DRIVING FROM YOSEMITE....MORE WATER...

Drove a different route to my Mom's with NO idea I would not make it on Friday!  Also did not realize I was going to see ALOT more water on this route!  This particular creek is called Cascade Creek . Quite appropriate!

As you can see, FITS its name! WOW!

Where in the world all this water comes from is beyond me.  Would love to FLY up above and check it out!

I left this site, drive on to another creek call Tamarack Creek.  Realized that

these 2 creeks joined way below with still another creek.

All for now.

YOSEMITE....SAYING GOODBYE....AND WOW!

 A telephoto of the river coming down from Nevada Falls. Amazing.  Too bad no trail up to the falls. Guess you have to hike to the top.  One day!

Say good bye to the bridge over the creek from Vernall.  Had to share this one. Climbed down the bank, (trail obvious from previous venturers) to get this picture.  Just so awesome.  But this is SAFE water....in the past, water comes down so heavy it even goes OVER this bridge.

Mist seen , again with telephoto, of Nevada falls.

Well, at the finish of this hike, I spotted this oddity.  Weird.  Looking back on that tree, it was DEAD. Guess it got all it could from the rock!

Ok, so for some final valley pictures.  Caputred this one of Half Dome. 

Spotted this falls just pouring down a long ways.  Do not know if it even has a name.

Ok, as I drove up the road to view the famous lookout of the valley I first saw the day I arrived. Spotted Bridal Veil Falls!  Honestly had not seen it till now.

Mist from the veil.  So pretty.  Not sure about a trail to this falls, but certainly one I need to check out one day.

Ok .....THE VIEW! Everybody was there photographing this view!  Good time to film here too.

Another of Half Dome from here.  Telephoto to capture it closer.

                      Of Course EL CAPITAN....the most climbed mountain in the world....NOT ME... NO WAY!

And this falls,  on the other side of El Capitan, Ribbon Falls.  It's hard to believe that this waterfall is often overlooked because it sits directly across the valley from Yosemite's iconic Bridaveil Fall. Nonetheless, it's got a 1,612ft (491m) vertical drop adjacent to El Capitan and has a flow that lasts for at least the Spring months and early into Summer. 

That is it for Yosemite Valley views....Hope you really enjoyed this tour!

HIKING THE MIST TRAIL TO VERNAL FALLS, part 2

Love this trail....continuing to the falls.  Really was well traveled the day I was there, had to wait a bit to get a picture without people!

At the top turn, was a huge block of rock covered with moss.  Almost looked like a barge. Amazing to realize it fell from above....yikes!

This part of the trail heads to many other places, including Nevada Falls.  One I want to do one day.  Over 3.6 miles I believe one way.  Not bad...

More of the pretty trail, and just around the corner....

Mossy green covers the cliff sides of the trail, due to the mist constantly from the falls.  This is one of my first glimpses

Here the trail starts UP, it is WET, but so MANY people were braving it!  WET and all.

Some of the steps.  Carved by a drill.  Amazed me.  Sure made the climb easier.  But was SO wet.

First good view of Vernal Falls.  Took this with my telescope lens.  Looks like I am closer! NOT

Brave people continue to climb here, into the mist.  The trail DOES take you to the top of the falls.  Maybe if I had a raincoat, I would have braved the wet rocks.

Water pouring down the mountain from Vernal.

As I climbed back down this trail, the sun hit the mist just right, and I caught a RAINBOW!

Heading back down the easier part!

Last for today....

HKING THE MIST TRAIL TO VERNAL FALLS

Hiking this trail gives one awesome views!  Here my first glimpse of Nevada Falls.  NOT hiking to that falls this time around, over a 6 mile trek! Amazing to see this Falls, having not realized you could not see it without a hike up here.
 
Next, a view of a very minor NO NAME falls,  produced by the run off, only seen then I am sure.  But still pretty, and falling a long ways!

Next , the trail to Vernal and beyond.  ALL paved!  Pretty, and very pleasant, conducive to meditating on God's wonderful creation for sure.

My next view of Nevada Falls....WOW....hey I took my new camera on this trek.  The megs are still BIG here, and this blog is able to upload them.  amazing.  Anyway, we pulled around a corner for this view.

Can you see folks resting up here?!

Here we are approaching the bridge over the water from Vernal Falls.  This bridge amazed me as much as the paved pathway, in that the beams were ONE piece from side to side.  Had to have been brought by a copter I am sure!  Just past the bridge to the right was you LAST bathroom stop.  AMAZING to have this up here!

Water BOILING down the river.  It really was !!! WOW....so much water.....Amzing to see, especially coming from Arizona, where we are into another year of DROUGHT.

FIRST glimpse of Vernal Falls.  WOW.

The trail fromthe bridge is more like "soil cemented"  Alot of areas washed out.  I can imagine why!!

Last for now.  MORE of the raging river!

DO ENJOY!!!

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK....lots to see.....and my next hike...

Will start with some of the many signs they have around the Valley.  This one tells alot about the falls, and thought I would share it.

And this rock formation.  Got a closeup over it.

The neat thing about this one, shows a picture of the Valley in 1889 and today.  Interesting.

And the Merced River that runs the length of the Valley

The story board posted on this river.

More of the river with Half Dome in the Distance.

Well there was a photogapher while I was at the medow, and he took this for me .

After I left this spot, headed over to the MIST trail.  Lucky to find a place to park.  LOTS of folk there ahead of me.

This trail goes throug a Fen medow....with a boardwalk over it, due to fact it is a BOG! Green and very pretty,  Lots of birds there.  No animals visible at this time.

Path from the bog to the head of the Mist trail.

We cross over this roaring river coming from both the Nevada falls and Vernal. WOW!

Trail begins here....

Come to this sign, with LOTS of trail and hiking choices.  Maybe another day....but I had a goal, Vernal Falls...

Anyway, ONWARD and upward.  This trail was PAVED all the way....amazing to me.  AND went uphill most of the way, NO switch backs! Hard to believe it was only .8 miles, course you had to hike a good mile just to get here!

Gets me how people hiked up here, one couple the girl was wearing short shorts and sandles, NOT what you would even walk in for a distance.  Another couple, cracked me up as they hiked slow and rhythmically one behind the oither, especially where the trek was hard, guess it was to save all the way, breath, heart, legs?!  ME, I was always past them.  I could not see a problem.  I DID take time to rest a minute at a time several times when my HR was over 140!

More from this trail along with the Falls.  Vernal and Nevada can only be seen on this hike. I never knew that!