My wife and I headed to Yosemite for our first trip of 2013, hoping to see something new. Inspired by wherever’s post from last week, we decided to go up the Yosemite Falls trail to Oh My Gosh Point since we’d never been there before.

The drive to the park was surprisingly quick and traffic free, and soon enough we were stopped at The Cascades and looking at the falls. For April there was much less water than I expected.



We parked at Camp 4, used the restroom and headed up the trail. We hadn’t been very active over the winter and I could certainly feel it as we headed up the switchbacks. In addition, we started up the switchbacks with about 4 other groups so it was fairly crowded and we played ‘leap frog’ as we made our way up.

It was a bit hazy and the low angle of the springtime sun made photography difficult, so we just enjoyed the climb and spent a bit of time at Columbia Rock. After a brief break we continued on to Oh My Gosh Point, which was easy to find using information on this forum. There were two people coming out, and one other person down there taking some photos. The view was outstanding.



I especially liked that you could see so much of the middle and lower falls.



After about 10 minutes of chatting with the gentleman while he took some time lapse photos of the middle falls. He mentioned he had seen people slack lining above the falls a bit earlier. Once his photos were finished, he said goodbye and headed back. From that point on, we had the point to ourselves, not seeing or hearing another person unless the count seeing the tourists on the bridge 1000ft below.

We ate lunch and then while my wife did some sketches; I took photos and looked around with my binoculars and generally enjoyed the view and wonderful weather. Before too long I said “Look! Someone is slack lining above the falls!” You could just make out a small speck against the blue sky.



I zoomed in with the camera and took a few more shots, using the railing to stabilize it.





There were at least two different people walking back and forth and we saw one or more of them take a couple falls off the line.



It was very cool to see, but I think I’ll remain a spectator.

In between the slack lining, I took photos of the various sights. We had a nice view of the Chapel.



I saw a canoe on the Merced, which reminded us that we still need to do that. This might be a good year for it.



I took a photo of the bottom of the upper falls that I would never guess was taken in Yosemite.



I also took a series of photos that I used to create my first Photosynth, located here:

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=1e77e7ab-f387-417e-bb6c-d1980361f26d&m=false&i=0:0:0&c=0:0:0&z=523.313748790507&d=-1.14070748065065:-1.14070748065065:-1.25156660203347&p=0:0&t=False

After having the point to ourselves for an hour and a half, we climbed back up to the main trail and headed back.



The sky had cleared a bit and the sun was in a better position so I took a few photos as we hiked.



On the drive out of the park we took a detour down to Foresta, having never been there before either. Since I’m a fly fisherman, I did a bit of scouting of the creek for future reference and then we continued the long drive home.



Another good trip to Yosemite, but then again, they always are. A big thanks to everyone for their contributions on this forum and providing the information and inspiration that allowed me to see something new.

Sweet, thanks for sharing. Can't imagine walking across those thin lines (I forget the actual term ATM - slack?), and some do it w/o safety. Wish I was there to witness that.

The water is blasting down. Gotta get over there, starting next week (probably).

Thanks for the great photos. We hope to get up there again soon.

Thanks for the photos and the trip report.

It always so nice to look at all the great photos of Yosemite, especially Yosemite Falls when it's flowing nicely.
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Great photos! Thank you for sharing.

Berry Kewl.

When we up there on Sunday I guess it was a bit too breezy for them to slack-line across.
We did meet Dean Potter at the top of El Cap the previous night though...

With the Photosynth thing-a-ding you can really go crazy... they're a lot of fun.
You can include the lower falls too... Here's mine from Sunday:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=b5e71c5c-892d-4a55-8ae8-771c95361aef

Have fun

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chick-on
Berry Kewl.

When we up there on Sunday I guess it was a bit too breezy for them to slack-line across.
We did meet Dean Potter at the top of El Cap the previous night though...

With the Photosynth thing-a-ding you can really go crazy... they're a lot of fun.
You can include the lower falls too... Here's mine from Sunday:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=b5e71c5c-892d-4a55-8ae8-771c95361aef

Have fun

Hey Chick-on!

It sounds like you covered a lot more ground than we did! Comparing the falls in your photosynth to mine you really can see that it was breezy when you were there. Plus you had a nice blue sky as well. I took quite a few photos to try to make a photo synth, but it kept coming out wonky.

Question: Do you take all your photosynth photos at the same zoom level and just pan around to get everything? I took some zoomed in ones, probably thinking of Gigapan, but it didn't work out right. I know you've created photosynths from some of your old photographs, so you obviously weren't thinking "future photosynth" back then. Any tips or pointers?

Thanks,

Jason

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JasonS
Question: Do you take all your photosynth photos at the same zoom level and just pan around to get everything? I took some zoomed in ones, probably thinking of Gigapan, but it didn't work out right. I know you've created photosynths from some of your old photographs, so you obviously weren't thinking "future photosynth" back then. Any tips or pointers?

