So after driving for miles and miles with nothing but the desert to gape at, a little greenery is much appreciated. As we approached Yosemite, the scenery transformed from brown and beige tones into deep hues of green, the temperature dropped as we climbed the mountains, and as we rolled the windows down, the fragrant scent of pine trees wafted throughout the car. It was beautiful already. As we entered the park, we passed several gorgeous deep blue lakes, encompassed by the granite cliffs and gorgeous vegetation of sequoias, cedars, and firs. We entered the park on the east side and drove through the entire park Thursday afternoon. Before heading to our campsite on the west side, we decided to do a very short hike up to Bridalveil Falls:
As you can see, there wasn’t much water coming over the falls, but it was still beautiful. We then got a good look at El Capitan, a 7569 ft. tall vertical rock face that is made of granite ….another rock climber’s dream.
We camped outside the park that night and arrived in the park early the next morning to get in at least one decent hike. We agreed on the trail that leads to Columbia Rock, then to Upper Yosemite Falls (one of the highest waterfalls in the country). Most of the trails in the park required at least a full day to hike, and this was one of the few that were feasible to do in just a few hours. The first part of the trail consisted of some crazy switchbacks that climbed about 1,000 feet in one mile. When we reached Columbia Rock, we got a very good look at Half Dome, a beautiful granite rock dome the park is known for.
We also had a little visitor near Columbia Rock:
Continuing on, we hiked maybe another mile or so around the base of the cliff until we came to a clearing where we could see the highly anticipated Yosemite Falls:
Well, okay it was more like the “Yosemite Trickle.” If you ever go to Yosemite, try to go in May or June (not August) at the beginning of the snow melting process. All that melted snow will contribute to a much more beautiful waterfall. Oh well, that just means we will have to come back some day……..and neither of us are complaining about that.
Next Stop: Mt. Shasta, California
As you can see, there wasn’t much water coming over the falls, but it was still beautiful. We then got a good look at El Capitan, a 7569 ft. tall vertical rock face that is made of granite ….another rock climber’s dream.
We camped outside the park that night and arrived in the park early the next morning to get in at least one decent hike. We agreed on the trail that leads to Columbia Rock, then to Upper Yosemite Falls (one of the highest waterfalls in the country). Most of the trails in the park required at least a full day to hike, and this was one of the few that were feasible to do in just a few hours. The first part of the trail consisted of some crazy switchbacks that climbed about 1,000 feet in one mile. When we reached Columbia Rock, we got a very good look at Half Dome, a beautiful granite rock dome the park is known for.
We also had a little visitor near Columbia Rock:
Continuing on, we hiked maybe another mile or so around the base of the cliff until we came to a clearing where we could see the highly anticipated Yosemite Falls:
Well, okay it was more like the “Yosemite Trickle.” If you ever go to Yosemite, try to go in May or June (not August) at the beginning of the snow melting process. All that melted snow will contribute to a much more beautiful waterfall. Oh well, that just means we will have to come back some day……..and neither of us are complaining about that.Next Stop: Mt. Shasta, California
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