YEBlog

Quick, name a lake in Yosemite that you have visited.  If we excluded Mirror Lake, which is quickly becoming a meadow, would you have any?

Those who only travel to Yosemite Valley are unaware of how much water is in the park.  Although not quite 1000, there are approximately 500 lakes in Yosemite that are at least an acre in size.  Considering I’ve been to probably less than 20 of them in the past 3 years, I’d say I have a lot of hiking ahead of me.

Many popular hikes that we offer at Y explore visit some of the more recognizable lakes like Tenaya, Upper and Lower Cathedral, and Dog Lake. We’ve also explored areas for our photo tours around Siesta Lake.  Another amazing lake that can be reached pretty easily is Elizabeth Lake which lies below Unicorn Peak. The lake is a popular swimming hole but you can explore areas around the lake that uncover some excellent photographic opportunities where you will be alone with your thoughts. Ostrander Lake is beautiful lunch spot and a fine reward after a challenging hike. There are great wildflowers, and we have had our share of encounters with some of our furry friends along the way.  If you want to see wildflowers, particularly shooting stars, then look no further than Lukens Lake. Fields of violet are illuminated by the early morning light in June.

May Lake sits at the base of Mt. Hoffman.  That is no coincidence since Lucy Mayotta Browne later married George Hoffman who was one of the original US Geological Survey team members that first entered the Yosemite region in 1863.

From May Lake, you can view some amazing sunsets away from the boisterous crowds of the High Sierra Camp.  We were able to take an overnight trip this past week.

We grabbed the Jetboil and our Mountain House chicken and mashed potatoes and made our way to the ridge behind the camp. We enjoyed a gourmet sunset dinner in the High Sierra and were not disappointed by the view.

Further down trail from May Lake, you can also visit Raisin Lake which also uncovers views of Mt. Hoffman with none of the crowds.  It’s a small lake off the side of the trail and can be easily missed, but it is clearly one of Yosemite’s better kept secrets.

There are so many lakes to explore and our goal is to photograph all 500 of them.  I know it seems pretty ambitious but I’m ready for the task.  I’m always looking for hiking partners.  Won’t you join us?

Over the last couple of weeks we have seen a rise in aggressive bee-havior from some of Yosemite’s insect population. In our recent trips to Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, and Taft Point we have encountered some un-bee-lievably persistent bees. Normally, the bees just buzz us and fly away, but I bee-lieve that the dry end of summer conditions have these bees working overtime looking for food. Some people call them meat bees and swear by their stories that they’ve seen them eat whole hot dogs in seconds. Others have seen them fly away with their campfire steak in tow. I don’t know if I bee-lieve all of these tales, but I have been stung by a couple of meat bees while riding my bike past some road kill down in the foothills. Of course, I was wearing a yellow jersey at the time. I am not trying to cause any killer bee panic in Yosemite, but I just would like people to bee aware, especially when eating food and snacks in the areas I mentioned. I’m sure that this problem will subside as we approach the bee-ginning of September and cooler temperatures.

