Day 20 - You-So-Mighty! (YNP 3 of 3)

Lauren and I got up early as planed on July 2nd, ate a quick breakfast, packed a lunch, and headed back into the valley. We whizzed past the pull out point where tourists catching their first glimpse of Half Dome recklessly yanked the wheel to the side of the road, and arrived at the the Vernal Falls Trail Head in no time!

This time we skipped the massive visitors center parking lot and opted instead for a spot at Lower Yosemite Falls. We'd still have to take a shuttle from there to and from the Happy Isles stop (#16) but that smaller lot was located on the west-bound side of the divided highway and would make for a stress-free exit after our exhausting hike.

We hit the trail head promptly at 10:30. We had lunch, four liters of water on our backs, a smile on our faces and were feeling great. We knew the days hike would be hard but mileage varied depending on where you got your information. The most consistent information indicated we were in for a 5-6 hour round-trip hike.

The base of the trail was very crowded (I imagined this was what starting a marathon must feel like). We set a fast pace up the (sigh) paved trail with the hopes of putting some distance between us and the load of other tourists starting the hike at the same time but the crowd did not thin as we advanced.

A couple of rest breaks later and we had reached our first mile stone, the base of Vernal Falls. The views of Vernal Falls are breathtaking from the footbridge that crosses the Merced River. Because of it's striking beauty (and relative accessibility) the Vernal Falls foot bridge is a magnet for people that want a small amount of exercise and a great view. Lauren and I paused shortly, and then went back to the trail. The next portion of the hike was the primary reason we were interested in the hike in the first place... the Mist Trail!

The Mist Trail is the section of the hike that leads up the right side of the Vernal Falls. It's comprised of more than 600-granite block steps and, as it's name suggests, is very misty! Even with lower water levels the falls were still very impressive, and the mist was very refreshing! Loads of other people are also drawn to Vernal Falls by the mystique of the Mist Trail which meant sometimes waiting at narrow parts of the trail while other hikers cleared the path but the natural beauty of the falls with the bright green foliage and the perpetually moving rainbows couldn't be beat!

By the time we reached the top of the falls we were tired but not exhausted. There was a large flat area that invited climbers to relax, sun a bit, and enjoy a snack by the side of the tranquil river. The river was actually quite inviting and if you hadn't just seen water crashing 300+ feet down onto jagged rocks, you'd be quite keen to take a swim. Lauren and I were a little agitated to watch parents supervise their children feeding the increasingly aggressive squirrels and wade into the "tranquil-looking" waters, but again, the view couldn't be beat.

After lounging, snacking, and hydrating a bit, we continued along side the water up the trail. For the first time the crowded trail thinned substantially. The trail followed the right side of the Merced river with light rapids cutting through the dense forest along the natural but well-marked trail.

With much effort we eventually made it to the top of the waterfall that was hidden behind Vernal Falls. The views from there were close to spectacular. Vernal was completely obscured and the elevation change was becoming more and more clear. From the top of that waterfall, we had the view of the most impressive falls yet, Nevada Falls. "There is no way we're hiking to the top of THAT!" Lauren said as we admired it from below.

Nevada Falls from the base

The trail steepened and the views got better as we got closer to the falls. By this time being tired was an understatement and with each step we could feel lactic acid burning in our legs. The foot traffic had thinned substantially and we had the trail mostly to ourselves.

After a grueling final push we finally leveled off at the top of Nevada falls and the views did not disappoint! For the first time all hike we realized truly how much altitude we had gained (about 2,000 feet!) We lingered a while, snacked a little, and posed for some pictures ("not so close to the edge, Dan...") before turning around and heading back down. The hike down was slightly less challenging than the hike up.

From the top of Nevada Falls

Eventually we made it back to the shuttle stop, and shortly thereafter back to the car. We stopped at our "river spot" on the way back to Crane Flats for another Louisiana shower. We made spaghetti with garlic sauce for dinner and called it an early night!