I LOVE Yosemite. In the two years that I’ve been a California resident, I’ve visited this phenomenal park probably two dozen times. I’ve done almost every Valley hike, and I’m making progress on covering the high country trails off Tioga Pass. It’s an addiction, and I want to hike every mile of the park.

This past weekend went a little differently than usual. A typical Yosemite visit for me is to get up close to my usual weekday wake-up time, which is 2 AM. Isn’t that what everyone does in order to take on the day? I’m in the Valley by 5 or 6 AM when the majority of campers, glampers, and vacationers are still in a deep sleep. This is how to avoid traffic, claim prime parking, get an hour or two of peace and quiet on the trail, and hopefully spot wildlife. We can put in a full day of hiking, take our time at viewpoints, and get back to Fresno at a reasonable hour. Oops, my secrets are out!

This trip, however, was full of changing plans. My to-do list oriented personality was disappointed that I couldn’t check off the day’s plan, but I was surprisingly cool with the changes. The original itinerary was to hike (or struggle-walk) to Upper Yosemite Fall, then head west to Eagle Peak near the top of El Capitan. We didn’t get out of Fresno until after 7:30 AM. I knew this was going to be a long drive full of traffic. A couple of miles before the park entrance on Highway 41, we ended up at a standstill. I’ve NEVER waited in line at this entrance before! Go go gadget car legs! Let us cut in line, flash our pass, and get in there!

Half Dome, from a flooded Valley Loop Trail.

The 35ish miles to the Valley floor were mostly moving, with backups of course near the Tunnel View lots, then again at Bridalveil Fall. Another secret revealed: we wanted to park off Northside Dr. to avoid most of the afternoon backups when everyone is leaving the park. It took over an HOUR to drive the 5-6 miles from Bridalveil to Camp 4 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Of course, there wasn’t any parking nearby. So we kept driving. A half of a mile past El Capitan Dr., we found a spot in the mud. It was after noon at this point, and we were about 3.5 miles from the trailhead. Starting a 10 mile strenuous hike at 1:30 PM on a very warm day? No thank you.

We started walking and decided then that this would be a tourist day. We had never walked around the Valley Loop Trail before to hit up all the spectacular photo spots, so it was about time.

It was great seeing so many travelers from around the world enjoying the beauty of our backyard. I realize that the vast majority of daily visitors are from out of town, so I am very thankful that I have relatively minimal traveling to do to get there.

We walked past massive El Capitan and found several parties of climbers making progress up the more than 3,000 foot tall granite giant. We did some trail-finding through flooded sections from snowmelt. We walked through Camp 4, full of “our people” (climbers), who were hopefully having a blast and staying safe on their climbs that day. We ran like children through the freezing cold spray at Lower Yosemite Fall, toured the Visitor Center, and shopped at the grocery store. I’ve been collecting National Park stemless wine glasses, and I finally got my Yosemite glass.

Yosemite Valley Chapel

We got photos of the Chapel, then found the most beautiful view of Yosemite Falls. We waited for the sun to go down behind the mountains, then started the 4 mile walk back to the car. It was getting dark and there were still a lot of people on the trail. We joked that this is probably the safest and best area in a National Park to get lost in or caught unprepared for a cold night. As long as you’re on the Valley floor, you’re never more than 100 yards from a road and help.

Our walk back got slightly interesting. Remember all the snowmelt flooding? Yeah. It gets worse throughout the day. It happened to be a very warm day, even warm for the higher elevations. That means more snowmelt and rising water throughout the day.

The trail we took in was impassible on the way out.

We noticed that we became surrounded by water on three sides. After my clumsy self busted my knee on a downed tree, we started backtracking in the now dark woods. We hadn’t planned to be out that late. Our number one rule is to always, always, have a headlamp. Or two. Mark is smart and also has backup batteries. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hiked back to the car after sunset. You get caught up in your hiking, climbing, or whatever you’re doing, and you want to do it for as long as daylight will allow. Hiking back in the dark without a light is dangerous, even scary. There may be uneven ankle-twisting terrain, the edge of the trail could be an invisible and sheer drop-off, or, I don’t know, a mountain lion or human could be stalking you. I have a great imagination. Whatever the case, it’s just not a good situation to be in.

Yosemite Falls

Anyway, on went the headlamps. After getting slightly turned around and having to use our GPS to find the dry part of the trail again (remember how we were laughing about it being impossible to get lost in the Valley? 🙂 ), we walked back the way we came. We quickly ran into a couple walking toward the flooded trail. They were trying to get to a road so they could take it back to their car on the other side of the Valley. We told them they won’t get far that way. Or anywhere at all unless they have a flashlight on their cell phone.

We offered them one of our headlamps, and if they wanted to walk back to our car with us, we’d drive them to their car. Considering their other options of swimming in freezing water, or walking along a dark, narrow, and winding road without a shoulder, their odds were better hitching a ride with complete strangers.

One of the first things they said was, “We didn’t plan to be out here this late.” I get that, believe me. Like I said, I’ve been there so many times.

They were such a nice couple, and we all chatted for the remaining two miles. It turns out that their car was MILES away from where we met them. They would have been out there for hours in the dark before finding the road to their car.

I don’t want to come off like we’re tooting our horns for being prepared and for helping others from a potentially bad night. We’ve all been there. I’m actually a repeat offender for having dead headlamp batteries, or forgetting important gear or supplies. I’ve climbed and hiked with experienced people who have forgotten water or snacks for full day excursions. It could have easily been us in their situation. We’re human and things happen. I only want to draw attention to preparedness and respecting how wild the WILDerness is, so maybe we can more easily remind ourselves next time of what essentials we need for the outdoors. This is why I make so many lists, or else I’d forget to bring my brain.

Hartweg’s Iris in Yosemite Valley. My cell phone’s selective focus feature isn’t too bad!

It’s so amazing that our National Parks are accessible to everybody, no matter your ability or experience. I wish everyone had the means and opportunity to visit a park. We just have to remember that even though it’s a crowded park, it isn’t New York City where a bottle of water can be found by walking ten feet. It’s not LA where streetlights outline the roads and highlight pedestrians. It’s not your amenity laden town with multiple gas stations competing at the same intersection. We have to prepare for anything. Have water, keep your gas tank full while in the park, and always, always, have a headlamp. Was that a rant? I’m not sure. I didn’t have rant on my to-do list today. Let’s call it a friendly reminder, especially to myself.

I think everyone we encountered that day had an overall fantastic time in the park. I’m glad we ended our day with new friends, even if we never see them again.

I do know that we all left with some good stories.