Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent's course finished yesterday and we stayed one extra day in Yosemite. All week, the forecast for the weekend was heavy rain with a winter storm warning at higher elevations. Roads were closed in anticipation of The Storm - but it didn't come. There was a little rain overnight then the mist burned off and it became sunny and chilly - perfect for hiking.

We got on the trail behind our hotel to do the big climb to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls.



This would be the first part; after that, we would travel on the plateau to North Dome, a summit that sits directly across from Half Dome.

This is the oldest trail in the Park, originally built in the 1870s. Some of the climb was rocky, technical and potentially ankle-turning.





We got close to Upper Yosemite Falls, which doesn't have much water at this time of year.



There were great views of our destination. North Dome is the round summit on the left side of the photo facing Half Dome.



We got up to the plateau and it was spectacular.





Our first stop was Outlook Point, which is accessed by a jumble of rocks and stone steps next to a steep drop-off. It should be avoided by anyone with acrophobia. This was our first snack break.





Fortunately, there were railings on the narrowest parts.



We continued toward Yosemite Point. We were in high country now; 'Bent said the scenery reminded him of his backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail. The trail was sometimes indistinct. I hadn't imagined it would be possible to get lost on a signed trail in such a popular park on a clear, sunny day but in open, rocky areas, we often had to search for the route. We were surprised there were no cairns or other markings. It wasn't super difficult on a day with perfect visibility but not all days are like that.





After Yosemite Point, we entered the forest for awhile. Some of it had been burnt in a fire. After the initial climb, it was easy hiking but there were rolling hills.



At last we saw our goal, the smooth summit of North Dome. It looks like it's just ahead of us but we had to make a sharp left turn at this point and take a circuitous, down-and-up route through the forest.





We took a long break on North Dome to eat snacks, stare at the views, take photos and tease ravens.









The star of the show is Half Dome but it looks spectacular in every direction.



We had the choice of continuing forward to Mirror Lake and back to the Village, which would be longer and repeat some of yesterday's route. Since our hike to this point had been so terrific, we decided to go back the way we came. First though, we climbed higher on Indian Ridge, the partially treed dome seen in this photo.







From there, we got an even better view of Half Dome and surrounding peaks, including North Dome, the little bump on the right. The altitude was close to 2500 m (8200 ').



There had been wisps of cloud all day but now there were a lot more. We wondered if a storm might be on its way after all. This wouldn't be a good place to get caught. After taking this photo, I googled the weather and confirmed that nothing had changed.



The light was changing for the better because the angle of the sun was lower. Hmm. Lower. I glanced at my watch - 3 p.m. already. We'd taken 4 hrs 15 mins to hike to North Dome with lots of photo stops, then we'd spent 90 minutes in the area. We hadn't seen anyone for 4 hours.



Sunset was at 6 p.m. so we only had 3 hours to get back to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls and down the rocky trail to the valley, almost a vertical kilometre below. That seemed reasonable. We wouldn't take as many photos on the way back and it was a net downhill so we should be able to save an hour if we hurried.

Then we remembered: sunset was at 6 p.m. *last* night. Tonight it would be 5 p.m. because the clocks had changed. So we had 2 hours to retrace the steps of our 4+ hour hike. Oops.

We had a couple of hiking maps but they weren't topo maps so I didn't have faith we could use them to find the indistinct trail sections on the plateau in the dark or heavy fog. There were a lot of cliffs if we got off track. We wanted to get to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls before dark because we couldn't lose the trail after that, even though it would be tough to negotiate at night.

We had emergency headlamps and were moderately well equipped if we got stuck out for the night but we needed to leave for the airport at 5 a.m. so this wasn't a good time to practise our Survivorman skills.

So we ran - so much for taking care of my foot injury. It got foggy for awhile, which made things interesting but we made it back to the top of the waterfall before sunset.



Suddenly, we were back in civilization. A couple was standing near the brink of the falls; the guy was wearing shorts at 5C just before sunset. We called over to see if they had a headlamp. They seemed unconcerned. This was a continuing theme. After our mad dash, we met half a dozen people still coming up on the trail. We reminded all of them that sunset was imminent since most of them weren't carrying much. I'll bet a few people came down that rocky trail by smartphone flashlight.



We ran and speed-hiked to the bottom, arriving 25 minutes after sunset, just at the moment when we would have needed to turn on our headlamps. As we walked across the grass toward our hotel, I turned to give 'Bent a congratulatory hug and sprained my ankle. Good times. :)

[Time deducted for long lunch stop but other photo stops are included]

Trek Part 1

Trek Part 2

This was the first of two days when our rental car sat unused, just the way we like it.

While 'Bent attended his final class, I took the long route to meet him for lunch, starting with a side trip to Lower Yosemite Falls. This waterfall - including the upper section not seen here - is touted as the highest in North America at 739 m.



