On the road again.. I think there was a song about this! Fortunately we had a very pleasant journey driving through California’s famous Gold Rush Country, high in to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. We stopped at the Big Oak Flat Road Information Centre to see some of the famous Giant Sequoias and then headed to Tunnel View which provides one of the most famous views of Yosemite Valley, showcasing the immensity of the granite walls that surround Yosemite Valley and providing a classic view of El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks, and Bridalveil Fall. Awe-inspiring to say the least. After departing Tunnel View we drove to Bridalveil Fall which is one of the most prominent waterfalls in the Yosemite Valley in California. The waterfall is 188 metres in height and flows year round.
Then we drove on to Yosemite Valley to start our Mist Trail hike to Vernal Falls. The Mist Trail is one of the most popular short hikes in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. The steep hike follows the Merced River, starting at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, past Vernal Fall and Emerald Pool, to Nevada Fall. Although many people hike to the top of Vernal Fall or Nevada Fall (or all the way to the top of Half Dome) using this trail, there are many intermediate destinations that can serve as a successful turn-around point.
You’ll find an excellent view of Vernal Fall from the footbridge just 0.75 miles (1.3 km) from the trailhead. Unfortunately this was as far as we could hike, as the rest of the Mist trail was closed for repair, Very disappointing.
If the trail had been open you would follow the Mist Trail 0.5 mile (0.8 km) up a steep granite stairway of over 600 steps to the top of Vernal Fall.
As we had limited time we decided to hike to Mirror Lake. Mirror Lake is a small, seasonal lake located on Tenaya Creek in Yosemite National Park. Situated in Tenaya Canyon directly between North Dome and Half Dome, it is the last remnant of a large glacial lake that once filled most of Yosemite Valley at the end of the last Ice Age, and is close to disappearing due to sediment accumulation.
The eight of us strode along as we knew that we had to meet our tour leader at 5.30pm at Yosemite Village and we knew that hiking to Mirror Lake was cutting it fine. Mirror Lake was just so peaceful and still, and it was so nice to see families enjoying the water there in kayaks and swimming around in the lake. We had a short break at Mirror Lake and then following our map, we headed towards Yosemite Fall, and on passing the Fall we continued on down the road. However on what we thought was the way back to the village we lost our way and after several phone calls to Ron, our industrious leader, we took the park shuttle and arrived late, to be told that our bus had broken down, and the only other chance of getting a lift had left the park at 5.30pm!!
So what to do? We did the only sensible thing which was to go to the restaurant and eat and then continue to enjoy the meadows and views in the village until a replacement bus arrived from San Francisco at 9pm. Really a first world problem and all’s well that ends well!
Such a magical day with such amazing experiences. We arrived at our accommodation “The Yosemite Bug” very tired and just happy to have a shower and clean sheets.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings!