Iconic Yosemite (with lots of water and some snow from the record breaking snowfall)

Yosemite NP. Without a doubt, God, Allah, Buddha, the Great Spirit, nature, science, some of the above or all of the above combined to make this place one of the most iconic and spectacular. And I'll just add that Ansal Adams with his stunningly stark black and white imagery only served to increase the mystique surrounding this Park.

Half Dome, El Capitan, the Merced River, Bridal Veil, Yosemite, Vernal and Nevada Falls. All these sites conjure iconic imagery. And they don't disappoint. However…because everyone loves them, everyone wants to come and see these sights for themselves, naturally. "Everyone" coming to see those sights for themselves, pretty much results in us "loving" this park to death. Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but really I do have a love/hate relationship with the Yosemite valley. I love the vistas and hikes. I hate all the people, the crowded trails, roads, parking lots … If you don't have a parking spot by 8:30, you're out of luck! I think they should invest in a system like Zion NP where visitors park in big parking lots on the edges and only NP buses and campers/lodge guests are allowed to drive in the valley. It would cut down on pollution and so much congestion. Ok, I know, no one asked me and I should probably move on to something else. 🙄

So, we had an amazing time, despite all the people. Weather was a bit iffy, some rain, some cold, some fog, but c'est la vie. The amount of water in the park as a result of the melting heavy winter and spring snows was mind-blowing! The waterfalls, bonus waterfalls (that's what I called the ones that usually weren't there) rivers and streams were awe inspiring (and maybe even a bit scary). The power and force of that water rushing with gravitational pull and the force of all the water behind it to find a lower elevation, a place where it could spread out and find more space was unbelievable.

We spent time in Wawona, the valley, and had visitors!

Josh and Cam came out to stay with us for 4-5 days. It was great to see them again. One thing about this adventuring that is the hardest, is that I miss my family and friends. So I'm thrilled when they can join us on the road. ❤️ BTW, anyone would be welcome. Our guest quarters consist of a nice tent, sleeping pads and sleeping bags. Oh, and a shared bath. 🤭

Note: one of the hazards of writing this blog three months after the events actually happened is that life sometimes happens in between. In this case the "life" I'm referring to is that Josh and Cam are no longer together. Josh, most gratefully, is continuing to live in our house with Ben and Grace taking care of the pets and the house, no easy task. ❤️ I believe Cam has decided to stay in Vermont, at least for the time being.

On to pics…

We had a beautiful campsite in Wawona. Our site backed up to this "little" stream (well, it's usually a little stream)

Wawona has a preserved historic village near the Lodge. They have recently included the lodge's laundry building, using it as an opportunity to tell the history of the Chinese immigrants and their contributions to this area.

There were also barns with wagons, sleds and stagecoaches, corrals, a covered bridge, a general store and more.

Sunset at Wawona

Views from Yosemite valley.

Yosemite Falls

The classic: El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls, Half Dome

Twenty years ago, when we were here with the boys, we hiked up Half Dome. The final 400' ascent was using metal cables (that were bolted into the side of the mountain) to haul yourself up a series of 2x4s or maybe 4x4s that were also bolted to the side of the rock face. We decided against trying that again on this trip. Haha.

The mist trail to Vernal Falls and then Nevada Falls.

The morning started out sunny and bright and we were joined by "several hundreds" of our "closest friends" on the trail. 🙄

Josh and Cam (Yosemite Falls in the background)

Alouette Falls

Wild waters

Vernal Falls.

The section of the trail that went up along the waterfall was quite an experience. I came to refer to it as "extreme hiking" and thought they should make it an event in the x games.

First, I should add, there are no pictures for this portion of the trail because:

My camera is not waterproof
I'm not convinced I would have been able to hold the camera to take a pic

I kept trying to think of the correct adjectives to describe what it felt like. I finally ended up with "going through a hurricane". The wind, updraft , whatever it was, was so strong that the water from the waterfall was blowing horizontally, pelting any body part not covered. I could barely open my eyes, well actually I was squinting through just one because of all the streaming water. The stone steps that you are supposed to climb were covered with large, 1"-6" deep puddles that were also pretty slick and again the wind was so strong you could barely keep your balance while trying to make forward progress. Our own "Hurricane Alley"! It certainly got the adrenaline going.

But we perceiveered and made it! From the top of the falls.

Pics of the river above the falls.

Up toward Nevada Falls

Our campground in the valley opened just before we were scheduled to move in … well, it partially opened. Several sites were still under water!

On to some some of the flora

Swamp pinks

Mountain Pride

Paintbrush

Phlox with Mountain Pride

Dogwood

Mariposa lily

New growth

Glacier Point

Our most challenging hike by far, was up to Glacier Point, approx 10 mi, 3199' of elevation gain. The view from Glacier Point is incredible and since the road was closed, the only way to get there was to hike. Josh and Cam clammered up like gazelles, I sent Martin on ahead and I followed much, much more slowly. The views along the way were stunning. We'd been having storms in the afternoons that would typically clear up pretty quickly. As the weather that day went from chilly (40°s) and overcast to warm and sunny to completely socked in with fog and some rain, we were confident the skies would clear, the view would be fabulous and it would all be worth it.

Early on in the hike, view across the valley of Yosemite Falls, a rare view of all three, the upper, mid and lower falls (as well as a reflection in the "bonus lake" previously known as a meadow).

Clouds are rolling in. It won't be long before I'm hiking in the clouds.

Hiking in the clouds shifted my focus. Instead of only looking at the view of the mountains and waterfalls, I focused on what was immediately around me. It was a much more intimate experience.

About three quarters of the way up, the trail crossed a snow field. The snow was melting rapidly. I was fascinated by the melting patterns of the snow fields and the rhythm of the water droplets.

The fog and mist of the clouds lent an other wordly feeling to the experience.

The top, which is usually crowded with people who have driven up, was eerily quiet.

Josh, pointing out the view of Half Dome. Haha.

Melting snow created little runoffs and waterfalls everywhere.

Quiet reflections

Not all the extra water was contained in the crazy rushing streams and rivers. Some had already overflowed it's normal boundaries and was quietly providing "bonus" reflecting surfaces