PLACERVILLE, CA – On our last full day in Yosemite National Park on Friday, I hiked to the top of Vernal Fall along what’s called the Mist Trail, which I can confirm is aptly named.
The 3-mile roundtrip trail starts at the Yosemite Valley floor along the Merced River. It rises about 400 feet to a footbridge over the river looking up at the falls, and then another 600 feet to a viewing area above the falls. For the final ascent, I trudged up a granite stairway of more than 600 steps. The stairway and I were both soaked from the spray from the falls but the mist also created a colorful rainbow at its base.
Rather than pick my way back down the slippery stairs, I came back by way of the John Muir Trail. The full Muir Trail runs 211 miles from Yosemite to the top of Mt. Whitney. I only hiked about 1.5 miles of it, but I can say “I hiked the John Muir Trail!” (In his book, A Walk in the Woods, author Bill Bryson said the same about the Appalachian Trail, even though he and his friend only hiked portions of it. Hint: Read the book, skip the movie.)
Photo slideshow: 1) Nevada Fall from Clark Point; 2) Above Vernal Fall; 3) At the viewing area at the top of Vernal Fall.
While I was getting a shower on the Mist Trail, Elizabeth was walking to Mirror Lake at the base of Half Dome. It’s not really a lake, but a wide and slow-moving portion of Tenaya Creek. It’s a great place for kids to wade in the creek and for reflective photos of Half Dome. Here are a couple of Elizabeth’s photos.
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Today we’re wrapping up a two-night stay at a KOA RV park in what was once gold rush country in west central California.
Yesterday we drove 70 miles to South Lake Tahoe to admire the lake and to enjoy lunch with Bill and Jill Schilling, a couple we first met during our time in London in the 1990s. The Schillings live in Reno, so we agreed to meet at a favorite restaurant of theirs just over the California line and near the lake. After lunch we walked along the beach and looked out on the blue-green waters of the lake and the mountains that surround it.
After we said goodbye to our friends, Elizabeth and I drove to the southwest corner of the lake to admire the views above Emerald Bay State Park. The bay is a mile wide and three miles long. It’s home to the only island in the lake, which features the remains of a tea house built at the top of the island by a wealthy land owner in the 1920s.
Dashboard:
Days on the road: 91;
Miles towing the RV: 4,429;
RV parks stayed at: 29;
National parks visited: 12.
The road ahead (Lord willing): Redding and Eureka, CA
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