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.