Re: How many times have you hiked the mist trail?

~65 to 75

Top of Vernal is good enough for this survey. :-)

I was hiking there on Sunday and thought about it … I think mine is somewhere in the 65-75 times, with half of that from the summer I worked in the park and hiked most days after work to the top of Vernal and back.

If I was in the Valley and had the choice of only hiking one trail, it would be the mist trail.

~ 10 times. But only twice down the staircase. One of those times was during extremely wet conditions. Not only was I cautious to not damage my camera, but also each step down was rather deliberate. I knew one slip in the wrong direction, and it's all over. A few people passed, but most were courteous and didn't mind the extra time spent going down. Traffic was pretty heavy, almost not enough room for travel in both directions.

Many times, too many to count (or it was just too long ago to remember clearly). For a while I had more times doing the trail in the dark than during the daylight.

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Ohnivy-Drak
A few people passed, but most were courteous and didn't mind the extra time spent going down.

While there are courteous and non-courteous ways to pass someone, implying that anyone passing is not courteous is just wrong. If someone wants to go slowly, totally fine, but that choice shouldn't be made for them by someone else. I haven't had really any issue with people passing me, maybe only being startled by them as I didn't know they were there.

However, I definitely had issues with people not letting others pass them. I was in a traffic jam on the mist trail just below Vernal Fall, from the top to the upper viewing platform. It was packed so I was stuck; couldn't go up or down. I could faintly see the couple causing the issue and they made no effort to allow people to pass and it even appeared they purposely tried to prevent it. Also, lots of times a group was taking up a whole section of trail when it was wide enough to accommodate multiple parties.

Once. As soon as I got to Vernal, I was delighted to be able to detour to Clark Point and continue on the John Muir to Nevada Fall and Little Yosemite Valley. It took my knees two weeks to (more or less) recover and I don't plan to ever negotiate those beastly steps again.

Twice, both times to the top of Nevada Falls. Always returned via the JMT. After the first time, I swore I'd never do it again. After the second time, I swore I'd never do it again.....

Interesting …. I find the JMT (back from either Nevada or Vernal) too long and too boring. The Clark point lookout area is nice I agree. Plus it has the monuments that I like to find. :-)

How to count?

Up only?
Down only?

Dayhike up and back down = 2?

Like a lot. Both directions.

Or whatever Basilop sez+1

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::sigh:: Just once. Many years ago. To the top of Nevada Falls and back, Mist Trail both ways.

Hope to double my total this weekend! Probably just to Vernal Falls, then Clark Point and back down the JMT this time.

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FatFlatlander
::sigh:: Just once. Many years ago. To the top of Nevada Falls and back, Mist Trail both ways.

Hope to double my total this weekend! Probably just to Vernal Falls, then Clark Point and back down the JMT this time.

Hope you get to do it. Enjoy! The falls were amazing. The Merced was just roaring.

Times when I don't plan on going to Nevada, I at least like to go to the site of the old Snow hotel, find my benchmark, and then come back.

Woohoo... TWO! (Yeah, okay... still a few hundred behind several here, but you gotta celebrate the small victories!)

Shaky pan from Saturday in the maelstrom with phone/glasses/EVERYTHING drenched:


Brief splash zone video: https://youtu.be/QYQUiOkbf7w

And one from above:

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FatFlatlander
...
And one from above...

Where was that last one one taken from? Somewhere near Clark Point?

It was taken about halfway up the connector trail that goes from above Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail to Clark Point on the JMT.

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FatFlatlander
Woohoo... TWO! (Yeah, okay... still a few hundred behind several here, but you gotta celebrate the small victories!)

Shaky pan from Saturday in the maelstrom with phone/glasses/EVERYTHING drenched:

Brief splash zone video: https://youtu.be/QYQUiOkbf7w

And one from above:

Nice shots! I especially like the one from above. Glad you got to enjoy it.

Way too many times to count.

Yeah--lots of times. Sometimes as a day hike, sometimes as part of a backpacking trip. Not my favorite trail, by a long shot, but one that my out of town guests really want to hike...