Why am I on the road right now? Is it really 4 am? How many did that guy have last night/this morning? Why didn’t I go to bed a little earlier last night? Did I leave any lights on? Did I pack everything I need? What’s the speed limit on this road? Did I really move 3000 miles away to start this company? Do I really get to go hiking for a living? Why can’t I live just a little closer to the park? Was that a gray fox that just ran past my car? Why do most radio stations stink? Why didn’t I charge my MP3 player? Why can’t Microsoft develop a better battery for their players? Why do most of the gas stations on highway 120 from Groveland to Yosemite gouge their customers with prices more than $1.00 over the national average? Are they ever going to finish these road construction projects in and around the valley? Why do I love coyotes so much? What would it be like if people didn’t kill off all the wolves in the area? Grizzlies? Why can’t they be reintroduced? Why do I still get goosebumps every time I see El Capitan in the moonlight? Have you ever seen El Capitan under a full (or nearly full) moon? Why is the Parking Lot Full sign still in front? Why haven’t I ever seen a bear in this area? Are my clients here yet? Did we prepare them well enough? Are they going to make it? Why are there so many inconsiderate people who use the restrooms in Yosemite? Where did all these people come from? Where did all the people go? How many people cross this bridge every day? Am I going too fast? Am I going too slow? How many steps are there? What percentage of people turn around at Vernal Fall? Are we going to make it? How long is this one going to take? How many fewer people hike to Half Dome on Sundays instead of Saturdays? Why do so many people trash these trails? Should I slow down some more? How can I be more encouraging to my group? Are we all going to make it? Together? How much daylight do we have left? What’s my back up plan? What’s our turnaround time? How can I be a better motivator? Isn’t this a beautiful morning? How lucky are we to be out here on an incredible hike? How many people would never do something so enriching? Why wouldn’t they try? Are they crazy? Are they scared? Why doesn’t everyone try something they normally wouldn’t do just one time in their life? Do you think it would hurt? How long did it take to put all of these rocks in the right place on this trail? What if we only make it half way? Would it be that big of a deal to them? How much does that guy hate his job? Why do people have to throw garbage into the toilet? Why are they so cruel to this guy? Would they do it if they knew who had to clean it out? Would they do it if they saw how it had to be cleaned out? Would it matter to those people anyway? How happy are we to be hiking on flat ground for a while? Did we pack too much food? Is 3/4 of a pound of dried pineapple enough for 2 people? Do we have enough liquid? Should we pump now or wait for our return trip? Why is the flat part so short? Should we eat lunch later on the Dome or should we eat it earlier to gain more energy? Is the group eating enough? Are they drinking enough? Are we resting enough? Are we resting too much? Should we rest right here in the shade? Where is that 2 mile marker? How did that group pass us? Is this a good spot for lunch? Where’s a good tree? Why do so many people throw their orange and banana peels on the ground? Don’t they realize how bad it is? Why do they take advantage of people who pick up after them? Wouldn’t this be a perfect spot for a nap? Is our break over already? How can we stay together better? Do we all have enough left in us to finish? How many people turn around at the Hammer Dome? Did all those people coming down really pass us today? As long as we make it, who cares? Why do they allow horses and mules on this part of the trail? Don’t those people know they’re cheating? Why are they allowed to tie all those horses in one spot? Should you be able to climb the last part of Half Dome if you don’t get there on your own power? Do you think we feel more confident now? Are we ready for the Hammer Dome? Is there really anything more exciting than this? Is there anything more rewarding? Why do I always feel like a kid again on this part of the hike? Do you think I doubt my decision to move out here and take people up Half Dome? Can you see the smile on my face? Did they think they were going to make it to the cables? Are they ready for my preparation speech for the cables? Did we rest enough? Is this a good time to go up? How many bottles fall down the rock each day? Why don’t people zip everything into their backpacks? Don’t they know that the mesh pockets on the side are unreliable? Is that person above us starting to freak out? Why don’t people realize that using one cable each makes things flow much better? Is my group trusting my methods? Can this be more exciting? Does it ever get old? Why do you think it never gets old? How proud are Laura and Annette right now?

Did they think it would be this hard? Did they ever think they weren’t going to make it? Do you think they’ll want to sit in the King’s Chair? Am I surprised they said yes? Do I have to tell them it’s time to go? Where did all the people go? Is this really my sixth time on top since June? How many more will I do this year? Will we make it down before dark? How long will it take? Do they finally believe it’s easier going down? Why would anyone ever doubt me? You know I’m kidding, right? Why do we have to go back up the saddle? How many of these empty water bottles that I keep finding fit in my pack? Why can’t the trail be downhill both ways? Should we pump at the spring or wait until we get to the river? How many people pump water from the river each year? Why do they let the horses down to the river at the same spot where people pump their drinking water? Why can’t they put those bags under the horses and mules so there isn’t dung everywhere? Why are these steps so slippery on the way down? Are we done yet? Will we be done before dark? What am I going to eat for dinner? Did they think this hike would ever end? Will the pizza deck still be open? How did this line get so long? Why do people like this pizza so much? Are they really fooled or do things generally taste better after a 17 mile hike? Why can I still tell the difference? Why can’t I get good pizza out here? How much would it cost to ship Grimaldi’s? Should I also get an ice cream? Why didn’t I get that ice cream? Where should I sleep tonight? Am I ready for tomorrow’s hike? Is there any place in the world I’d rather be? Why would I ever leave?

