May Adventures

It is hard to believe I've been back in Yosemite a month now.  It's gone so fast.  My apartment was quite dirty when I moved in and I spent my first few weekends unpacking, settling in, and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  I finally got out to adventure when a friend from Las Vegas came last weekend.  

We started our adventure in the Valley.  The waterfalls are going crazy.  Every time I drive by the Merced River or see a fall I can't help being amazed at how much water there is compared to my last two summers out here.  Even delicate Bridalveil got us slightly damp with its mist.

 We stopped at the Visitor Center in the valley in time to see the mounted patrol pass their final inspection.  That was pretty cool.  Notice Yosemite Falls in the background.

 Gil consulting John Muir on his Junior Ranger.

 We took advantage of the valley shuttle and were dropped off at the Mirror Lake trail head.  We hiked to the lake for lunch.  Such a difference this year compared to my first when it was more a stagnant pond than a lake.

 Then we drove up to Glacier Point.  It was a perfect day and the views from there are always stunning.  There were still patches of snow at that elevation too.

 Glacier Point with Half Dome in the background.  We hiked up to the top of Sentinel Dome and enjoyed more views of the beautiful Yosemite Valley.

Our second day of adventuring took us to the northwest part of the park to Hetch Hetchy.  I haven't been out there since my first season.  It is a pretty part of the park.  I was surprised by how many people were out there hiking too.

 The wildflowers were still out in full force (and the poison oak) at this elevation and the colors were absolutely beautiful.  

With all the water, the waterfalls were falling full force.  There were two that we passed.  The second had a number of foot bridges.  I saw the mist and simply presumed we'd get misted on, a little damp, and that was that.  NOPE!  It was like standing on the bridge at the Tidalwave at AstroWorld!  It wasn't just a little misting, it was waves of water crashing over the bridge!

This is my nervous face.

Photos after safely navigating the wettest part of the pass.  I was thankful I had my raincoat in my pack.  I also learned my new hiking boots are completely waterproof.  

 We didn't quite make it to our goal, but we found a nice place for lunch.  It was a lovely day and a wonderful weekend.