I checked out Yosemite Village, including the Ansel Adams gallery.



'Bent and I were fortunate to be seated at the wrong table for lunch at the fancy Majestic Hotel. They had to move us so they gave us their best table to make it up to us. It worked. I called this the Harry Potter Dining Room. The Majestic is one of those grand old hotels from a different era like the Banff Springs. Needless to say, we couldn't afford to stay there.





Someone suggested a post-lunch hike to Mirror Lake so we took the long way home. Mirror Lake is a misnomer, especially in autumn. There is a lot more water on the bike section of a typical Ontario adventure race!



On a clear day, there would be a fantastic view of Half Dome from directly below it, but it was cloudy.

Although the destination wasn't that exciting in this weather, the trail to get there was pretty.



And so was the rest of our hike back to Yosemite Valley Lodge. The sun peeked out to get our hopes up for tomorrow's hike.

As a longtime fan of mountaineering books and films, I was excited to see El Capitan up close. If you've been to the Banff Festival of Mountain Films a few times, you've probably seen it on the big screen.



After 'Bent's class today, we hiked up to the base of The Nose, probably the most famous rock climbing route in North America. This trail didn't appear on the hiking maps we had but we saw a path leading into the forest in the right area and guessed where it went. I'm sure the park is trying to keep tourists away. It doesn't deter anyone who knows about El Cap. We ran into a few other people wandering around its base.

The photo from the bottom of the wall doesn't show its scale at all; it's almost a kilometre high!



Two very relaxed deer kept an eye on us.



There were a few abandoned ropes hanging off the wall and some informal trails through the trees but there wasn't any garbage or abandoned gear on the ground. It looks like the area is treated with respect.

Climbers typically take 3-5 days to ascend 900 meters (3,000') to the top but a new speed record of 2 hrs 19 mins 44 seconds was set last month. We saw two climbers today at The Great Roof. If you look back at the photo of the entire wall, you might notice this tiny dark spot near the top of The Nose.



'Bent tried his hand at free soloing and made it up exactly one move. :) He could have gone a bit farther but it's not safe to scramble around the base of a rock wall without a helmet - not that it would help much.



Speaking of free soloing, someone said they spotted climbing superstar Alex Honnold - who made the first-ever free solo (no ropes) climb of El Capitan in June - in the cafeteria at our hotel. I kept an eye out for him for the rest of our trip but no luck.

We drove a short distance up to Tunnel View, one of the most famous views of Yosemite Valley. We didn't have great lighting but it was pretty.

Track for our walk up to the base of the Nose. We also hiked to Bridalveil Fall and a few other short walks although I'd turned off the Ambit by then. The track also shows our drive to Tunnel View - oops!

I rented a "bike" from Yosemite Valley Lodge, where we're staying.



It was single speed and I had to brake by pedalling backward, which is a skill I've apparently forgotten from my childhood. An extremely upright posture was required. It was a surprising amount of work! Still, any bike is better than no bike.

Mountain biking is strictly prohibited in Yosemite. Riding is only permitted on roads and paved bike trails. I explored all of the bike trail system and did a couple of the nicer sections twice. There were some terrific views that I hadn't seen from the road. Time includes photos and sightseeing breaks.



There are some spectacular, large trees but sadly, a number of them are dead or dying.



Half Dome never gets old.

'Bent and I hiked up from Yosemite Valley to spectacular Glacier Point via Four Mile Trail, which is actually longer than that. It was a steady climb with a mix of autumn forest and amazing views. It was a little smoky from forest fires but it improved as the day warmed up.











That's El Capitan across the valley.







Glacier Point can also be reached by vehicle but it wasn't too crowded today, even though it was the last day of the year that the road would be open. I'm sure it's crazy in the summer.

We had just enough time before 'Bent's dental course to trek up to Sentinel Dome for an even higher viewpoint (2476 m/ 8123 ft). I could have stayed up there all day!









Clouds were rolling in quickly and our view started to disappear.

But we spent so much time gawking and taking photos that we had to run the 1300 m descent to the valley so 'Bent could get to school on time! The trail sign said, "Running is dangerous" but it also said, "Biking is prohibited" so we decided to interpret that as a deliberate distinction, i.e. we weren't breaking a rule. Just in case, when we met other people, we hiked past them. We ran through a chilly layer of fog and the afternoon was cloudy. Perfect for school.

As a good wife, I grudgingly agreed to accompany ‘Bent to a dental course in Yosemite. :)

It was a rather spooky Hallowe’en but it’s all good now.

Back to Dr. Thumbs-of-Death for more foot torture. My calf was still sore from Thursday but he inflicted pain on some other areas today. It feels like there's been a lot of progress after two treatments. The newly sprained ankle on my other foot prevents me from having any delusions of running fitness and good health.