Shower: Here I Come!

Chris, Tirina & Alan Swartout at LYV Base Camp

I haven't written much about our base camp at Little Yosemite Valley, but it definitely deserves mention.  It was certainly spartan - a necessity when you are carrying your every need on your back.  But by backpacking standards, it was very decent.  We used the round of one of the fallen trees, set upon a smaller round, to make a dining table.  We used smaller sections of truck for chairs.

Reliance foldable water carriers

I'd also say that we ate very well.  Chris has done this enough times that he knows what brands of backpacking food are yummy (Mountain House) and which are not.  He also knows good non-backpacking foods.  We ate red beans and rice, beef stew, chicken teriyaki, lasagne and pesto for our dinnertime meals.  I'm pretty picky about my pesto, but I thought it had a pretty good flavor (or maybe anything tastes good when you're backpacking).   Lunch was always a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, if only because it's so easy to pack.  It's not my favorite, but it was sufficient.  I tried different kinds of Justin's nut butters to mix it up a little. All of our food, of course, went into the bear lockers that are provided by the park.  We never did see a bear at Little Yosemite Valley.  Our only bear experience was at the backpacker's campground on the valley floor.  I was glad!

Chris Swartout's Hammock

For water, we used Reliance foldable water carriers.  Every morning, we walked to the Merced River and pumped filtered water into these storage containers, and then walked them back to camp.  This more than took care of our water needs every day.

Little Yosemite Valley to Happy Isles,
John Muir Trail

Chris was also the only person in camp who had a hammock.  He really likes relaxing/napping in his hammock after a long day's hike.  Little did we realize it would become a major source of amusement as we watched Chris put it up.  On the first attempt, Chris tied everything in place, got in the hammock, and one of the ropes broke, causing him a somewhat embarrassing landing.  But he got up, affixed a new rope in place of the old one and once more tied it to the tree.  This time, he got into the hammock, and the winding of the rope slid so that he was one inch off the ground.  Fortunately, on the third attempt, all went well!  Tirina and I, however, were watching all of this transpire from our tent.  It was better than television's Funniest Home Videos!

Alan Swartout, Nevada Fall

All good things must come to an end.  I needed to leave a day early, so I could get back to my family in school.  Although I had managed to arrange things with most of my classes, there was one exam that I could not delay (because it was given electronically).  I was planning to skip it, but if I hiked down to Happy Isles today, I could possibly get home in time to take my exam and preserve a good grade in my class.  And truthfully, I was beyond ready for a shower!
Since Alan also wanted to go home and work on some things, we hiked down the John Muir Trail together. (Either that or he was being quite the gentlemen.)  We packed up our stuff, took one tent with us, left the food and packed out most of our garbage.  Our packs were at least 15 pounds lighter than when we started and much easier to manage than the day we hiked in!  This made for faster and happier hiking.

Half Dome, Mt. Broderick, Liberty Cap & Nevada Fall

As we passed Nevada Fall and began to descend on the John Muir Trail, I looked up and said goodbye to Half Dome, as well as to Mt. Broderick, Liberty Cap and Nevada Fall.  The John Muir Trail offers an impressive view of all four landmarks just before you start descending down the many switchbacks to Vernal Fall.
Probably the worst thing about the John Muir Trail is that you have to share it with mule trains.  Most of the time you can keep ahead of them, but eventually you do get passed.  Then they stop for a while and you pass them and repeate all over again, which means you get to "enjoy" the fresh essence of excrement all the way down the trail.  I'd probably complain less if the mules were carrying my backpack, but they weren't, so here we are.

Footbridge near Vernal Fall

The best thing about the John Muir Trail is that you don't kill your knees on the way down the several hundred steep granite steps of the Mist Trail.  And given that there was so much rain this year, and the Merced running so strongly even now in July, the Mist Trail would be guaranteed to get you soaked.  Taking the John Muir Trail is a little bit longer, but even this has its advantages.

Vernal Fall from the footbridge

We had missed Vernal Fall on the way up because we took the Panorama Trail.  We could hear the Merced River get louder and louder as we descended the switchbacks.  The sound of roaring water was always there telling us we were getting closer to our destination.  When we finally reached the Vernal Fall footbridge, we knew that meant we had only 1 mile left of a nicely paved footpath. 

