August 21, 2004
Hiking in Yosemite (1)
I spent this weekend in Yosemite.
Yosemite is one of the most beautiful natural park in the US. Yosemite is a good place for hiking with trails everywhere among clear rivers, peaceful meadows, and panoramic mountains. I was happy to know that Yosemite was only five hours from San Francisco by bus.
I used a packaged tour this time. That was the only way to stay in Yosemite because rooms for individual travelers were sold out. I was worrying that the tour would have restricted my hiking freedom. However, it turned out that the tour was not so bad. Here is the story.
Cable Car
I went to the pick-up point by cable car. In the car, I tried a “step ride”. I stood on the step of the car hanging on to a handrail. Cool wind in morning was refreshing. The view from the head of the car was great. I could position myself at the head because passengers were few early in the morning.
Tour Bus
The bus did not come on time. I felt uneasy. After a while, a man talked to me. He also looked uneasy. He was also a tourist. We had no idea what happened to the bus. But in the end, the bus came fifteen minutes behind the schedule. One good thing about this: I talked with him even after the bus came. A crisis builds a relationship.
I sat with him at the right head side of the bus. Passengers were only he and his family and me at that time. From the next stop, people came in and the bus became full. The position turned out to be good after the bus went into the Yosemite. I enjoyed the view of Yosemite well thanks to this position.
By the way, I followed advices from a Japanese guide book and a Japanese web site. In fact, I did not have to use a cable car because the bus stopped near to my accommodation. But waking up earlier and going to the first stop rewarded me.
The bus driver told us that the best way to spend time in Yosemite is to walk. So, he is my friend. He passed us lunch box before arrival so that we could start walking as soon as possible. We dropped by “Tunnel View”, a famous place for its spectacular view. But we spent no more than ten minutes. We directly headed for the Yosemite lodge, my accommodation, after that.
The Valley
Check-in was smooth thanks to the tour company. Trails started just behind the lodge. I enjoyed flowers, meadows, and water in the valley surrounded by huge steep rock walls.
The First Fall
I came to the trail head. The trail head was actually the head of a trail over 300km. Today, I went for the first 5 km of this trail to visit two water falls. I walked in a deep valley, enjoying strangely shaped rocks above. The big drop made the view from the top of the fall dynamic.
The Second Fall
I climbed up the trail to the top of the second fall. Steep valley ended there. It was a place like a picture with a clear creek and peaceful hills. I really wanted to go more. But it was past five and I did not have equipments to spend night in mountain. I took upper-side trail for return trip to enjoy panorama view of the valley.
The Valley in Dawn
When I returned to the valley, it was beginning to become dark. I strolled back to the lodge enjoying the nature. The nature actually becomes the most beautiful in dawn.
I went back to the room. I took a long bath to finish this long but happy day.
Animals
Yosemite was a heaven for animals. I encountered birds, dears, a fox, and three kinds of squirrels. Some of them allowed me to take a picture.
