving Time: 2:38 (2.08 mph)

Elevation Rise: 432’

Descent: 422‘

Maximum Elevation: 4,118'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Yosemite Chapel

Our friend Rose was going to hike with us today, but she had some minor Fall/Winter symptoms and in these COVID days, she decided to hike another day. So I got a rarity-I was able to slept in.till 8. We were planning on starting at 8-that will not happen. By the time we get ready, it is a bit before 10. Ee stop at Costco for gas and then hit the road with Sherri driving.

Our next stop was Wawona where we made use of the facilities and changed drivers. Then off we go. We admire how Bridalveil has more water than ten days ago. But today we want to be in the central part of the Valley. We found parking at the Valley Chapel. Since it is 12:40, we have lunch before getting ready to go for our walk. By the time we leave, it is after 1pm.

Yosemite Falls

A short walk to the south of the chapel brings us to the Valley Loop Trail. We hit east towards

Half Dome-not that we are going there. For the next half of a mile, we go through a wonderland of color, overhead. So much WOW! So this part of our hike is pretty slow as we try to take it in.

Autumn Leaves

The trail comes close to the road and then parts of it allow us to move a little ways away. And then it drops down to what I know as the LeConte Memorial Lodge

LeConte Lodge

-I think of it as a castle, at least there is a bit of fairy tale aspects to it. Then we spot a sign noting that the building has been renamed. LeConte along with several other people of his time had his era’s prejudices. The sign explains that it is now called the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center. In my mind each era has its own weaknesses-I wonder what our era will be shown to have failed at? But now we are going back to trying to erase those reminders. We should not minimize these failings, but to also not acknowledge their age and their accomplishments seems to be very shortsighted.

It is now a short walk to Camp Curry, not that we enter in, just pass by. We continue on to where we can cut over and cross the Merced River on Clark’s Bridge. When we do that, we come to Upper Pines Campground. But that is just a way to cross over to the Tenaya Creek. We stop and read a sign at the bridge warning that an algae bloom has been found in the Creek, so do not wander in there or drink the water.

Tenaya Creek

After passing through the backpackers campground, we hit the other side of the Valley Loop Trail. We head west, quickly going over the Merced River for the second and third times today on the Sugar Pine and Ahwahnee Bridges. Ahwahnee Meadow comes into view, along with the hotel. We will not travel to the hotel. But you remember when we were at Glacier Point

Headstone

a few weeks ago, we saw what looked like a Christmas ornament? We see what it is now-the restoration of the drainage of Ahwahnee Meadow. There is a sign which explains this.

It is a short distance to The Village. The Visitor Center is closed, as we would expect. But around the corner is a place of relief. Afterwards, we find a bench and munch on an energy bar. Now where to go? We head to the Cemetery. Several of the early illuminaries, and several children, are buried here-hint: not John Muir. But people like George Anderson, James Mason Hutchings and Galen Clark. The Yosemite Conservancy is doing a tour. We hear her say that the four sequoias surrounding Clark’s grave were planted by him.^*

Yosemite Falls

We decide that we have had enough for today, so we start going towards the car, wherever that is. We usually go to the chapel from the Yosemite Falls area. Yosemite has changed some of the routes in this area, so I just head off in the general direction. While the direction could be worse, it is not the most direct. But it gets us to the Village’s parking area. From there, I know where to go. We stop at Sentinel Bridge. It is a good time of day to be here. Good shadows and vivid colors show off the Merced on one side and Half Dome on the east side. This is a good last stop.

From here it is a short walk to the chapel and our car. We first examine a bolt in a rock, but then continue on. It feels good to be back at the car. We take off after changing our shoes. But our adventures are not over. Just past El Capitan, I see a Wildlife Management car by the side of the road, so I pull over and talk with her about the bat we saw Friday. We discuss things and she gives me contact information.

And now we leave. We made a brief stop at Wawona to order pizza from Me&Ed’s. 45 minutes, we are in Oakhurst. As an added bonus, the restaurant is near empty, so we feel good to eat inside rather inside the car. After eating, we head back to Fresno, arriving around 8pm

Background

LeConte Lodge. A bit more on the renaming of the building. It was by request of the Sierra Club that the building got renamed. The Sierra Club felt that because of LeConte’s views on race and segregation, they were incompatible with the Sierra Club values.

^*After getting back, I saw a Yosemite National Park feed on FaceBook which gave a bit more history on Galen Clark. As part of the writeup, it said that Clark planted six trees in the Cemetery.

Extra Photo's