High Sierra Trail Sign: Half Dome - 8.2 Miles

When we finally reached the High Sierra Loop Trail sign and, shortly thereafter, the bridge at Happy Isles, our trek was over.  Although we could have caught a bus, the backpacker's parking lot wasn't far, so we walked another half mile or so to the parking lot.  It was odd to see my car covered with so much dust.  I unlocked it, opened up the back and we both took off our packs, and put on our comfortable shoes.

Next stop:  Housekeeping, where they have showers.  For a small fee, you can get a nice, hot shower.  I enjoyed every second of it thoroughly.  It felt so good to have clean hair and clothes on again!  Since it was still early, only about 12:30 pm on Sunday, we decided to visit the Ahwahnee and its famed Sunday buffet.  We managed to get in, and  I splurged and had some champagne.  What a glorious end to our trip, to have luncheon in such a beautiful space, listening to some awesome piano playing!

We left Yosemite National Park after lunch and started our three and a half hour drive home, back to my family and to school.  But not before taking one final look at Half Dome, from the lawn behind the Ahwahnee Hotel.  It was mind boggling to think that I had been on top only two days before.  As always, I am very blessed.

Half Dome, from the Ahwahnee Hotel

Twin Bridges: Bearly Not There

Not quite Twin Bridges Hike

I woke up to a beautifully sunny morning so unlike yesterday overcast day.  I thought I would be far more sore today than I am.  I'm not.  So far, my body is holding up pretty well!
Today is camp day, the day we don't go anywhere and just hang around camp.  But I have to leave tomorrow, a day early, so I decided to walk to Twin Bridges on my own.  It's a very short walk along the Merced River, which meanders through Little Yosemite Valley, and in many places is more like a swamp than a river.

Merced River

Again, I saw more wildflowers, including a different variety of Mariposa Lily than I saw on the hike to Liberty Cap.  This one looked more like the Sego Lily.  I also found a really unusual looking waxy flower, completely red, similar to foxglove, but growing out of the decay and detritis of a fallen tree.  I was not sure what it was, but I was fairly certain that, given the lack of any green anywhere on the plant, it did not contain any photosynthesizing chlorofil.  It turned out to be something called Snow Plant, because it often blooms when there is still snow on the ground, ususally until mid-May.  Obviously, I found a late bloomer. The Greek/Latin name, Sarcodes Sanguinea, means "bloody flesh".  Someone obviously thought it looked like a bear's fresh kill against the snow.  

Another variety of Mariposa Lily

Sarcodes Sanguinea, Snow Plant

On the trail to Twin Bridges

It was pretty quiet in the woods with no one to talk to.  The sound of my footfall was the only sound I could hear, except for the two hikers that I met along the way.  I continued to hike until I came to a jumble of granite boulders.  That's when I heard a sound like snoring.  I wondered if bears snore when they sleep?  I decided I really didn't want to find out, especially by myself, and starting walking back the way I came.   Still, it was a nice walk in a part of Yosemite that I have never seen.  I arrived back in camp a short while later, and enjoyed the rest of my day, walking down to the Merced River, where the water ran a bit more swiftly, I dangled my toes and relaxed with me book.

Half Dome

Half Dome Trail

Today we hike Half Dome.  This is it.  This is the day I have been planning for, preparing for, and, yes, waiting for, for three long years.  Only God knew how long it would take me to summit, and that I would persevere until today.  (I suspect Duane knew this too.  Being my husband he knows full well how stubborn I am!)  

We woke up at 5:00 am, and took an hour to dress, wash, eat and get ready.  We were boots on trail by 6:00 am.  It's not that we're insane.  We are, by nature cautious and careful.  Thunder and lightning storms often show up in the summer, particularly in late July and August, sometime around 2-3:00 pm. 

Permit Reminder Sign and No Camping above
7600 ft. sign at the beginning of the Half Dome Trail

This means you need to summit Half Dome with enough time to get yourself down before any possibility of storms.  Since the approach to Half Dome is from the East, and the storms move in from the West, hikers often have little idea that a storm is approaching, at least until they get to the ridgeline and sometimes longer.  Once a hiker is on subdome, the hiker is fully exposed to the weather and there is no shelter from lightning strikes.  So getting to the top of Half Dome early in the day is the rule, not the exception.

The view of Half Dome is obliterated by clouds.

