On Memorial day of 2002, I and my roommate Rajnish took off for the Yosemite National Park. We left early in the morning in my car. the drive was smooth along CA-120 East, the only problem being the constant glare of the sun in our eyes. We entered the park grounds at about 9 am. From there we drove to the central parking grounds, parked the car for the day and then boarded the shuttle. There are a bunch of small waterfalls and picturesque spots on the way. Although most of the points in the park are accessible to private vehicles, the park management recommends that you park at the central parking lot and board shuttles from there so as to prevent parking chaos at the limited parking available at most sites. The shuttles are free of course.
The primary attraction here are the Yosemite waterfalls, the third highest waterfalls in the world. The waterfalls are abundant with water in early summer around May end , June when the snow first begins to melt. The water flow is substantially less in winter, though winter has its own charms as the valley is covered with snow.
Lower Yosemite falls are easily accessible. We crossed over some steep rocks to reach quite close to the waterfalls. Because the water splashes on the rocks all around, we were thoroughly wet even before we reached close to the falls. The water is cold, pure and extremely refreshing. There are some good secluded spots here for the couples.
There is a steep trail to the Upper Yosemite Falls and then to Yosemite Creek. We started to climb the trail just after lunch. The first mile of the hike is quite steep with nothing much to see except some picturesque views of the valley below and of half dome, the second highest peak in the valley. The trail then goes down for some distance, which is a bit of a relief. After turning around a hill bend, new had the first glimpse of the Upper Yosemite Falls. The trail now moved towards the falls, As we came near to the falls , we deviated from the trail and climbed over a few rocks to come closer to the falls. The rocks here are extremely slippery because of the dampness. I kept slipping on the rocks but Rajnish's enthusiasm egged me on. Hopping and skipping over rocks we reached a point where we were closest to the falls and got a glimpse of a rainbow across the current of the falls. A few quick snaps and then we headed back. It was nearing evening and although we wanted to explore the trail to the Yosemite Creek, we didn't have the time to return back. The way back was treacherous for me, my shoes wet and full with dirt making me slip on almost every dusty surface.
Among the other attraction in the valley are a number of trails, Lake Mead where we saw the reflection of the half dome peak in the water. To reach Glacier point, you have to drive all around the valley in summer(this road is open only in summer) although you have the option of skiing in winter. Glacier Point presents a nice view of the sunset across the valley. Unfortunately we were late, and it was sunset even before we could reach there, so all we could do was to watch sunset from the road to Glacier point.
Thoroughly exhausted I drove back. We reached back at about 1 am at night, making it a 20 hour trip. It was definitely very hectic but very refreshing. The next time I would like to hike the trail all the way to the Yosemite Creek, camp there and possible hike upto Half Dome the next day.
Amitabha