Re: Trip Report: 3 big hikes

Sept 14/Curry Village

(Prior to starting this hike, I went to the Village Store to fuel up. The Twinkie display was empty, except for a single pink feather)

On a gorgeous 90 degree day, this hike stretched for around 23 miles. Some thoughts:

4 Mile Trail - Steep, scenic and (in the morning) shaded. Views include a full length shot
of a bone-dry Yosemite Falls. Couldn't help but wonder about who and how many men it
took to build this trail. Union Pt. was well worth the very short trek off-trail, but I missed
Moran Pt. All told, this is a very underrated trail.

Glacier Pt. - When they build a road to a place that dead ends at that place, there must've
been a very good reason for doing so. One look around gives you that reason. Enjoyed the
Overhanging Rock, and the old photos of early visitors doing their thing on it. Stunning place.

Sentinel Dome - View might even be better than Glacier Pt. Must return; forgot to take a
photo of the dead tree.

Taft Pt. - A sphincter clencher. Watch out for the fissures; a good place to get rid of bratty kids.

Panarama Trail - More stunning sights without a ton of effort. Watch for the burned up tree
that looks like a guy with his yaya hanging out.

Mist Trail - Kidney jolting decent highlighted by skankily dressed chicks on the way up.

Total time: Around 11 1/2 hours. More to follow.

The day after the Glacier Pt. hike, starting at 4 am, I pointed my toes
up the Happy Isles trail, with grand visions of the view from the summit
of Clouds Rest. Many hikers achieve this goal, but almost all do it from
the Tenaya Lake trailhead. Now I know why.

I've been in the vicinity of Vernal Fall many times, but never pre-dawn.
Even with little flow going over the brink, the SOUND made by this
waterfall is the most memorable thing I take from the entire trip to
Yosemite. Equal parts cutting torch/fire hose/jet engine, the noise
it made, just beyond reach of my lights, was like being in the presence
of something supernatural. Chilling.

After reaching the junction with the Half Dome trail, this hike turned to
drudgery. Lack of sleep, a big hike the day before, 93 degree heat and
relentless elevation gain took away all the fun. Rest stops became more
frequent and snails passed me, laughing. Not even a few good views of
Half Dome gave an energy boost. I did make the summit, but this trail
BEAT me.

Once on top, the rewards were obvious. Tenaya Lake looked like a piece of
turqoise in the distance. Summit exposure was as advertised. Two survey
markers almost served as pillows to my haggard carcass. 360 degree view
was just like others in this forum have spoken of. Some guy opened a can
of beer, and a poor mans Old Faithful ensued.

A word of advice: Read about what I did, and don't do any of it.

After a day of rest, and finding out that a permit would be there, Sept. 17 became
Half Dome Day. It took 4 1/2 hours to gain the summit (my second). Some thoughts:

-There was NO ranger checking permits, going up or down.
-The bottom 1/4th of the cables is the toughest. After that, you're home.
-The "cave" on top was not as scary as I thought it would be.
-There was some evidence of human degredation. (graffiti) People are stupid.
-Some say that the cable decent is tougher than the climb. You won't read that here.
-Some hikers used a safety strap/carabiner system. Don't. Not only is it more dangerous
(constant clipping and unclipping give many chances for failure), it slows things down
for everybody else. And, if you're that unsure of your ability, stay away.

Some hikers look down their noses at this hike, but it will always be the ultimate Yosemite goal
of nearly everyone with a backpack. As Yosemite hikes go, this is the prom queen.

Clouds Rest is the angry bitch that came in second.

Or without a backpack. Peeps who poo poo Half-a-Dome are poo poo's.

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AnotherDave
Taft Pt. - A sphincter clencher. Watch out for the fissures; a good place to get rid of bratty kids.

Having only been in March several years ago (decent snow) when I didn't see any fissures, I suppose I should go in summer sometime and see what I snowshoed over.

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ttilley
I suppose I should go in summer sometime and see what I snowshoed over.

You may want to avoid seeing that.

Quote
eeek

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ttilley
I suppose I should go in summer sometime and see what I snowshoed over.

You may want to avoid seeing that.

Those fissures extend 40'-50' inward from the cliff edge on the right a couple hundred feet before Taft Point. Were you snowshoeing in that location?

I should clarify...I did see a couple fissures, on a pretty wide space. I'm given to understand, though, that there's more, and that the space isn't so wide. It'd be interesting to see that, especially if I make a repeat winter visit in a heavy snow year.

Sounds like you saw them all to me.

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