The weather today is overcast, almost like a foggy San Francisco morning.  Would it clear up?  Would Half Dome's granite be dry enough to allow an ascent by the cables?  The only way to find out would be to hike there.
The contents of today's day pack are a little different than an ordinary hike. I have with me full water (three liters) and one liter of electrolyte today, lunch, trail mix, electrolyte gels, as well as rubber gloves and a climbing harness, with two runners and weight-bearing carabiners. (Not the kind of cute, decorative little carabiners that are served attached to an "El Capitini" at the Ahwahnee, but I digress.)  There is a spring where we can pump water a few switchbacks past the junction to Clouds Rest.  There are also some other ephemeral rivulets, but this is July so they can't be counted on.  Alan was carrying our water pump. 
We passed the warning signs at the beginning of the Half Dome trail, and started the series of interminable switchbacks that rise all the way up to the ridgeline.  A few switchbacks into the hike, Tirina decided to return to camp.  She wasn't feeling well, so Alan returned with her, after giving us the water pump.  Today's attempt at Half Dome would belong to Chris and I.

Half Dome - Clouds Rest Junction

We reached the Cloud's Rest junction withe no further event.  Such a different experience than when I hiked this trail in 2009.  I am now more physically fit, and because of the permit system, there aren't hundreds of people passing us up.  In fact, we are so early, that there are very few people on the trail.
When we get a few switchbacks past the spring, I am now in uncharted territory.  The switchbacks begin to level off as we reach the ridgeline, and the hiking becomes much easier.  I was amazed at how close we had come the first time.  Another difference:  there isn't a meat bee in sight!  Yeah!  I am unlikely to be attacked every time I try to take a bite of my sandwich.

Warning Sign at the foot of Subdome

A short while later, we reached the base of Subdome and its hundred - perhaps thousands - of granite steps, blasted with dynamite by federal workers in the 1930s.  The weather is still foggy, but it's not ominous or looking like it will rain.  No thunderheads that we can see or dark bottomed clouds.
Subdome is legendary for being the most physically demanding part of the Half Dome hike.  Most hikers are doing it in full sun, with no cover, and after having already hiked 7 miles with an elevation gain of nearly 4000 feet.  By contrast, we had hiked only 3 miles with an elevation gain of about 1000 feet.  We still had plenty of energy and, benefited by the cloud cover, reached the top of Subdome very quickly. 

Half Dome Cables, July 15, 2011

At the very top of Subdome, the granite steps have worn out and disappeared.  Making your way up the very steep granite, with nothing to hold onto, is very disconcerting.  Chris kept telling me to trust my boots, and as is my usual way, I just carried on.  When we reached the top of Subdome and started down the saddle that separates Subdome from Half Dome, we couldn't even see the cables or the top of Half Dome.  They disappeared into the clouds.  The big question of the day was whether the granite was dry enough to ascend the cables.  It turned out that it was, so Chris and I decided to make a go of it.
I stopped to rest and eat a little trail mix at the base of the cables.  Then I packed my hiking poles, and donned my climbing harness.  Everything on the outside of my pack was attached by carabiners.  I had heard too many stories and seen too many videos of people losing their hats, poles, water bottles and other paraphernalia while ascending the cables.  I not only didn't want to lose any equipment, I didn't want to be the cause of misfortune to anyone coming up behind and below me.  This is a great video from Mr. Half Dome (aka Rick Deutsch) of what it is like to go up the cables:

Rick literally wrote the book on the Half Dome hike and, although I wouldn't ever advise someone to hike outside of the cables, Rick has done this hike over 30 times and he knows both what he is doing and the risks he is taking.  I made my way up the cables carefully, slower than some and faster than others.  I had one carabiner clipped on to the cable, and as I reached a pole, I would clip the other carabiner to the cable above the pole, and then unclip the bottom carabiner.  It was slower to do it this way, but I was not going to take any unnecessary risks with a seven year old son at home.  Several of my fellow Half Dome hikers saw what I was doing and commented what a good idea it was and how they wished they had thought of that.  Even so, I met only one other person with a climbing harness that day.

Half Dome Summit

I found the cable section of the hike more physically demanding than Subdome, perhaps because I don't have as much upper body strength as younger or male hikers.  By the time I got 2/3rds of the way up the cables my arms were shaking, but except for that I didn't find it particularly difficult.  As I went up the cables, I saw water bottles slide down the face and a hat that had blown about 30 feet away from the cables and would have blown off the Dome had it not caught on something.  It might as well have blown Outer Mongolia, because it was nevertheless beyond anyone's reach.

