The first thing you notice about entering Yosemite National Park for the very first time is its beauty. I’m not just talking about the beauty you find in everyday things like chewing on a Charbonnel and Walker dark chocolate caramel (I finished one about 10 minutes ago and am still plucking toffee from my teeth)or, when as a young child, finding out that your school is closed because of snow and you have the afternoon to build snowmen or throw balls of ice at girls. No, I’m talking about a beauty so intense it literally takes your breath away.
In fact as I write this I find myself thinking of the line from the Nick Cage movie, “Con Air,” in which Agent Duncan Malloy (played by Colm Meaney) is purring over his new convertible to Vince Larkin (John Cusack) who has just suggested it is beautiful.
Malloy replies sardonically, “Beautiful? Sunsets are beautiful. Newborn babies are beautiful. This…this is fucking spectacular.”
That’s pretty much how I would describe Yosemite Park the first time you lay eyes on it. It’s immense. It’s stunning. It’s wondrous. It’s beautiful on a grand scale. I could actually go on and on about this until the cows came home but I fear your interest in this post would wan so I’ll shut up and guide you through the first trek that Karen and I attempted.
On thumbing through the excellently written and detailed Lonely Planet guide we’d decided to have a bash at two waterfalls; Vernal and Nevada. Our decision was based on the fact that our adrenalin was pumping at the excitement of being in the park and that the sun was already beating ferociously hard and the Mist Trail sounded refreshingly attractive. With hindsight we’d have perhaps gone for a more sedate opening trek but, that said, it set the standard and we didn’t look back.
We’d read quite a lot about this particular hike online before we ventured to California but simply reading about the “mind blowing” scenery and experiencing it with your own eyes are two entirely separate experiences. As a kid, I’d been blown away by the magnificence of the Lake District in North West England, always remembering how the fells made my stomach flutter with excitement as you bent round a road leaving the mountains to swim into view beside a still lake. Hiking along the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park, however, makes you re-evaluate your perspective a little. Whilst the lakes are stunningly attractive, Yosemite seems to offer wondrous vistas at almost every turn. The Mist Trail is simply littered with jaw-dropping moments and it was just as well both Karen and I took along our cameras for the amount of photographic opportunities it affords.
You begin the trail by wandering along the river past a collection of rather sturdy looking tents and eventually start climbing a well laid trail. It’s deceptively steep at the start and keeping an eye on the river to your right provides ample evidence that the gradient is severe. There is a pretty wall accompanying you along this stretch of the trail and is used often by numerous hikers as a bench to regain their breaths either from the climb or the views. On a trail dotted with incredible sights the first one could pass you by without you noticing. As the trail begins to steepen you will need to stop and look back in order to catch a lovely glimpse of Illilouette Fall.
The falls themselves fall some 370 feet over a cliff in the distance and a zoom lens is a distinct advantage if you wish to photograph them for prosperity. Also, toward the beginning of the climb, you will find a clutch of people tripping over themselves and their digital equipment staring out to the West to view Yosemite Falls. I’ve written more about these sumptuous falls in an earlier post so I won’t go into their majesty too much here, suffice to say that they’re astoundingly beautiful from whatever distance you manage to appraise them.
Following some additional trekking you will eventually see Vernal Fall further upstream and this should encourage you to quicken your pace.
We followed the trail happily until finding a footbridge across the river which led to the first pretty demanding section of the hike. There are a series of granite steps that, on their own, would provide a reasonable workout for most, but accompanied by the thick mist of water that spirals off the falls we found the going to be trickier than we thought and although exhilarating it was quite a relief to finally reach the summit of these falls. The guide books that we had read had talked of, “getting drenched,” and it became pertinently clear that we’d attempted our first hike painfully underprepared. We climbed the slippery steps steadily. There was a conundrum to solve here though; did we try and keep our heads bowed to stop water drowning our faces or did we raise our heads and, through squinted eyes, endeavour to take in the views? Through sheer bloody determination we did a bit of both! Still, the sun was shining hard and we dried ourselves whilst taking pictures of the view from the top of the falls. It was our first waterfall in Yosemite and we felt proud and energised by the feeling of accomplishment. The views along the steep steps and at the top really do give you a lift and continuing the trail was an easy decision to make.
Above the falls a few steps on from the summit, lies a body of water known as the Emerald Pool. There are signs plastered around and about warning you of the dangers of gently slipping into the pool for an afternoon swim. Whilst I understand the need for such signs to be erected it seems strange to me, for all the serenity the pool exudes, that people might want to throw themselves into it knowing that the water is flowing towards a 300 foot waterfall! There are safer places to kick off your clothes, I think.
We marched onwards after eating a sandwich or two and the trail extended another couple of miles along a pretty arduous section of switchbacks towards the top of the second waterfall, Nevada Falls. The heat at this point, despite it being only springtime, was quite incessant and there was little chance to rest in shade as we climbed. For our first hike in Yosemite it was quite a gruelling experience but, having endured the trek, we became more confident in our own abilities to withstand the obstacles the hikes presented.
Nevada Falls themselves are truly impressive. Once you have reached the summit there are flat granite slabs to sit down next to the roaring water as it funnels into a thin channel and gushes some 600 feet over a cliff. We had decided that we were going to hike up along the two falls and then head back via a different route (the John Muir trail) and so we crossed a sturdy wooden footbridge, pausing to marvel at the speed of the water beneath our feet. It was really awe inspiring to know that we’d climbed some 2000 feet since we first laced up our hiking boots. Over the course of the mist trail we’d showered in sweat and river water and it felt breathtaking to now stand above Nevada and gaze down at the valley stretching into the distance.
After some much needed sustenance we ventured towards the left and the relative comfort of the John Muir trail. This particular hike, taking us back to where we began, was to be a much more languid affair and we were looking forward to weaving our down into the valley at an easy pace. Although much of the scenery had been glimpsed already on the way up to the top of the falls, soon after starting our descent there were fine views to be had back to our right of Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap. Quite how these majestic falls look in the summertime is beyond my feeble imagination but I can’t help but feel that they become slightly impotent without the surge of melting snow-water pouring over them. We stood there for some time taking pictures and generally feeling great to be alive.
The route back towards the trailhead was slow and easy, gently zigzagging through tall trees and, at the time we visited, smattered with small deposits of snow that had not yet melted in the burning sun. It was actually quite a tranquil conclusion to the hike, meandering along the mountain side, at one point getting drenched again from water pouring along the rock face onto the trail.
All in all, for our first hike in Yosemite, we felt great. There were slight aches and a couple of blisters but the enthusiasm for more adventure bubbled away inside and Yosemite wasn’t to disappoint with the experiences she provided over the next couple of weeks.