Title: September 27, 2023 - Yosemite Valley and Hiking
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's
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'
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| Table at Cathedral Beach |
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.
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.
Sherri and El Cap
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
.
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.
Start of Four Mile Trail
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
Extra Photo's
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| El Capitan from Valley Loop Trail |
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| Us |
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| Yosemite Falls |
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| El Capitan |
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| Yosemite Falls |
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| Three Brothers |
