Fishing was postponed til six.
We slept in.
At six it started pouring down fat Sierra rain drops.
No fishing this August morning for us.
We had a hike planned in Yosemite Valley and had to make a simple bacony breakfast and hit the road. It was a gorgeous drive up the Aspen and Bristle Cone dotted Tioga Pass. We could see the smoke from the Rim Fire near the other side of the massive park in the distance. We commented on how the park would be less busy as every one from the Bay Area could not get up here as that entrance to the park was closed.
It was a two hour drive from our camp site at Silver Lake to the valley floor.
We were counting our blessings that dark clouds still covered the sky.
Even with the cloud cover it was still eighty degrees on the valley floor.
I hate hiking in heat. I did have a lightweight, waterproof backpack (which you can find online at stores like Arkadia Supply) that helped me deal with the heat slightly better!
If I am going to be required to hike in heat there better be a lake or a creek I can jump into at the end of that hike.
I had not been to Yosemite in two years and was shocked how low the lakes and rivers were. A lot of the famous water falls were not even turned on. It was a gorgeous drive to the valley floor but so sad to see what the drought was doing to the park.
We had our hearts set on doing the very steep Yosemite Falls hike. This hike would be 1,600 feet of altitude gain in 3.7 miles.
When we parked the car in Yosemite village it was over eighty degrees and kind of over cast. It had rained all day the previous day and the thunder heads were sticking around threatening.
The only way I survived this hike was because of the cloudy skies most of the time. I began the hike with a slight head ache and it never really let up the whole hike.
We started up the extremely steep trail and I felt like I was in a sauna as my entire body was drenched in sweat. The trail was so steep and rugged, it shocked me that so many people were doing this trail! It also kind of made me feel like crap that they seemed to be sweating less than me and having a easier time. Two months ago when I did Mt Whitney I was in such better shape than I am now.
This hike had about sixty switchbacks before you reach the top of the falls. A mile up when we stopped for our lunch break, I knew I would not make it to the top that day. Having to take a break at a mile is just insane for me. I never take breaks ever. We had our lunch break at this massive over look and I ate my spicy lentil wrap, even though I was not hungry at all, just sweaty and miserable and I still had a head ache. I was kicking myself for not taking any aspirin before we left the car.
I did not want to be that person who is the first to give up on the hike so I sucked up my head ache and kept going up the trail after our lunch break. The sun was coming out for longer periods of time now and not hiding behind the clouds as much and it was a humid and miserable hike.
I swear I have never sweated as much ever as I did on this hike and it includes the day before when I spent something like half an hour in the sauna at the spa!
 |
| Berries |
At one point John and I thought we lost Mimi on the trail and we stopped to wait for her. All of a sudden she came running down the trail, a great big smile on her face and three fresh black berries in her tiny elf hands.
She had found fresh berries growing on the trail side!
They were delicious and invigorated me just a bit as we kept going up and up and up.
We were finally to the place where we should have been able to see Yosemite Falls, but guess what?
Yosemite Falls was turned of and there would be no misty waterfall spray to cool us down!
Such a bummer but even with out a massive waterfall tourist attraction to hike to it was still a gorgeous hike in Yosemite valley.
