Stopping at various beaches and swimming holes.
Eventually I found myself at Washburn Lake
and then passing the ranger station, near which I had a pleasant chat with the backcountry ranger, the first person I had spoken since the other side of RP Pass.
Night five was spent at the backpacker camp near the Merced HSC
The next morning, continuing down the Merced River Canyon, I decided to cut up to the John Muir Trail at Echo Canyon.
I had come down the Merced from Merced Lake to LYV last year with a friend, and wanted to change it up.
I found a nice campsite back in the woods near the base of Clouds Rest, so I decided to visit Half Dome(I had the Permit)the next morning.
Morning six was a beautiful clear morning as I headed up the Subdome.
I meet a friendly woman from St. Louis- Kathleen (that her in the Photo), and we chatted our Way up the subdome.
Eighteen or so years ago when I last climbed Half Dome I told myself that if I went up the cables then, I never had to do it again.
So the long and short of it is that I lost the will to go up the cables, deciding that I had already done it and that I would rather go for a swim in the river.
I went back to my campsite, packed it up and headed down to the LYV backpacer camp, and swam in the river
I ran into some woman from Philadephia that I meet on the trail below Merced HSC, and had a lovely social night.
Since I had another day on my permit I spent it hiking around the area
On day nine I finally hiked out at Glacier Point, feeling like I had had a Yosemite Vacation.
More photos (Yikes!) can be found here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lschaaf55/sets/72157634758821082/
