Up early in anticipation to explore Yosemite National Park today.
A quick load of washing and some laps around the campsite on our bikes for Wes and myself. Wes is in love with his bike too.
We were all ready and at the camp bus stop for our 8.47 am pick up by the Yarts Shuttle to Yosemite. The road is too winding and the parking too limited for the motorhome. Plus, it gives Pete a break from driving.
Don’t be late for this bus, we almost missed it. The first public bus I have ever witnessed departing early.
The drive to Yosemite National Park was very scenic through the beautiful mountains, waterfalls, and rivers.
We even managed to spot a Brown Bear. It felt good to see it from the safety of the bus and not while trekking the tracks.
Soon we arrived at the Visitors Centre where we were guided to the most appropriate trails for us. A short break at the café for something to eat… this could be a long day.
We walked the easy 1.7 km, Lower Yosemite Fall loop, which gave us spectacular views of the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls (North America’s tallest waterfall).
Then we saw a couple of young women cooling off in the river with limited clothing on. It looked like they had been hiking or rock climbing, clearly, they were hot.
As the girls were wet, some of their clothing was see-through. Noah had a female bottom in full view. He was slightly embarrassed at first but mentioned it quite a bit throughout the day AND wanted me to include it in the blog…
Next, onto the Cook’s Meadow Loop, 1.6 km with stunning views of Half Dome, Glacier Point, and the Royal Arches.
By now we ‘thought’ we were blitzing the easy trails, maybe we should tackle something a little harder? Onto the park shuttle and off at stop 16, Vernal & Nevada Falls.
We will only go to Vernal Falls as you need 5-6 hours to get to Nevada Falls. Not enough water on us and I didn’t want to miss the 4 pm bus back to Yosemite Lakes.
The trail to Vernal Falls is a 3.9 km round-trip, however, it is all up, up up, with a 366m elevation gain and a steep granite stairway of over 600 steps towards the top.
Although the trek was challenging, it was completely worthwhile, with beautiful views down to the valley and the Vernal Waterfall. Spectacular.
Noah and Wes walked like trekking professionals.
On our way down, we passed a group of people taking photos of a rattlesnake on the path. I nearly knocked a lady over trying to get the boys and myself past safely. Pete joined the group for a photo…
Come down Pete, we don’t want to see you on any ‘last photo taken before they died’ posts.
Soon we were back down the trail and on the shuttle bus to the Visitors Centre. A stop at the store to get a few frozen meals for dinner. No gourmet cooking tonight, we are all shattered.
Back on the Yarts Bus to our campsite. Pete had to wake us, we had all nodded off.
A wonderful day trekking the trails of stunning Yosemite National Park. It is a beautiful spot and deserves its accolades. The Browns will all sleep well tonight.
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