Half Dome Summit, Above the Clouds

Just as we got to the top of the cables, the clouds began to clear, revealing a glorious day with 360 degree panoramic views of Yosemite.  It was lovely!  But was I really here?  I felt I need to pinch myself to make sure.  I borrowed Chris' cell phone and called Duane from the top of Half Dome. He was surprised to hear from me and so early.  I had no idea what time it was.  It turned out to be about 10:45 am.  We had made very good time, giving us plenty of opportunity to explore!

Marmot atop Half Dome

We sat down to rest and eat our lunch before exploring the top, and encountered marmots who, if given the chance, would happily steal your lunch!  We ate ours before they had a chance.

After lunch, we walked around the top of Half Dome for a while.  There is a dip in the middle, and this is where you want to go should you ever get caught in a lightning storm.  In 1985, 5 hikers foolishly hiked to the top of Half Dome in a lightning storm and were hit by lightning while they were hiding in the cave at Eagle's Beak.  Two of them died.  This incident was the subject of the book, Shattered Air by Bob Madgic.  It's well worth reading, not only for an understanding of what can go wrong, but as a chronicle of hubris.

Eagle's Beak,
4800 feet down to the Yosemite Valley

We gave our cameras to a fellow hiker, asking him to take a photo of us, and then walked out to Eagle's Beak for an iconic victory photo!  (You can see the cave in between us.)  Still, I could hardly believe I'd made it to the top!

Christina Sand & Chris Swartout, on Eagle's Beak

Hiking to the Northwest side of Half Dome Summit

I needed to walk around a bit more to convince myself that I was really, truly here!  So we walked over to the Northwest side for a gorgeous view of Yosemite Valley.  It's amazing how small Yosemite Falls looks from Half Dome.  The Ahwhahnee on the valley floor looks about the size of an ant.  In all, we spent about a half an hour at the top, enjoying the tremendous views and panoramic vistas.  It was truly wonderful!

Christina Sand & Chris Swartout,
Base of the Half Dome Cables

We started down the cables again, this time in full sun.  Still it wasn't hot, only warm, and that was fine with us.  The question was whether to go down face first or butt first, i.e., backwards.  I chose to go down backwards for a couple of reasons.  I didn't want to see the drop, and I also wanted the most control possible as I descended.  I wanted to be able to focus on what I was doing without the distraction of looking down and worrying.  I descended very quickly, so quickly I got to the bottom almost without realizing it.

Half Dome Cables

Finally, we could see what we had just climbed, and the view was yet another different slice of Half Dome.  Since it was still early in the day, there were very few people at the cables, even less so now with the permit system in place. We took one long, last look before continuing on down Subdome.

Top of Subdome, looking at Tenaya Canyon

Subdome proved to be harder on the knees on the way down, as I knew it would. The most disconcerting part was descending at the very top of Subdome, where the granite is nearly as steep as the cable section of Half Dome, but there are no cables or steps.  I walked down very carefully, making sure not to put my foot on sand over granite, following Chris and remembering to "trust my boots"!

The Base of Subdome

It was hotter than when we had come up and there was less cloud cover, but we still had plenty of water, electrolyte and trail mix, and our daypacks were now lighter for having consumed some of our supplies.  As we neared the base of Subdome, we began to see more and more trees.  We met park rangers on the way down who asked for our permits.  We hadn't seen them this morning because we got to Subdome ahead of them.

Edge on view of Subdome,
in front of Half Dome

We continued down the ridgeline, stopping to take one last spectacular photo of both Subdome and Half Dome.  We met hikers on their way up and gave them encouragement.  Amazingly, we found a rivulet that was still running, undoubtedly due to the heavy and late rainfall, and stopped to pump some water, rest and readjust our boots and socks.  This portion of the trail is lush and verdant and is probably my favorite portion of the Half Dome trail.

Chris Swartout pumping water at the rivulet

The weather continued to be in our favor.  The cloud cover had provided a respite from the sun for long enough that it never really got very hot.  It turned out to be perfect hiking weather Half Dome!   We were very blessed.  This time lapse video of July 15, 2011 shows the cloud cover.  When you see it break, that's the time that we had made it to the top.

When we got back to camp it was about 2:00 pm.  The day was barely half over!   Tirina was feeling better. I took off my boots, slipped on my camp sandals, crawled into my sleeping bag and took a nap, with a smile on my face.

