| Day 1 Profile |
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Woke up at 6:30 to 57 temps. Hopped on the free shuttle over to Yosemite Village. While I waited for the Post Office to open, I dined on an egg and ham crossandwich at the grill. Yum! Hit the PO when the doors opened at 8:30, and bought a box and packed my box to forward to VVR. No issues. I shuttled back to my cabin, grabbed my gear and checked out. Decided I just HAD to know my final total loaded pack weight, so shuttled back to the wilderness center since they have a scale made just for this purpose. 29 LBS. Not bad! I really wanted to stay under 30, so I was happy. Finally, I shuttled (again), but his time to the Happy Isle trailhead. I finally hit the trail at 11:00 am. I can't believe I am finally here, and actually going to do this. I was SO excited as I took that first step on the actual John Muir Trail! I decided to take the actual JMT trail and not the Mist Falls trail as I climbed out of Yosemite Valley. I don't intend to be a purist and walk every step on the JMT, but I had read that the Mist Falls trail was a killer, even though beautiful. The JMT was steep, but well graded, and was shaded until I hit Nevada Falls, so it was a nice hike. Words cannot describe the towering granite monoliths. Seeing them rise thousands of feet above your head is humbling. At 2 miles, I adjusted my GPS to try to get more tracks saved, and reduced the accuracy of the tracked signal. I realized my mistake about .25 miles later, and put the setting back the way it was. I had to edit the track to eliminate the wild swings it created, so the climb up the switchbacks above the Mist Trail Junction shows as a straight line instead of zigzags in the pictures above. |
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 Ready to hike! |
 Trail to Vernal Falls |
 Looking back at Yosemite |
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This section of trail was like a freeway. There were so many people that it felt like a Disneyland attraction. It certainly got better once I left the Mist Trail junction, but I rejoined the throngs of dayhikers once I hit Nevada Falls. The Falls were beautiful, with the Liberty Cap mountain in the background. I was amazed at the trail leading to the Falls. The people who carved this trail along the vertical granite mountainside were braver souls than I will ever be. Thank you! |
 Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap |
 Towering granite |
 Trail carved in granite |
 Top of Nevada Falls |
 Outhouse at Nevada Falls |
I was worried that the camping area at Little Yosemite would be full since there were so many people on the trail. Most must have been doing Half Dome (in a single day, ouch!) since LYV had plenty of sites available. I arrived at LYV at 3pm. There were 30+ campsites, and most were available. There is a really unique 2 story outhouse as well. I believe it is a composting outhouse. I made camp, and wandered down to the Merced river, which is just a few hundered feet or so from the campsites. I took a refreshing, chilly swim in my hiking clothes to get the dust off, and my clothes were dry in one hour in the dry air. Love those synthetics! |
 Entrance to Little Yosemite Valley (LYV) |
 Little Yosemite Valley |
| It was 71 degrees at 6pm, with a
slight breeze. I think my favorite
sound on the planet is the sound of the wind blowing through the pines.
I was treated to this music as I made dinner and relaxed at camp. I
made my way back to the river to get some water, and was surprised to
find 6 nude, old men frolicking in and out of the water. NOT really
what I wanted to see. In fact, I had to herd 3 young children away from
the area as they were headed to the river. I explained the reason to
the adults in the group as they approached. Skinny dipping in a
remote location is fine. Skinny dipping in a heavily used area
with kids around is not. Just before the sun set, a Ranger stopped by and asked to see my permit. I enjoyed chatting with him for a bit. No moskies again. SUCH a difference from last year!!! Camp was at 6100 ft. GPS said 2654 ft up, and 738 down today. The weather forecast calls for cold and maybe rain tommorrow. No problem, I am prepared!! I feel good, and still have an appetite. No indications of elevation sickness or issues yet. I had Pack It Gourmet roast beef wraps with extra rice and couscous for dinner. Was actually really good!. |