Some people are born lucky. I am not one of them. On one hand, I consider myself very fortunate to work in Yosemite, but let’s face it, luck had nothing to do with it. I will say, however, that I have been on a recent hot streak for wildlife sightings, especially bears. Friday was the highlight of my run. I’m not sure what the record is for bear sightings in one day, but I’m pretty sure I came close to setting the record. More specifically, I would bet that I may have set a record for seeing the most Yosemite bears in one hour.

I had just completed a hike of the Panorama trail with Alana and Doug. It was their honeymoon so we were taking it pretty easy until Alana asked “Is that all you got?” We then sprinted up to Glacier Point from Illilouette Fall in what seemed like 10 minutes. Okay, that may be a minor exaggeration, but we did move pretty quickly. When the hike ended, we parted ways and I saw a typical bear jam on my way from the parking lot. Sure enough, it was 47 yellow with her 2 cubs again.

The quality of the image is not very good, but I felt I needed documented proof of the sighting. After a short while, I decided to head home. On my way from Glacier Point, I stopped right before Washburn Point as another bear was just off the side of the road. That’s the one in the first photo. It wasn’t my best day of photography, but who cares at this point? After getting stuck in a major bear jam, I finally pulled out and maneuvered through three double parked vans on the side of the road. I made it off Glacier Point Road and through the Wawona Tunnel before I saw a woman and her young son looking into an area near the Bridalveil Fall Parking lot so I decided to pull over again. This time there was much less fanfare, but lo and behold, there was another mother and cub. She retreated toward the Merced so I didn’t even get my camera out of the bag. That made 6 bears in one day. Actually, it was 6 bears in one hour! Sorry for shouting but you could imagine my excitement. On my way out of the park, I actually could have sworn that I saw the Crane Flat bear but it also could have been a stump so I wasn’t going to count it. I was late to my softball game so I decided to keep driving. Besides, I need a goal to shoot for in the future, and 7 is a good number.

Quick question: What is the tallest waterfall in Yosemite National Park? What if I said what is the tallest single drop waterfall in Yosemite National Park? The answer to the second question is Ribbon Fall. It is a seasonal fall west of El Capitan and stands at 1612 feet which is 182 feet taller than Upper Yosemite Falls.

Travis and I made our way up the creek bed from the valley and gained about 1400 feet in just about 3 miles round trip. It was mostly class 2 scrambling with a couple of decent moves that we had to make but nothing of serious consequence. We were both energized as we drew closer to the amphitheater and wish we decided to make this hike a month or so earlier. The views were flat out spectacular although the haze of the subsiding Telegraph Fire impaired the image quality of Middle Cathedral across the Valley.

We both agreed it was one of the coolest things we’ve each had done in Yosemite thus far.

Thanks to GWB, we have a diverse word in the English language that can be used in different contexts. We have nucular power, nucular weapons, and even nucular families. Yesterday in Yosemite felt like a nucular winter. Many people stayed away from the Valley as Dave, Diana, and I completed another successful ascent of Half Dome. We started the hike close to 7am which is on the late side during the summer months. We knew right away that this wasn’t a problem because the trail was not nearly as crowded as in the past. The smoke from the Telegraph fire was visible from the onset of our trip, but the air quality was decent in the early morning hours.

We knew we were in for a treat when we approached the cables because there was hardly anyone queued at the base. On top we experienced sublime enjoyment of our accomplishment. There were lesst than 20 people at the summit which is very rare. I also did not even witness one person using their cell phone which breaks my streak of 8 straight times on top of Half Dome where I heard someone say “Dude, you’ll NEVER guess where I am right now!” We didn’t spend a lot of time on tip but got a couple of great images of the smoke from the fire in the horizon.

The way down was much more of the same as we barely saw anyone between the Saddle and Vernal Falls. It honestly felt like we were on another planet or in a nuclear winter as the air quality began to worsen. Ash was falling around us and it looked as if the campground at Little Yosemite Valley was completely evacuated. There was quite a crowd around Emerald Pool and the rest of the way down. We weren’t expecting miracles, and it actually felt good to be able to count on the Disney-like atmosphere on the Mist Trail. Actually, not really. There were definitely a lot less people than on a normal summer day, however.