Liberty Cap

Half Dome, from Little Yosemite Valley

Liberty Cap Hike

I woke up this morning, so sore that I didn't want to move.  The thought of putting even a daypack on my shoulders and hiking anywhere was simply not appealing.  But to the resounding chorus of my body's "No's", Chris very wisely urged me to get up and get moving.  I could stay in camp, he said, but if I did, it would be even worse tomorrow, the day we were scheduled to hike Half Dome.  Chris has done this backpacking trip about 19 times before, so when Chris talks, I listen.  I got out of my sleeping bag and got moving, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and made my breakfast of Cream of Wheat with raisins and nuts, and caffe latte.
Today's hike is unusual in that much of it is off trail.  There is no trail to Liberty Cap, the giant granite dome that sits in between Half Dome and Nevada Fall.  Perhaps for that reason, almost no one hikes there.  But it is worth it, not just as a conditioning hike, but also for the great views of Yosemite Valley and Tenaya Canyon.

Chris Swartout leading the way to Liberty Cap

In spite of my soreness, it felt great to leave behind my huge backpack, and take along my tiny day pack.  All I carried today was my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, one liter of electrolyte, some trail mix, and ~2 liters of water.  It probably weighed about 10 pounds - so much less than yesterday!

We set out back the way we came, towards Nevada Fall, except that half way there, we left the trail and started climbing up to the ridgeline.  From there we followed the ridgeline until we found "canoe rock". 


Canoe Rock

So far the hiking was relatively easy.   The trick is to not go too far or you wind up at Lost Lake, which can have lots of mosquitos.  Given the amount of rain this year, we didn't want to go there!  In fact, there was so much rain, so late in the season, that I have never seen the waterfalls running this fast and strong in the middle of July.  Usually by this time, they are down to a trickle.  Not this year.



Pussy Paws

Many wildflowers in evidence again today.  Indian paintbrush was in bloom, and also this fuzzy little pink flower, that is apparently called Pussy Paws.   This really is the strangest flower I have ever seen.  Very tiny leaves and the whole thing stays close to the granite.  I've never seen it anywhere else before.  My favorite, however, is the Mariposa Lily, truly beautiful!

Indian Paintbrush

I do not see the Mariposa Lily very often when I hike.  A few times in the Santa Cruz mountains and up in Yosemite.  So it is always a pleasure when I stumble across one.  About a third of all varieties are endemic to California, though apparently, early Mormon settlers in Utah ate the bulbs when their crops failed.  Perhaps for this reason, settlers made the local variety of Calochortus, the Sego Lily, the state flower.


Mariposa Lily

From Canoe Rock, the hiking got more difficult.  The abundance of rain this past winter grew a lot of waist high brush, that we had to walk through, much of it being very thorny.  At times, there was so much brush, we couldn't see all of our hiking companions, but they were always within earshot.  I was very glad for my long pants and my hiking gloves!  The hiking poles were less than useful at this point, so I put them away. 


The cleft on the backside of Liberty Cap

We could see the cleft in the back side of Liberty Cap that we would climb up - the trick was getting to it. We perservered. It looked rather steep, but there were ways to approach it that were less steep.

Another interesting find today was a damaged tree trunk that was oozing sap, which had dried in droplets as it fell of the trunk.  Cool!  Future amber?  I suppose it would have to be petrified...



Future Amber?

Once we reached the cleft, the climbing got more difficult.  We were clambering over giant granite boulders.  I was not always sure of myself, so I slowed down and picked my way through the boulders, interspersed with thorny bush, very carefully.  Little by little, we made progress.  The hiking here was more technical, less easy, and I was very glad to have padded hiking gloves on, which also served to soften the blows as my hands landed on immovable granite.  I wondered how I would get down, but decided to delay wondering about that until later.

Hiking up the cleft of Liberty Cap

At last, we reached the summit of Liberty Cap, and an expanse of granite warmed by the sun.  We sat down, and beheld the incredibly scenic vistas.  After a while, we unpacked and ate our lunch.  It was a beautiful day, about 76° F, mild and warm and, thus far, not too windy.

We could hear, but not quite see, the Merced River roaring over Nevada Fall.  Chris hiked down to an overlook, but it was so steep I chickened out.  All of us found comfortable places to rest and several of us took naps.  It was a really blissful time, with no one to disturb.