You have to take all the photos in the set at the same zoom level otherwise it won't know how to
put them together. (it will not use those photos that it cannot match).
Pretty amazing s/w imho.
Any photos you have that have any overlap on them you can chuck into that ICE s/w and it will
stich them for you. So imo the Panorama Mode in cameras that now exist is just useless.
Just take as many photos as you like and just stich them using ICE. Very nice.
If you want GIGA then you can zoom in but it's much harder to get everything. The more you
zoom the easier it is to miss something. Probably in the near future cameras will have
the same thing the iPhone has which you can see that you are getting it all.
I posted a link to a super zoom of Royal Arch Cascade before. It didn't get much reaction.
Zoom in and find the climbers:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=f12e2030-69e2-4a5c-bb2b-39248f3fd3a1

On that same trip I took one of Sentinel Falls and you can see... dangit... missed some:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=e1e1b773-d309-41ca-968a-e6eb42dab17e

With the super zoom you can really see some detail like the gigapixel stuff.
Here's a few more that did then:

Lost Arrow: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=6021634b-a0fb-4948-a2be-3743c94c42dc
Sentinel Rock: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=c66d5016-d73c-4eae-919e-6f075e991c91
Yose Falls (check out the ice cone) : http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=212e5dba-dfbb-44a9-aa32-73f19d14c8c9

Anywho. Have fun with it.

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chick-on

Zoom in and find the climbers:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=f12e2030-69e2-4a5c-bb2b-39248f3fd3a1

On that same trip I took one of Sentinel Falls and you can see... dangit... missed some:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=e1e1b773-d309-41ca-968a-e6eb42dab17e

With the super zoom you can really see some detail like the gigapixel stuff.
Here's a few more that did then:

Lost Arrow: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=6021634b-a0fb-4948-a2be-3743c94c42dc
Sentinel Rock: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=c66d5016-d73c-4eae-919e-6f075e991c91
Yose Falls (check out the ice cone) : http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=212e5dba-dfbb-44a9-aa32-73f19d14c8c9

Anywho. Have fun with it.

Great stuff! Thanks for the information. I really dig the super zoom ones, I'll give that a try next time. The more I look at the photosynths the more impressive it is. You can easily see the climbers, although the upper most guy seems to be missing his head. Maybe his hair or helmet was similar in color to the rock beyond. The really impressive thing (to me) is how well the tree is rendered in your Sentinel Falls synth, crazy how it gets most (all?) of the needles correct.

When I looked at the snow cone, before zooming all the way I thought "Is that a guy in a white shirt walking up there?"

Lastly, did you notice the "skull" in the upper right of the Sentinel Rock synth? Upper right on the other spire. Looks pretty ominous to me.

Thanks again for the information.

Jason

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JasonS
Lastly, did you notice the "skull" in the upper right of the Sentinel Rock synth? Upper right on the other spire. Looks pretty ominous to me.

Whoa. Love it. Thanks for pointing it out...

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vs.

Wow! The resemblance is remarkable!

Your own Mt. Rushmore – in Yosemite no less – courtesy of nature!

Looked at the original of the Royal Arch Cascade. The upper climber is exactly as he is in one of the pictures.

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chick-on

You can include the lower falls too... Here's mine from Sunday:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=b5e71c5c-892d-4a55-8ae8-771c95361aef

Have fun

It's very cool how you were able to capture that small rainbow straddling over the middle cascades of Yosemite Falls.

Nice, Photosynth does seem to capture the scene from places like Oh My Gosh Point which is even more the overall sense of space as it is any individual shot (though the falls from there are certainly good).

Great information and nice shots. I am coming out with my Gigapan in June and wanted to hike as far as Oh My Gosh Point to take some Panoramas. My aversion to heights and all the photo equipment I will be packing won't allow me to make it to the top of Yosemite Falls. I have read that the short stretch from Columbia Point to "Oh My Gosh Point" is treacherous. Is this true? How about Four Mile Trail and Panorama Trail?

Thanks

The hike up to Columbia Rock ( not Point ) is a straight forward hike up a trail. At no point would I call it treacherous ( although that might depend on your definition ). Lots of switchbacks on a good trail, but it is relentless in it's uphill. It's not hard as trails go in Yosemite, but it's by no means easy.

If you've made it to Columbia Rock I'd suggest you keep going. There are one or two crazy steep switchbacks, and then it's pretty easy with mostly flat, slightly up, and even some downhill. It's like this until you've gone around the corner and the trail starts going up the gully directly to the west/left of Upper Yosemite Fall. The climb up the gully to the top of the falls is more endless switchbacks and relentless uphill.