We stopped at Curry Village for a beer and small pizza (if you want to call it that), and it wasn’t too bad. I know a lot of people love the pizza at Curry, and I will compliment it by saying that it is one of the fairest representations of pizza that I have found since moving here from NYC a few short years ago. That is why we bought a Fibrament pizza stone and make our own. We managed to choke down some pizza as we choked on the thick air. The air quality in the Valley was really bad actually by late afternoon. I wish I paid attention to the ranger on top of Turtleback Dome (another secret Yosemite location) when he was explaining the air quality measurement system they have up there.

The fire, we were told, was only about 12 miles from the Valley and only a short distance from El Portal. They even closed highway 140. This photo of Elephant Rock and the Merced River should give you a pretty good indication of just how smoky it was. I will have another update on the conditions after our tour tomorrow.

Did you ever drive through the Wawona Tunnel and see a ray of light shining through the tunnel on the western side? Did you ever notice the same type of light coming from the Big Oak Flat Road Tunnel? Have you ever hiked the western end of the valley between El Capitan and Yosemite Falls to see a bunch of construction supplies? What about the pile of wood that is allowed for Yosemite residents to chop in winter? The list goes on and on. Did you ever see the big water tank between Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome? Not to mention all of the ugly power lines and cables throughout certain trails and along the Merced River in the valley. There is a secret Yosemite, one that you don’t find in the guide books. I have only just begun to scratch the surface of finding some of these unique, and sometimes unsightly locations throughout the park. There are so many old trails and cool places that it would take a lifetime to visit all of them.

What would happen if you decided to park your car and walk through the tunnel and into the light? Well that’s what Travis and I asked ourselves and exactly what we did. The anticipation of what we’d find was pretty exciting. Even more entertaining was the look on the motorists faces as they watched us huffing through the tunnel. The Wawona Tunnel had a pretty good view of the Old Big Oak Flat Rd. and the Fireplace Bluffs.

The view from the Big Oak Tunnel was considerably more breathtaking. There were cool views of the Merced River, Elephant Rock, and even Bridalveil Fall. Sentinel Dome also appears on the horizon. Be aware that if you decide to take this walk, the rail is there for a reason. The drop off is quite precipitous. We plan to take more of these hidden adventures in the coming weeks and will keep you posted.

The second part of this post should be titled bear magnet because that’s what I feel like lately. If we weren’t exploring these tunnels we never would have seen this bear on our way through Crane Flat.

It was pretty cool seeing this guy, and I think it would be anatomically correct to call him a guy. He seemed pretty small and definitely a different bear than I am used to seeing in this location. It’s funny actually because this was one of my first photos of him. With all the adjustments I was making with my aperture, shutter speed, and even ISO because we were losing light, this one was one of the best that I took. I still have a long way to go in becoming a wildlife photographer, but at least I think about composition as I am shooting now. I still haven’t learned my lesson and keep leaving the 200-400 mm lens at home. I keep waiting to bring it out when I will have extra time to shoot and look for wildlife. 7 bear encounter later…When will I learn?

Proliferate, Webster’s definition is “to cause to increase in number”. In the three years we have been hiking Half Dome during the full moon, I have never seen such a proliferation of hikers making the same journey at such an odd hour. The summit was crowded last year, no doubt, but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw early in the am on Saturday. Factoring in the variables of climbing Half Dome in mid July and the full moon falling on a Friday night, and we had the perfect storm. I would contend that Saturday was the Dome’s busiest day of year. Thinking of this, I informed Pam and Steve that we would be starting our hike a little earlier than normal this year. It was a last second change that proved to be a good move. We also decided to leave the summit and catch the sunrise a little lower down altogether. Good move #2.

When we summited, there were about 6 other people on top. When we began our descent, there was a mid-afternoon traffic jam on the cables. Might I inform you that it was 4:30 am? As we napped near the visor, the hikers on top multiplied like rabbits. I remember the atmosphere of last year’s hike having certain rock concert qualities. A few dozen people were anxiously awaiting the sunrise in their sleeping bags, and we even passed by a group listening to their iPod. I knew this because they were so thoughtful that they brought speakers for all of us to hear their wonderful tunes. I think it was Winger.

