The park was crowded and parking was tough so I drove a bit out from the center and found a uniquely empty parking strip. It was alongside a lovely meadow, with towering granite walls about, on a fresh morning, and I got out to start to get a feel of the place. Of course I was taking pictures. One little crease in the granite wall was particularly alluring and I worked to compose it to my taste when suddenly, through the viewfinder, I realized the composition was familiar. It took a moment to recognize why. It was the iconic view of Yosemite Falls, but there was no falls! I was astounded. I'd known the Yosemite waterfalls in autumn would be nothing like their spring majesty, but I did not know that Yosemite Falls, one of the great ones, dried up completely. Personally I thought this compromised it's much vaunted status as the US' tallest waterfall.
I stuck to shopping and eating lunch and gawking at the main attractions. Quite a lovely place. I found El Capitan to be mind-blowing, really. Hey Seuss!
October 6 now and I hadn’t hiked since October 1. I set off about sunrise on the trail out of Tenaya Lake toward Cloud's Rest (14RT/2600'), probably the most spectacular all-encompassing view of the whole park. After a great early morning view of Mount Hoffman, the trail climbs gradually through a mostly thin forest, improving once I got out of the trees into the sun and granite and blue sky. Some snow and ice lingered on the trail from the weekend storm, adding luster to the landscape. Fortunately the day before had been a warm and sunny Sunday and enough people had hiked the trail to establish a set of footprints, as without them I'd have been unable to follow the trail.
Frankly, 7 miles is a long way to hike for a view and I found much of the hike comparatively humdrum, comparatively being the key word. The few people I met along the trail were mesmerized. The view was great, encompassing pretty much all of Yosemite National Park, plus the high peaks to the east and north, Tenaya Canyon, a straight shot to Half Dome and the rest of the famous valley, which from here looks like a postage stamp. This was also the most expansive exposure of granite I could even imagine.
The next morning I drove east on Tioga Road toward Tioga Pass and was stopped short by the early morning light on a frosty Tuolumne Meadows and I ended up spending four hours sauntering around. A sign said we could "scamper" up Pothole Dome, and while I am still capable of scampering I do parcel it out carefully and decided Pothole Dome wasn't the place for it. So I sauntered up that too.
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| Forest on the move |
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