Per the modified plan, this post should have been called “Hike to Little Yosemite Valley”. With a shorter distance to cover (or so we thought), we got a later start, following a footpath in the snow through a beautiful valley. At one point we stopped to listen to a symphony of frogs cheering us on as we hiked.
The snow became patchy, and we packed away our microspikes as the trail lead us to a ridge which gave us our first glimpse into Yosemite Valley. The view was amazing, but the whole forest in the area had been burned in a recent fire. After a lunch of bean burritos (made with leftovers from breakfast burritos for dinner the night before), we descended into the valley, following a swift creek and getting better views of Half Dome with each mile.
We arrived at Little Yosemite Valley campground at 2:00pm. It is a beautiful shaded campground a quick walk to the Merced River. After rinsing our feet and filling water in the river, we decided to continue walking into Yosemite. We were only a few miles away, and the chance to spend more time in the valley was too exciting to pass up. (Also a factor: the chance to eat dinner not prepared on the jetboil!) Rain started falling as we neared the valley, and the trail got crowded! We chose to take the Falls trail, and were in awe at the volume of water in the beautiful falls compared with what we saw two years ago! We were feeling confident on the steep stairs after days of walking, and made great time to Happy Isles.
Almost simultaneously the feelings of accomplishment and sadness washed over me. We made it! But this meant the hike was over. Luckily we heard from friends that they were bringing our climbing gear early, so I was already thinking of our next adventure. After pizza and a cold beer, we settled down in the backpacker’s campground for the night.
http://awhite4777.pythonanywhere.com/SierraMapperAlpha/default/mapper/n030/n014/n008/n006/n001/n249/n232
