Day 20: Yosemite National Park

Miles travelled: 7483 to  (total of 36 miles / 57 kilometres)
Weather:  clear & sunny
Highlight of the day: Mist Trail to Vernal & Nevada Waterfalls, Yosemite Falls, Yosemite park in general

Scott on the Mist Trail     Atop Vernal Falls, Mist Trail, Yosemite     Nevada Falls, Yosemite    Yosemite Falls   Anti-bear Food Storage Locker

 Up at 6:00, breakfasted and on the road by 7:15.

We drive through a tunnel and there is Yosemite valley before us. It’s gobsmackingly beautiful. Luckily Disa is driving as I probably would have run off the road at the sight. The many pulloffs along the road are testimony that this is a pretty standard response. We stop and get out and gape in wonder and get out our cameras. I will try to describe Yosemite. It is a small valley with almost vertical granite sides, tall green trees and open fields. It has many spectacular waterfalls and a beautiful river runs through it. It is the most perfectly beautiful place I have ever seen. I cannot do it justice so will not try. Please look at our photos (or better still Ansel Adams’ photos) or visit their website or something. I’ll stop raving now.

We drive slowly to the village of Curry enjoying the scenery along the way and arrive at the campsite office at 8:15. All sites are taken. We expected this as today is Friday and tomorrow is the start of the Memorial Day long weekend. The busiest period of the year for the park. Also the most dangerous for car accidents as the campground manager warned us last night. We are number 8 on  cancellation waiting  list and begin to hope that al least 8 cancellations occur. Not for death & destruction reasons but for happy things like winning the lottery or early birth of a grandchild. We have to be back at the office at 3:00, if they read out our name and we are not there our site goes to number 9 on the list.

We catch a shuttle to Happy Iles and start on the Mist trail to Vernal Falls. The ranger at the campsite office advised against this walk as we would get cold and wet from the mist from the falls (hence the trail name). After 2 weeks of walking trails in the desert heat this warning was not a disincentive at all. The scenery was amazing on the walk and we got suitably soaked then dried out.  The trees, birds & butterflies were all different to those seen so far and the views constantly stunning.  After reaching the top of Vernal Falls we proceeded on to Nevada Falls.  This section was every bit as good as the Mist trail.  Once at the top of Nevada Falls we had to turn back so that we would not be late for the campsite cancellations.  Went down a different trail so got new views of the falls and scenery.

We bought some rolls for lunch at Happy Iles and ate them on the walk back to Curry arriving in time for the roll call and were rewarded with a camping spot.  Yay!!  In fact everyone on the list got a spot .  Yay!!  The next hour was spent checking in and bear proofing the van; when selecting and registering for our site at the campgrounds registrations kiosk, we had to initial a paper saying that we understood the risks of bears and how to properly bear proof our vehicle.  While standing amongst signs stating how many bears had been sited in the campground the week before and prominant photos of bear damage to cars and campers.  Yosemite takes bears very seriously.  They are black bears who love to scavenge for food in the camps and are very canny.  All food, food wrappings, scented toiletries etc must be stored in steel lockers as the bears will break into cars if they smell food or see something they think might contain food.

4:00 Catch shuttle bus to visitors centre. Check out centre, the nearby Ansel Adams Gallery and scope out presents for David (birthday), Maria (college graduation), Mandy (looking after Snuva), and Hannah (beautiful, lovely daughter).  The shuttle bus stops at the Yosemite Falls stop on the way back to the campground and, since it’s only a 10 minute walk to the falls, we get out to do it.  Thank goodness we did.  Yosemite falls is the most spectacular sight yet.  We walk along a level, wide, paved path that suddenly turns a corner and there it is.  I stop and involuntarily gasp (can’t really recall doing this before anywhere). It’s that good.

6:30 – 8:30 Getting Presentable.  It’s been several days since I’ve showered or shaved and my hiking clothes are rather ripe. I leave Disa going into the ladies showers and head into the mens.  I ignore the putrid stench and shave, brush my teeth and clip my nails.  The stench turns out to be a pair of socks abandoned in the waste paper basket (I can’t blame him, I’d have abandoned them too).  I lay out my clean clothes get out my toiletries and towel, strip naked, stuff my grotty clothes into plastic bags (not quite to the abandon them stage), get into the shower and turn on the water.  Nothing, not a drop.  The tap turns, and with a bit of force applied moves up and down and from side to side but refuses to supply water.  I try the next one – same deal.  In fact all six showers refuse to work (same union I suppose).  I wrap a towel around my unclean body and desperately search for buttons, coin slots, levers, anything to get the water going.  Nothing.  Although I had been happily dirty for ..er several days, now that the prospect of getting clean is near, I am desperate to have a shower.  I put on my filthy clothes, pack up everything and go to the shower block next door.  This block also has six showers and someone is successfully using one of them.  Bliss!  I hurriedly undress, stow disgusting clothes into plastic bags, lay out clean clothes, get toiletries out, get into shower and turn the taps.  No water.  Same in remaining four showers.  In some desperation I say to the guy in the one working shower “Excuse me”.  Naturally he assumes I’m speaking to someone else and doesn’t reply.  I’m desperate enough to push on “Excuse me, you in the shower” Pause “Yeah?” “How did you get the water on?” Pause ” ..Turned the faucet” “I tried that with all the others but they don’t work!” Pause “..Oh”. The sudden realisation of exactly what I’m doing (standing naked in a public shower block forcing a conversation on to a naked stranger) overcomes my desperation and I am immediately mortified and stop speaking to consider my options.  I could wait until the man in the shower has finished then use that shower (too embarrassing having to avoid eye contact etc.), I could wait outside the shower block until he comes out (nothing embarrassing about lurking outside public shower blocks is there?).  Silently I put my grotty, sweaty, dirty clothing back on, pack up and walk to the next shower block, several hundred metres away.  This one has a shower that works!  I have the bestest, longest shower, get very clean and regain my composure.  Fully clean and presentable I even manage to track Disa down.   She was rather wondering where I had gotten to…had even lurked outside the mens shower block waiting for me. . .I hope she didn’t ask the man who came out of the one next door if he had seen me. . .

8:30 – 10:00  Pizza & beer for dinner. Both were very good. I got the gigantic size pizza so we had enough for breakfast the next day.  At 9:50 we were walking back to the campground in the dark holding half a pizza and wondering if it would attract the bears.  It didn’t.

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