Considering the altitude the night stayed mild and dawned bright and clear. Having done all the rushing around we were taken to the Yosemite Valley and given the day to do our own thing. It is impossible to not be impressed with the management of National Parks in the US. Every effort is made to make as much as possible accessible to as many as possible without destroying the natural grandeur and beauty of the places. Yosemite Valley is a truly global honeypot and runs a shuttle bus to convey people to the various trailheads and places of interest around the valley.
A famous photographer, Ansell Adams had done much to publicize the area with a series of dramatic black and white photos in the early C20. Kate had spotted that a photographic tour, discussing his work and techniques was on offer so four of us rolled up. A pleasant Californian, Michael rounded us up and completed the first part of the tour by walking backwards as he filled us in with the history of Ansell Adams. Out in the valley the emphasis was much more on how particular shots had been composed and he provided us with a wealth of information about composition, some of which I hope I have taken to heart. Whilst all this was going on deer grazed, evidence of recent bear activity was spotted and woodpeckers did their thing on an ancient dead tree.
After coffee, we split up to go our different ways. I’d decided on a hike that involved a bit of altitude but opted for a conservative three mile round trip to the top of the Vernal Falls which still involved an ascent of 1000 feet. Using the shuttle bus to get there I started out on a wide and bitumen surfaced track but just as I began to think that the challenge was insufficient it rapidly became much steeper. You could contemplate pushing a child’s buggy up it but not a wheelchair. At the foot of the falls I filled my water bottle and set forth along a natural track. This soon turned into a virtual staircase and my heart pounded, chest heaved and legs felt most reluctant. Before long I was counting the steps in blocks of ten and taking ‘photo opportunities’ as often as possible. Disconcertingly, as I was ready to pass out near the top, a man came down the path with a heavy rucksack and barefooted! Oh, there were also plenty of children leaping about like mountain goats as well. For the first time, my New York Yankees cap ($4.99 in Wallmart) became a thing that attracted notice and numerous groups stopped to chat along the way. I guess it’s the equivalent of wearing a Manchester United shirt in the UK. The extra breaks afforded by these conversations meant that I was finally able to crawl out at the top of the Falls and enjoy lunch and a sunbathe. I thought the beef and cheese roll I’d bought down in the valley expensive at $6.25 but it proved to contain half a cow and took fully 15 minutes to consume.
Deciding to make the walk circular, the map showed a zig-zag route to join the famous John Muir (one of the early pioneers in the area) trail I set off, little realising that both zigs and zags were uphill. The NYY cap fuelled a few more conversations and I soon became aware that I was nearly up to the level of the next set of falls, the Nevada Falls. I was advised to keep going and eventually slogged my way to the top. The views up here were truly breathtaking and the air so clear, and the quality of light so bright that one almost felt that the granite monoliths that topped the valley could be touched.
So the 3 mile, 1000 foot climb turned into a 7 mile 1,900 foot climb and I staggered back to our rendezvous well and truly exhausted. We’d all brought a change of clothes and refreshed by a shower and shave in the Curry Village facilities I joined the others as we blew the remains of the food kitty on a pizza. Back at camp a brief fire and a beer before bed at 9.30. I was asleep within seconds.
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