What IS TREACHEROUS is the 100' or so on the spur trail that goes down to Oh-My-Gosh. This spur is just before the trail turns left and you get your first view of Upper Yosemite Fall. As you approach this corner look to your right downslope. It's kinda of a trail. I supposed it actually was a trail at some time but hasn't been maintained for so long that it's started to deteriorate. There's one switchback that's rather exposed that might be where the 'treacherous' comes from

Four Mile Trail and Panorama Trail are both pretty straight forward. If you want excitement and 'treacherous' you'd have to go looking for it by heading off-trail.

The section of trail from Columbia Rock to OMGP is fine. However, the short drop from the trail to OMGP has some exposure, but is really short and not much more than the point itself, though that does have a railing for safety and comfort. As for the Four Mile and Panorama Trails, I would think you shouldn't have an issue on either one, though I don't have an aversion to heights. There is a section of the Four Mile that crosses a chute that has a big drop off to one side, but the trail is wide and easily navigated there.

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photo2000man
Great information and nice shots. I am coming out with my Gigapan in June and wanted to hike as far as Oh My Gosh Point to take some Panoramas. My aversion to heights and all the photo equipment I will be packing won't allow me to make it to the top of Yosemite Falls. I have read that the short stretch from Columbia Point to "Oh My Gosh Point" is treacherous. Is this true? How about Four Mile Trail and Panorama Trail?

Thanks

From Columbia Rock to where the OMG Point spur trail branches off, is probably the least treacherous part of the trip. The spur trail itself is the sort of thing I go down carefully -- in a few places, preferably sitting down. It's not very long, maybe 100-200 feet, so even if you have to pick your way, you don't have to do it very far. The field of view from OMG Point isn't quite as wide as from Columbia Rock. I seem to remember vegetation to the west, and of course Yosemite Point and the upper fall to the east. I'd think some of the best Gigapanning from there would be of stuff on the valley floor.

What I find most treacherous on the UYF Trail between Camp 4 and Columbia Rock is all the rounded "steps" (or cobblestones, or riprap, or whatever) that are usually besprinkled liberally with gravel. I wouldn't want to go down that trail without a good pair of poles extended full-length in front of me to give the equivalent of four-footed traction.

I've gone up to Columbia Rock carrying tripods and other gear. I find that the steepness (lots of steps and stuff) really takes it out of me when I'm carrying an extra load. For those of you who are used to carrying 40-pound backpacks uphill, it probably won't be that big a deal. For me, the difference between a 15-pound pack and a 20-pound one is a big deal. The steeper the trail, the bigger the deal.

The Four Mile Trail has a lot of old asphalted sections, again with gravel on them. I was there a few hours ago, btw. In some places, either the asphalt is gone or you can find lots of gravel-free spots to step on. In other places, I was relying on my poles to keep me from wiping out and busting my tailbone.

By the way, there are two new rockslides/washouts on the FMT (from the rains a couple of weeks ago, I assume) that are a bit more difficult to negotiate than the rest of the trail. They're a few hundred feet from the switchback (6th from the bottom) that comes closest to Sentinel Creek. The flow of rocks and water dislodged a retaining wall on the uphill side of the switchback and left a ridge-shaped rockpile blocking the trail. You can pick your way over it, you just have to watch where you step. On the downhill side of the switchback (same slide, continued) there's just a gully about 2 feet deep and four feet wide that you have to step down into and back out of, without stepping on any loose rocks.

As I rememer the Panorama Trail, it's quite respectable -- no asphalt and not a lot of gravelly rocks. Once you get down to the Nevada Fall area, you'll need to choose between the Mist Trail (which I tried once, and now shun) or the John Muir (longer, but more like the Four Mile than the UYF)

One other thing. I've been going up to Columbia Rock several times a year, trying for pictures of the Four Mile Trail area. The visibility varies a lot.

-- Around midday I'm shooting more or less into the sun, and haze is usually a major challenge. Late afternoon has sometimes worked better for me, though around 6 PM (in June or July) the shadow of the north rim starts creeping up the south slope. By 7, if I remember correctly, it's about halfway up.

-- When we had a couple of wildfires near El Portal last summer, quite a bit of smoke blew into the valley and made the haze a lot worse. It was unpredictable, though. The smoke came and went, sometimes several times a day. I'd make plans to go up to Columbia Rock and try for more pictures; around my hoped-for starting time, the smoke would be so thick that I'd cancel my plans; an hour later it would be nice and clear, but too late to start up. We're looking at another dry year and (most likely) lots of fires.

-- Anytime it's sunny, the south slope of the valley presents a high-contrast situation. The shadows come out black, the rocks and chutes come out white, and pretty much everything else comes out green, brown, or gray. I've had my best results on cloudy days (which, unfortunately, are rare in June).

I've had surprisingly good results clearing away haze with Photoshop but I'd rather not have to do it.