The Hiking Hokie: Yosemite

Moving on to post number two of my trip to the West - this one about Yosemite National Park. Although I don't plan to spend too much time physically typing about my adventures here, I feel the need to state the obvious. This area is absolutely stunning.

We made our first stop at Glacier point - a whopping .1 mile stroll down a paved path from the parking lot. Despite the hoards of people taking in one of the most popular views in the park, I do think that it was worth the drive from our campground. Even more, we managed to power-walk our way up the nearby Sentinel Dome to catch most of the sunset. Keep in mind that these photos are a bit deceiving - Casey and I posed atop a rock in an effort to cut out the heads of the dozens of people milling around.

Glacier Point

Me and Casey at Glacier Point


View of half dome from Glacier Point

Sentinel Dome

This was just a short 2.2 mile hike (1.1 miles each way). We made our way up quickly in order to catch most of sunset and were gifted with gorgeous views of the night sky on the way back.

The sun starting to set on the way up

The side of approach

atop the dome

Mt. Hoffman

The day following our arrival, we decided to embark on a 6 mile hike up Mount Hoffman and back. It took my breath away - quite literally. The effects of altitude are pretty impressive and I found myself out of breath much more quickly than usual. That said, the 2000 vertical feet climbed over 3 miles to the peak would have taken its toll on me regardless of the location. Despite my constant need for breaks, the hike was incredible and the views unreal.

May Lake

Chipmunk at May Lake

View of May Lake from the Trail

Snow in August!

More incredible views

View on the way down

Vernal Falls

On the day following our hike to Mt. Hoffman, we decided to head down in elevation to Yosemite Valley. The hike to vernal falls was short at only 1.5 miles each way, but steep and extremely crowded the whole way up. I wasn't a fan of the hike's popularity, but the waterfall was worth it. Even in August with just a small flow, it was pretty breathtaking, especially when the sun shone at just the right angle to create a beautiful rainbow in the mist.

Vernal Falls in August 2013

Rainbow in the falls

Tuolumne Meadows

On our final full day in the park, we headed to tuolumne meadows and spent our time wandering up to pothole dome and then along the river. The river could easily have been my favorite place in the park. We followed a fisherman's trail and then walked a few miles down the river, passing crystal clear swimming holes and sliding rocks along the way. All this with just a handful of other people.