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Yosemite April 28 - 30, 1999 Yosemite Trip Yosemite Valley Trail - 4/29/00 Length: 14 miles

After getting some information from the ranger at the check-in station, we took a right to the Mariposa Grove. There we found some beautiful Sequoia trees. Later we drove around Yosemite Valley taking in all of the sites that we've only seen on TV or in magazines. We were there at last!!!! We couldn't get lodging at Yosemite Lodge so we headed over to Curry Village and spent the night in one of the one-room cabins. We noticed a sign in the parking lot stating that 48 cars just in the month of April had been broken into by bears. They suggest everything with a scent; air freshners, food, etc. be removed from your vehicle. Yosemite was not at all as I had imagined it to be. Knowing how many visitors enter the park each year, I imagined this big commercial touristy experience. It was NOT like that at all (at least not in April when we were there)...it was so much more - breathtaking! Lodging is limited and is very rustic in the valley...as it should be. The cabin had two beds, a desk and a heater which was fine except for the "unwelcome" residents of the cabin. We were close to the restroom/shower house so that made it nice in the middle of the night. Although, when I awoke at 3am to make that trip, I came back to find a bed full of bugs!!!!!! I lifted my pillow and voila...that's when I found the residents of the cabin!!! Ahhh!!! I took the bedding off of the bed, sat in the middle of the bed on the sheet with the light on all night waiting for the little critters to appear so I could kill them! I know it was a rustic experience but I think at this point I'd rather be in my tent. We booked the cabin for 2 nights but decided to find another place for the 2nd night. The second day we made plans to hike 14 miles of Yosemite Valley which would bring us up close and personal to the Falls and some very nice Kodak moments! We frequently paused along the trail at the base of some vertical slabs so Dave could do some rock climbing. Saw quite a few deer grazing in fields. They didn't seem to be afraid of the many people and cars around them. We headed out of the Valley around 5pm and decided to look for a hotel about 2 hours south where we could get a nice shower and rest up before we continued on the next day with the last leg of the trip back to Sue's house.

April 24 - 27, 2000 Mist Trail/John Muir Trail - 4/25/00 Length: 7 miles

The Mist Trail leaves from Roads End. The trailhead is at the east end of the parking lot. It crosses Copper Creek across level terrain. The trail then winds its way up the ledge of the mountain. At 2 miles we reached a junction near the foot of Bailey Bridge. Past the bridge we took a right onto the John Muir Trail. After the 7th switchback you get a spectacular view of Yosemite Valley and Upper Yosemite Fall. Then the back side of Half Dome comes into view. The 9th switchback skirts the base of Panorama Cliff. At the 17th switchback the trail levels off reaching Clark Point. Here the trail splits. Due to bad conditions, the trail was closed going to Nevada Fall so we had to leave the John Muir Trail at this point and take the .6 mile path to the top of Vernal Fall back on to the Mist Trail. At this point Dave ventured off to the top of Nevada Falls. At Vernal Fall we took a break on the rocks to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. The walk down was a cautious one. The trail is a steep vertical descent on a staircase of rocks which are slippery from the mist of the falls. You have a continuous view of the fall and the white mist rising from below it. The trail continued on and we eventually met back up with the Mist Trail and back to the foot bridge. We retraced our steps back to the trailhead.
April 24 - 27, 2000 Tenaya Canyon Trail - 4/26/00 Length: 4.8 miles
The trail begins at Tenaya Bridge. In a short distance, the trail forks so take the left branch along the south bank of Tenaya Creek. At this point we noticed a sign stating "bridge out ahead" so we figured we'd go as far as we could and double back. At .8 mile, we reached the edge of a marshy area that was at one time, Mirror Lake. Continuing on a mostly level path, you reach what used to be a bridge crossing Tenaya Creek at 2.1 miles. Because of high waters at one time, the bridge was washed out and hasn't yet been replaced. It looks like a big job to replace the bridge over the swift moving water. At this point we had no choice but to turn around and head back the way we came. All along the trail it was evident that extensive trail work had been done to repair other damage that the high waters had caused.

April 24 - 27, 2000 Sequoia National Forest - 4/27/00


One of the many giant sequoias in the park.	This sequoia is in a fenced in area and lays claim to being the oldest living "thing" in the world.


Giant sequoias near the road's edge.