Monday, June 27, 2011

06-27.3-11 Yosemite (part3)

Okay, so once we all met up at Yosemite Falls, we hiked to the base of it and took some pictures, then looked at some nice viewing areas of it and headed back to the start of the trail. As we waiting for everyone to come back, though, we saw a visitor. There was a deer, literally feet away from us, just eating some grass by the fence. Awesome. Naturally, we took tons of pictures, and it was pretty cool. That guy totally knew he was a celebrity.

Once we were done there, we all headed up to Glacier point, which was one of my favorites. Massive panorama of the entire valley. Cool. On the way there, we also saw a place called Washburn Point, which had the best view of the trail to Half Dome that I've ever seen. I took a lot of pictures there. Once we were to the top of Glacier Point, we took the opportunity to take some group shots. Very fun. And the best part: Glacier Point had snow. Juggling snowballs is fun, by the way. You should try it. It also had an amphitheater (I've got a soft spot for them now) that was built on the side of the hill so it had a really nice view of the valley behind it. Location, location, location.

Friday was our last day in the park. We started by going to Mirror Lake, which was pretty fun. Any time you're hiking next to a river it's fun. The lake itself was cool, but it was kind of hard to get pictures of the reflection and Half Dome at the same time. Oddly enough, my favorite part was the rock garden next to it. Apparently, people left a bunch of these piles of rocks stacked on top of each other in this one area, and it's only grown since. Naturally, we made some of our own, which was awesome.

After we were done with that, we went to Vernal Falls and the nature center next to it. As you may know, Vernal Falls is the first step on the trail to Half Dome, so it was nice to go back after seeing it last year. We hiked to the bridge, then a part of us kept going to the falls. Apparently there was a little miscommunication there. Sorry about that... Anyway, we hiked to the top, took some pictures, and headed back. Before we left, we took the shuttle to the Ahwahnee Hotel (I think), which was interesting. A bit fancy for my taste, but pretty impressive. They've got a dress code for the dining area.

That just about sums it up. Saturday was spent packing up and heading home.

Now, for the checklist. I've been able to visit Yosemite twice now, so I've got my review to do.
Places to visit:

Mariposa Grove ***
This one was cool, and pretty quick too. A couple easy hikes. A good way to start the trip, especially if you're interested in seeing the trees in Yosemite.

Tunnel View *****
Must see. It's quick, it's got some cool things to see, and it has an awesome view.

Glacier Point / Washburn Point *****
Also awesome. If you want to see the valley in all its glory, this is the spot to do it. Washburn Point would also be a good place to visit before hiking Half Dome so you could see the trail from a bird's eye view.

Yosemite Falls (Base) ****
Easy walk, awesome sight. Plenty of cool rocks next to the path.

Yosemite Falls (Upper) *****
Takes a couple hours to hike to the top and back, leaving time for swimming at the top. The pools are really cool, there are rocks to jump off of, and on the way up, you have some awesome views of Half Dome.

Bridal Veil Falls ****
Extremely quick and easy. Good rocks to climb. You will get wet. And it's AWESOME.

Mirror Lake / Rock Garden ***
The lake itself didn't grab me quite as much as the rock garden next to it, which is definitely worth seeing. The hike is pretty tame, and it has some great photo ops either by the river or down by the lake.

Merced River ***
Floating down the river was great. Relaxing, great scenery, and a great way to cool off after a service project.

Half Dome / Vernal & Nevada Falls *****
You've got to do this, even if only once. It's awesome. The Mist Trail gives you some awesome views of the falls, and Little Yosemite Valley gives you an excellent chance to rest after the climb. Once that's out of the way, it's only a couple more miles to Half Dome. As you get to the base, you'll come to the stairs, and that's where you'll wish you'd never been born. No cables, straight up the mountain. Well, switchbacks, but that's almost worse. Get to the top of that, and the cables are a breeze. If nothing else, you're just glad to let your arms do some of the work after all that hiking. But trust me, the view is worth every drop of sweat and every blister (I didn't actually get any of those. xP). It's like being in an airplane, that's how high it feels. I don't even think it's possible to take too many pictures there. Breathtaking.

Visitor's Center / Shops / Shuttles ****
They're all good. I'd recommend doing them after a long hike, just to give yourself a break. You can relax, look around, and take a moment to learn about all the cool stuff you're seeing.

The Valley / Meadows ****
You've got to stop and look around at least once. There are some neat paths through the meadows with amazing views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, El Capitan, and pretty much everything else. Excellent way to throw everything into perspective.

Service Projects *****
When else can you cut down trees in national parks or dig holes with post hole diggers and put signs in campgrounds? Enough said.

Pretty sure that's everything. If I missed anything, I'll probably go back and add it later. Anyway, that was our trip. Awesome place.

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