Mount Clark, from the summit of Liberty Cap

From the summit, we could see Mount Clark, named for Galen Clark, the man who came to Yosemite to die and wound up living until he was 96 years old.  We also had spectacularly clear views of Clouds Rest, which can be reached from a junction off the Half Dome Trail.  Clouds Rest is a much more difficult and strenuous hike than Half Dome, reaching a total elevation of 9,930 feet above sea level, much of the trail above the tree line and completely exposed to the sun and other elements.

Clouds Rest, from the summit of Liberty Cap


We would not do that hike on this trip.  Neither I nor Chris were conditioned enough to do it.  Another mutual friend did this hike with Chris in a previous year and wrote in his journal that "Today Chris tried to kill me."  Half Dome is enough for me, at least for the moment.  There are also other, easier trails to Clouds Rest.

After we were all well rested, we began the trek down the way we came.  Climbing over the boulders proved to be a bit more difficult on the way down, and I managed to put a few small holes in my brand new pants on a slab of granite over which I was sliding.

Funny that, even though I started out the day so sore, half way through the hike I was fine.  The soreness from yesterday's hike had vanished!




Half Dome from the summit of Liberty Cap

It never ceases to amaze me how many different views of Half Dome can be seen while hiking.  Trom the summit of Liberty Cap, we had another completely different view of Half Dome, tomorrow's hike, and the centerpiece of our backpacking trip. 




Backpacking on the Panorama Trail

Waiting at the North Pines bus stop

We awoke at 6:00 am, got a quick breakfast of cold cereal, broke camp, and readied our packs.  Because my backpack was so heavy, I only carried one third the usual amount of water for this hike, although I also had one litre of liquid electrolyte.  We planned to have lunch at Illilouette Fall, after which I would replenish water, if needed. 

Day 1: Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley

After breaking camp, we had to skedaddle to the shuttle bus by 7:00 am.  If we missed this bus, we would miss our connection to the Glacier Point bus.  Most of us were ready, but Chris wasn't quite ready, so some of us ran ahead just in case the bus came hoping that we could ask the driver to wait.  Fortunately, the bus was 15 minutes late so it turned out that we didn't have to worry at all!

Half Dome, from Glacier Point

We got to Yosemite Lodge in plenty of time to catch the Glacier Point bus, leaving us plenty of time to grab a sandwich for lunch or whatever last minute items we might want.  As for myself, there really wasn't anything I wanted to shop for.  Whatever I'd buy, I'd have to lug the whole way and, at this point, I was already 5 pounds overweight.  I would do my souvenir shopping after the hike was over!

Alan, Tirina and Chris Swartout and Christina Sand

Christina Sand and Half Dome from Glacier Point

The bus up to Glacier Point turned out to be a tour bus.  So our driver gave us the geology and history of Yosemite, including the native Americans who first lived there, and the Europeans who discovered it and how it came to become a national park.  This proved to be quite interesting, especially the story of Galen Clark, who discovered Mariposa Grove and who moved to Yosemite thinking he had six months to live after a diagnosis of tuberculosis, and lived there until the age of 96!  (Doctors do NOT know everything.)  The native Americans who lived in Yosemite Valley, a fierce tribe led by Chief Tenaya (for whom Tenaya Canyon and Tenaya Lodge are named), called themselves the Ahwahneechee (hence the Ahwahnee Hotel), but the Miwok called them "Yosemite," meaning "They are killers".

I also managed to catch a small cat nap on the bus during our two hour drive, when the bus driver wasn't telling a story.  We got to Glacier Point around 11:00 am.  Everyone took one final (flush) potty break, grabbed an ice cream, and hit the trail!

Panorama Trailhead
5.2 miles to Nevada Fall

The Panorama Trail begins at Glacier Point, and first descends into Illilouette Canyon via a series of long switchbacks.  There are many beautiful wildflowers to see along the way.  One of the more unusual flowers is White Ceanothus.  Blue Ceanothus is often seen on highway meridians, but where we live, I do not often see the white variety. 









Also in evidence was a beautiful purple flower that must be in the pea family, from the shape of its leaves and flower.

Several switch backs later, and we arrived at the  junction with one of the Merced Lake trails.  I was very glad to have my hiking poles, especially since my pack was so heavy that my knees almost buckled once or twice.  By this time, Half Dome was morphing into something less than its iconic shape, with the sheer face no longer visible.  We would see Half Dome from nearly every vantage point during our trip, with the exception of Nevada Fall, where it is blocked by Liberty Cap.  It still amazes me how one mountain can have so many different shapes.

