Yosemite Sam

Early Saturday morning I was driving toward the sun as it flared up over the Sierras.  I had some plans to catch the sunset later in the afternoon.  Days when you get to see both are pretty special.

I had elected to take an impromptu trip to Yosemite, and I wanted to hike up to Glacier Point, get a good angle on Half Dome, and see what happened in the fading winter light.  The high peaks were all wearing some winter fuzz on their eastern slopes, and that figured to make things even more interesting.  Alas - the Glacier Point trail was closed following a heavy mix of rain and snow the previous weekend.  I discussed some other options with a ranger and settled on a trail that went around behind Half Dome¹, by Mirror Lake, through Tenaya Canyon, and up the side of Mt. Watkins².

Several miles into things I was cursing the ranger, because this was turning into a strong contender for the steepest climb I've ever encountered.  Near the top, the wind started to blow, and another storm began to gather over the valley.  There would be no sunset after all; only a hasty retreat back down the mountain.

In the park's offseason, some of the popular campgrounds abandon reservations and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.  Upper Pines is my campground of choice in the summer, and I was lucky to snag an open spot there when I arrived Saturday morning³.  In the sweet air beneath these pine trees, you are conscious of the breaths you take, and the way they fill your nostrils.

Things stayed dry during the early evening hours, but while I slept a heavy rain fell, saturating the trees and meadows in the valley.  The morning was cold, and as dawn spread conditions were ripe for clouds of mist to form and writhe between the trees - a scene that lasted maybe thirty minutes.  It also made the whole trip worth it.  

¹Snow on the backside of Half Dome made for a nice little quadruple black or so ski run, the conclusion of which was marked by certain death a pretty sweet jump back into the canyon.  I'm more of a single green kinda guy, though, so I didn't concern myself with the opportunity.

²After looking into this a little more now, I see that this route could have taken me all the way back to my September hike to Cathedral Lakes.  I only got up around elevation 6,500 this weekend, though...there would have been a lot more climbing to do to get up over the ridge and into Tuolumne Meadows.

³You can call ahead to check availability: (209) 372-0266