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Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

Only one time round trip. The steps are too many and too uneven, and the crowd is large and somewhat clueless. I've hiked down it a couple times with a full backpack, and that is a chore. I'd much rather hike the panorama trail to Nevada falls and then down to Vernal, then down the jmt.

Very similar to Balzaccom. This is the "go-to" trail for out-of-town visitors. I don't mind at all.

One time, returning from a 6-ish day backpacking trip we ended up changing itinerary and decided to exit down Mist Trail. We each had (empty) bear canisters strapped to the outside of our packs. Most people we encountered (there were many) looked at us like we were dressed for some kind of space flight. It soon got old explaining what the canisters were for... and yes, there really are bears in the park... and yes, we might camp near where they live.

Twice down the Mist, twice down the JMT (from Nevada Fall). Never up either.

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ags
Most people we encountered (there were many) looked at us like we were dressed for some kind of space flight.

I got that look even with the bear can hidden inside my pack. Maybe it wasn't the way I looked but, from being on the trail for several days beforehand, I announced myself to their noses...

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- Billy Joel

I didn't keep track early on, when I briefly worked in the park. (Sometimes I ran up...)

I like the mist trail...mostly for the way down. The biggest mistake, hiking with my nephews, was the last time going up, on the way to Half Dome. (All other times, for Half Dome, it was up the JMT.) They were in a big rush, too.

Myself, like many above, too many times to count...mostly coming down from a 10+ day fishing adventure.

Memorable though, the time my (now ex) wife joined me on my last leg of the Muir...TM to HI. As we were coming off the top Vernal Falls railing section, just before the rainbow area, some basshole decided to slap her on her ass as he passed by. (She did have a nice ass but this was just plain rude.) I was going to react but she told me she would handle it herself.
Somewhere, just before the Vernal Falls tourist bridge, after the mist, she caught up to him, and as she passed him by - close, she twirled, knocking him down the hill with her backpack as she spun...thought it hysterical.

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markskor
Myself, like many above, too many times to count...mostly coming down from a 10+ day fishing adventure.

Memorable though, the time my (now ex) wife joined me on my last leg of the Muir...TM to HI. As we were coming off the top Vernal Falls railing section, just before the rainbow area, some basshole decided to slap her on her ass as he passed by. (She did have a nice ass but this was just plain rude.) I was going to react but she told me she would handle it herself.
Somewhere, just before the Vernal Falls tourist bridge, after the mist, she caught up to him, and as she passed him by - close, she twirled, knocking him down the hill with her backpack as she spun...thought it hysterical.

That's funny!

(on a darker side, many years ago we were staying in curry village and saw all these posters (wanted type) on the doors/windows. The story was apparently someone had fallen in the Merced along the mist trail, and died and there were concerns he had been intentionally pushed in. )

I've been going to Yose for about 20 years but, since I live in NJ, typically only get out there once a year. We started going to the park at a time in our lives when hiking at elevation was quite new to us and, on those first 2 or 3 trips struggled to do a 3-5 mile day hike. We pretty much always did at least one hike that included the Mist trail in the first dozen or so visits (going a little further each time...first we made it to top of Vernal, then on subsequent trips, as we became stronger hikers, went on to Nevada, than started exploring LYV, then to Half Dome and so forth). Most of those times it was up the Mist and down the JMT (yes, longer and less interesting but also far fewer people and no need to worry about slipping on the steps) so I would say probably 10 or 12 times up the Mist and 3-5 times down it (including at least once when I took the Pohono down from GP, and then came down the Mist once I hit Nevada)...probably 5 or 6 years since the last time I was on it in either direction.

Just remembering hiking the trail with my sis' family...four young 'uns...two in backpacks. My husband and I, plus the parents, each in charge of one boy. What an experience for everyone! This year, one of my nephews will have the same opportunity with his young sons, but I don't think that they are up to the effort to carry them up.

And in the '70's and '80's, the JMT was just as wet as the Mist Trail, before they diverted the majority of the water running up above the ice cut. (Two years ago, there was a breach in one channel and it was like walking through a waterfall. Ha, unfortunately we were in that location when a ranger and pack mules came through too.)


FatFlatlander...nice photos!