0.9 miles to go to Illilouette Fall... and lunch

We were very fortunate with the weather.  Even though we went in mid-July this year, the weather was still mild and the temperature only 76 degrees.  Very nice weather for hiking!  No one wants to be hiking in 80-90 degree weather, especially witha 50 pound backpack!

Rhododendrons

We reached the bottom of Illilouette Canyon with Illilouette Creek roaring past us and under the bridge.  We stopped to eat our lunch, have a potty break, pump some water and rest for a little bit before making the 500 foot climb out of the canyon and up to the scenic Panorama Cliffs.  Always a good idea to readjust socks and shoes to ensure comfort and decrease the chances of a blister.  I've been very blessed.  Once I got the right hiking shoes, I've never had a blister.  At the river, as well as alongside the trail, we saw beautiful white Rhododendrons.

Yosemite Falls
from Panorama Point Overlook

After a little while, we put our packs back on, crossed the bridge and started the most difficult part of today's hike: the 500 foot climb out of Illilouette Canyon.   Illilouette Fall is not visible from the bridge; in fact, it's barely visible at all until you've crossed the bridge and gone much further along the trail.  Even though I have done this part of our hike twice before, the switchbacks up the hill still seem interminable.  Every time I think I'm almost there, I have a few more switchbacks to go.  Even so, I like hiking uphill more than I like hiking downhill.  It's easier on my knees.  And even though I'm not the fastest hiker, I can go on and one with little difficulty. 



Half Dome behind Liberty Cap,
from the Panorama Trail

Once at the top, the next part of the hike is quite nice, with incredibly scenic views.  There is an unmarked trail that leads to an overlook at Panorama Point.  It's a short detour and well worth the breathtaking views of Yosemite Falls.  Lots of wow factor on this trail!  A short while later, Liberty Cap begins to come into view and eventually will eclipse Half Dome, until we get to Little Yosemite Valley, our destination.


1.1 miles to Nevada Fall on the Panorama Trail

A few more miles and we reach the second junction to Merced Lake, which is much further up in the high country.  But at this point, we know today's hike is nearly over.  1.1 miles from Nevada Fall and that means we are 2.1 miles from our destination.  Woo hoo!  The next portion of the hike is a steep descent on short switchbacks down to Nevada Fall.  I am ready to put my feet in the cold water!  On the other hand, I am probably more inclined to carry on and get to our destination before we lose daylight and in order to get this heavy pack off my shoulders!


Chris and Tirina Swartout, and Christina Sand,
Nevada Fall

It's a gorgeous day and there are many day hikers who have hiked up to Nevada Fall from Happy Isles.  Lots of families with children and young adults.  Not as many of us with full packs on.  After a brief rest, and a photo opportunity, we continued on.

Such a different moment than when I unsuccessfully hiked Half Dome in September 2009.  On that day Duane and I were attempting a one day Half Dome day hike from Glacier Point.  We left late and by the time we got to Nevada Fall, there were literally hundreds of people there.  We went from the serene Panorama Trail to the insanely crowded trail between Nevada Fall and Little Yosemite Valley.  It was a real psychological downer.  As if that wasn't bad enough, I hadn't realized that the trail from Nevada Falls ascends around the base of Liberty Cap up hundreds of granite steps.  This time, I was more prepared for what lay ahead and, because of the new permit system and the time of day, it was much less crowded.  This was a blessing!  As I passed the base of Liberty Cap, I thought about how this was tomorrow's day hike.

Deer, Little Yosemite Valley

After reaching the top of the stairs, we hiked the last approximately half mile to Little Yosemite Valley, our campsite for the next several days.  Thankfully, the campsite has a pit toilet (solar composting for those of you who are "green"), but other than bear boxes to store food, there are no other facilities. At least we would not have to dig a hole with the orange shovel!

When we finally got to the camp and picked a site, we had a deer waiting for us amidst the fallen trees.  We set up camp, I put on my camp shoes, and we all relaxed, happy in the knowledge that we had successfully hiked our most difficult day!  (No, Half Dome is not difficult when hiked from Little Yosemite Valley with a 10 pound day pack.)  We had no trouble at all getting to sleep!  I had brought along J. Craig Venter's very engaging A Life Decoded, his autobiography, and listend to that for a while before going to sleep.  I had packed my Sansa Mini Clip MP3 player which was loaded with a few good audiobooks.  Paper is so much heavier than digital!