Yosemite Valley North Rim

In June, 2019, we hiked the north rim of Yosemite Valley and it was spectacular.  These photos just don't do it justice.

We began at the Wawona  Wilderness Permit Station.  While waiting in line we met some young men from middle America who were doing a big roadtrip of these mostly United States before entering the military as officers.  It was fun sharing what we knew of this area with young, earnest men.   Funnily enough, we were all of one accord to just take whatever permits were available.  That is one way to hike Yosemite.  Just be open to backpack whatever trailhead is open.  The trails mostly interconnect, so if you are flexible, you can enter almost anywhere and get to where you want to go. 

Mark and I and the young men decided to hike the North Rim of Yosemite Valley.  We got the permit to enter on the Yosemite Falls Trails and exit Mirror Lake.  The young officers got theirs for the same trail, but in the opposite direction.

This is Yosemite Falls.   We would be hiking up 3000 feet and a little shy of 3 miles to the top in the heat of the day.  It seemed like a crazy idea, and it got us giddy with excitement.

The day hikers were thick as we plodded up the trail, but they thinned out the higher we went.
  

Once we turned west towards El Capitan the crowds were non existent.  We only saw one person all the way to El Capitan.  It was a pleasant, mildly rolling up and down hike.

Snow Flower


A bubbling, jumping little creek.


The rule is to camp one half mile from the rim of the Valley, except on El Capitan.   On El Capitan you can camp closer.  It was spectacular.  Our first day ended with an amazing sunset and six and a half miles hiked.

We also met one climber just finishing his climb on the famous monolith.



And we got to watch a rescue of another climber.   We did not get to know what happened to the climber.  

The rescue was impressive and very well done. 

 The next morning we retraced our steps east along the rim, taking a small side trip to Eagle Peak.  It was well worth the visit.  This hike is all about the big panoramic views.

Then onward east and back to the top of Yosemite Falls and the hoards of tourists.  This time we spent a little time taking in the view and watching the falls leap off the rim.

Everywhere you looked was awesome.  Half Dome figures into  most of the amazing views.  

Continuing eastward along the rim the crowds disappeared again and we only had songbirds and the snapping of dry twigs.  North Dome was in our sights next.  We remember reading about it in Muir's, "My First Summer in the Sierra".  He says he would sit up there basking in all the glory and then when seeing someone coming into the valley below he would hurry down Snow Creek to meet them.  

The sky was filling in with thunderclouds when we arrived, but we took a chance and rushed out onto the dome.  Wildflowers bloomed in the cracks and once again the views were stupendous. 

 In this photo Mark is looking eastward.  Notice his hat.  The wind was ferocious.  While in the valley below there was masses of tourists, here we were all alone.

 And then we weren't.  Our wilderness center check in buddies showed up.  We had a great time talking about our hike thus far and life in general.  Before departing we all prayed together.  It was a sweet kinship.

 Our goal was to make it to the Snow Creek trail junction for camping.  But first a quick stop at Indian Rock.  Well, Mark made the stop.  My knee had begun hurting and I waited alongside the trail for him.  Indian Rock is a cool arch.   

At the trail junction with Snow Creek, we were surrounded by deer and those clouds let loose and we got caught in  quick downpour.  We put on our ponchos and threw up our tent.  We hiked about 10.5 miles today.

All night about a dozen deer roamed around our tent.  It seemed as if they were looking for salt as they ate the dirt everywhere we urinated.  We tucked all our gear under our vestibule as in the past we have had critters eat the straps off of our hiking poles.  

There was also apparently a bear roaming around. We had been warned to keep our bear canister very close to our tent as one female had learned to take the canister and throw it off a cliff.  When the can broke she would lumber down and eat.  It saddens us when wild animals aren't so wild anymore.  This female will probably eventually be euthanized.

 

It was slow going for me today as my knee was very sore on the descent back into the valley along the lovely and spirited Snow Creek.  We saw a handful of people as we neared the bottom.  It was pretty incredible that we had a hike of mostly solitude in one of the most visited parks in the United States.

We exited at Mirror Lake after hiking about 6. 5 miles.