If last year was a Pearl Jam concert, this year was Woodstock. We decided to leave before the crowd really built, but we ran into a complete logjam on the cables. There were at least 40-50 people already on the summit with another 40 on the cables and about 40-50 making their way to the saddle. On our way down, someone asked us if we didn’t like watching the sunrise. It was a valid question, but we told him that we would catch it in a much quieter place. This photo was taken about 6 am and it is clear that the summit was packed. On our way down we saw the typical morning rush making its way up trail. Our final act of wisdom was to take the John Muir Trail down instead of the Mist trail. We were quite satisfied with missing out on the big rush at 9 am although it would have been better had we not encountered that pack train leaving us some fresh morning treats.

Did I mention that the hike was incredible? Despite all of the inconveniences, this is still my favorite way to hike Yosemite’s most popular trail. It’s really exciting when I turn off my headlamp and let the moonlight be my guide for stretches on the trail. The anticipation of encountering some wildlife is also a big rush. We didn’t see any bears this time but did hear an impressive owl in the trees overhead which was the most exciting part of our night. Oh yeah, we did stand over 4800 feet above Yosemite Valley on the edge of a shear rock face which is not something you do every day.

Brian and I went out from Tuolumne Meadows to check out Waterwheel Falls, and we were overwhelmed with the beauty of the landscape. We went past Glen Aulin on the PCT and were rewarded by five falls along the way, not to mention the incredible views of the Cathedral Range. This helped Brian significantly on the return trip. No matter how tired he felt, he often remarked about how beautiful it was to look up and see Unicorn and Cathedral Peak in the distance. Combined with the chance to see the White Cascades along with Tuolumne, California, LeConte, and Waterwheel Falls, this is one of the most picturesque hikes in the park. It’s also one that is not widely popular as we only saw a handful of people besides those making their way to and from Glen Aulin Camp.

We also encountered absolutely no problems on the trail as it was uncharacteristically dry. I mentioned to Brian that on one trip in 2006 both bridges were completely flooded. I was in thigh deep water on the trail shortly before entering the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, but that was not the case this year. One other thing to note would be the mosquitoes, and although they were not as bad as previous trips, they are still out in force. I am trying really hard to avoid DEET at all costs, but this hike (and most in the high country at this time) proved that I had to alter my strategy. I am now trying to use it only on my clothes as I put the all-natural stuff on my skin. The Burt’s Bees oil is ok but I still haven’t found an all natural that has wowed me. I’m open for suggestions.

All in all, this was a highly recommended trip and the conditions of the trail are excellent. You will cross one log bridge early on in the hike and lots of steep granite stairs along the way, but the rest of the trail is very gentle. Plan on taking at least 8 hours to complete this strenuous day.

As I made my way up the Half Dome Trail, I realized this was no ordinary summer season. Since it was my 3rd time up Half Dome in the past week and a half, I knew I was in for a busy summer. What I did not expect was to see another mother bear with cubs. That was my 3rd sighting of a mother and cubs this year.

These 3 bears were very entertaining to watch, and after about 3 minutes, they decided to climb the rocks. The 3rd bear seemed to struggle on her way up. She (I’m guessing it was a she) was a cute little black bear and one of the only black colored black bears I have seen in Yosemite in the past 3 years.

After 3 attempts, our friend finally made it over this last rock and the 3 bears escaped to slumber down after their morning meal. The 3 of us packed up our gear and began to head up the trail where we reached the summit just 3 short hours later.

The way down was pretty uneventful but I must have replayed the bear sighting in my mind at least 3 times. From Little Yo, we knew we had 3 more hills to climb before we were finished with our day. We stopped to fill up our water bottles before we began our long journey back. We made our way back to Glacier Point in what seemed like 3 days. Rob drank 3 caffeinated energy drinks the night before so he was really hurtin’. I gave him 3 ibuprofins but it didn’t seem to help. The last mile took about 3 hours and we finally made it to the parking lot where there were only 3 cars left. We each parted ways and I got home around 3am.