Status update: the Half Dome cables were still down for the season. I suspect this will change any day now... While we were heading in the direction of Half Dome, our destination was opposite the cables.
The Merced was higher than the past few weekends, and the Mist Trail was even misty.
On the other hand, while JKW and I did find the third person for our hiking party, it was hard to find water in Lost Lake. Fortunately we had loaded up at the Merced--knowing that we'd be lucky to find anything past the river.
The well-marked route to the Diving Board area was mostly easy to follow, with a few places that required searching for a non-vertical route.
The route had a respectable amount of slippery sand and brush, but we slowly made progress to the top.
We eventually reached a broad, open, pock-marked granite dome, which we briefly checked out for possible campsites.
From there we climbed up a steep, sandy slope to the Board itself--a slab of granite with a knife edge overhanging the valley below.
Once on top we rested and took pictures as we waited for the sun to illuminate the face of Half Dome.
A few brave souls peered over the brink of the board.
One intrepid hiker practiced his crack-cranking layback style.
Unfortunately the moon was not in the correct place to recreate that famous photo from the board...
...but the result was impressive nonetheless.
Unfortunately the Board area was a bit cramped for three, so we headed down to camp on a much nicer granite bench.
From our perch, we had views of Nevada Fall and, of course, Half Dome.
The next day our companion headed down early to go help another group ascend the still-down cables; after a relaxing breakfast we scrambled back down the route to Little Yosemite Valley.
From there, we revisited the burnt-out area we had passed through just a few weeks earlier.
The weather was definitely warmer, and there were many more day-hikers and backpackers on the trail along the Merced River. If not for the calendar claiming otherwise, it very well could have been late May or June.
We eventually left the burnt-out area above Bunnell Cascade, and after crossing the twin bridges, we stopped for a bit of foot-soaking and resting along the river.
After that, we continued up canyon past cascades and pools, wandering around the dome on which we'd eventually rest for the night.
The trail crossed wonderful open granite as it traversed high above the river.
After filling up a bit of water at Echo Creek, we continued up to the High Trail junction, then headed west back towards "Echo Dome". Once on top, we met up with our hiking companion and started the arduous task of locating a suitable campsite among a sea of flat, polished granite.
We eventually located a flat spot that was mostly sheltered from the wind and settled in for the evening.
A few wispy clouds--and some more threatening cumulus clouds--had gathered during the afternoon and evening.
The night had been mild, and there were only a few clouds the next morning--the forecast for possible showers had fortunately proven to be optimistic.
After breakfast and packing, we explored the dome a bit more.
After checking out various viewpoints and trees, we met up with the trail.
Shortly thereafter, we re-entered the burnt-out area.
We had hiked most of this stretch of the High Trail before, and we didn't encounter anyone until we merged into the Half Dome traffic.
As with the previous trip, we checked out some abandoned trail goodness and found a few more segments of an old route, presumably to Half Dome.
Clouds were building over the high peaks as we descended to Happy Isles.
Based on the number of hikers, the warmth, and the traffic jam getting out of the valley, it could very well have been summer.
One consolation: frozen juice bars at the trailhead.
This will probably conclude this group's trips from the valley for quite awhile--the high country will be open soon, and it seems there may yet still be some snow up there.
More Pictures
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2015 08:33PM by basilbop.
