Just before 7 I head over to the lounge where they have internet access. It was down all day yesterday, and I have to do some research to find a spot in Fresno to get an oil change for the RV. Someone tells me that it is supposed to be up at 7, so I head back to the yurt to grab my laptop. It comes up at 7:15 and I look to find a couple spots that might work out. I also spend some time on the phone with Wendy’s sister Sandy who has been my tech support back in Wilmette. We lost power there due to a very big storm and it was out for 12 hours. My email servers went down, and although some of the system came back up, I need a couple of the servers rebooted. She powers up the ones that did not boot and I am back up and running.
Having such great help and support back home has made this trip doable. Our neighbors email us at each storm to give us updates, and knowing that Lori and Sandy are there to keep things watered and an eye on the house has given me a lot of peace of mind.
By the time I finish these tasks, it is time to wake up Charlotte for the walk. She pops right out of bed and we drive over to Yosemite Village to find the group we are joining. I struggle once again trying to find the village. We pull into a couple roads that seem to be the right way, but each leads to the wrong place. I finally spot a sign for the Village, but it is a service only road. We find a parking spot across the street and I look for someone to give us directions. It is now 10 minutes until the walk, and someone points out a map next to the restrooms and bus stop at the parking lot we have pulled into. The map shows the entire Village. Turns out that there is no parking at the Village. You have to park in this lot and make the 10 minute walk. We take off at a brisk pace and get to the Village with just a couple minutes to spare.
Wendy told me when she signed us up for this walk that we were to meet at the Ansel Adams Gallery. We find the Gallery, but no one is there. It doesn’t open until 9; there are a couple people inside, but no one waiting outside. I head over to the Visitor Center, but it too opens at 9. Back to the Wilderness Center where there are 20 to 30 people waiting for back country permits, but the line is too long. I walk back over to the Gallery and spot another person walking up who asks if this is where we are to meet. Finally some more people start to show, and at 8:33, the guide comes out from inside. We wait a few more minutes and the rest of the group shows up and we head out on the walk.
Our guide (Mike) informs us that he will take us to some of the spots that Ansel Adams shot some of his pictures here at Yosemite. We will discuss lighting, contrast, composure, exposure and even some techniques that he used when developing his prints that can be used in Photoshop today. We will also learn some of the history about his career.
Our first stop is next to a very large oak tree with a view of Half Dome in the background. He opens up a large book of Ansel Adam’s shots, and we begin to discuss how he framed this shot. He talks about the challenges of shooting some of these shots today (there were no RV’s driving through the park at the time this shot was taken – in fact the roads were not even there). He discusses the rule of thirds for photography that is so well known, and then shows us 3 or 4 of Ansel’s pictures that completely break the rule. We talk about back lighting, front lighting and using the ground and object to give you the proper perspective of depth of field.
We then move on to a spot in a meadow where we have some views of Yosemite Falls and some of the other formations in the Valley. He talks more about lighting and shows us pictures taken at all different times of day so that we can see the effect that lighting has on these shots. We learn more about framing your subjects and some more history. We then move on to a spot in the pines where he discusses vertical and horizontal lines and how these lines can be used to draw the viewers eye to the highlights in the photo. Charlotte tells me that although much of this is repeat from her class she took at school, it is really neat to hear it while seeing Ansel’s shots and seeing the magnificent views that made them up. Many of the photos that the guide is showing us are from other National Parks, but show how getting to the right place at the right time of day and time of year with just the right weather conditions can make for a perfect shot. He then talks about how there are a couple details in each of Ansel’s shots that he was not at all happy with. A fisherman on a dock. A fallen log that you can see once he points it out. Still not the perfect shot, but you admire the thought and setup that went into each of these photos. You have to remember that he had a box camera that was huge and not zoom lenses. He had to move forward or back to the perfect spot to get the shot. Sometimes that meant hiking for days or weeks with his mule. Most of these shots were taken for the Park Service to be used in brochures to help sell the National Park System. Before WW2, not many people were visiting the parks, and the Government thought they needed to be advertised in to explain to the people how beautiful everything is.
Our last stop is on Sentinel Bridge (one of the favorite spots to shoot Half Dome at sunset). This is a beautiful granite stone bridge and the guide asks if anyone knows where the rocks that make up this bridge came from. Someone jokingly says Vermont, and the guide replies “Not too far off”. The stones actually came from Georgia, as they are not able to use any of the rock in the park as it is all protected as part of the National Park system. They closest match to the rock in Yosemite is from Georgia, so they haul in rocks for construction so that it will match the rock in the park.He then talks to us about how although this view of Half Dome is a favorite of photographers; we need to also think outside the box. One of the photographers who has worked in the park for the past 20 years and has made a very nice living selling his shots of the park has NEVER photographed Half Dome or Yosemite Falls. All his work has been done on other shots of rock formations, nature and landscapes. He also discusses some much better places to shoot and alternate views of things that although not as iconic as some of Yosemite’s treasures, and create images that are just as powerful.
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| Back lighting |
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| Low depth of field |
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| Color Contrast |
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| Vertical Lines |
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| Yosemite Falls - Upper and Lower |
We all thank him for the information and head back to the village. Charlotte and I get a bit turned around and end up missing the trail back, but we are only a little ways off course and finally make it back to the Gallery. We look at some of Ansel’s original pictures on the walls and then head back to the car.
Once back, Wendy has everyone packed up and we are ready to check out. It is 11 and check out is at 11, so Charlotte and I quickly head over to the showers for a last shower. The RV is out of water, so it may be a day or so before we get another chance. The showers are being cleaned, so we have to wait a bit, but one in enjoy the nice hot shower. I shave for the first time in over a week. It feels good to be cleaned up.
We then grab some lunch and then hop the bus to Happy Isles, the trial head for the John Muir and Mist Trail. This is the same trail head that we used for our mule rides the other day, but this time we will be walking the trail. All the kids want to do the full hike up to Nevada Falls, a two thousand foot gain in elevation with a 6.4 mile hike. Wendy and I tell them that the shorter route up to the top of Vernal falls (half way) would be a better start and we can all see how we feel at that point. I try to set my GPS so we can track our route along the way, but it is having problems getting a fix. I finally turn it off. We don’t need it to follow the trail, but it is fun keeping track of our pace and climb. There are a LOT of people out on this trail and the going is slow due to people stopping in front of us. We take in the sights of the water crashing over the boulders along the way.
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| Double Rainbow |
Again, the water is much higher than when we were here 18 years ago. Some slow ascents, then we make a turn over a bridge and the climb really begins. A couple more turns, and we have a wonderful view of Vernal Falls. And we also find out that they don’t call this the Mist Trail for nothing. Everyone has warned us that we will get wet, but this is incredible. The water us thundering down and the spray is swirling in the air. We did the Lady of the Mist boat trip at Niagara Falls years ago, but that was nothing compared to this. It is like a downpour, but mist instead of rain and it is swirling in all directions. We take a few quick pictures off and on, but keep the camera in the backpack as much as possible. It gets soaked each time we pull it out. We are all soaked to the bone by the time we are halfway up the climb. Very steep steps and we stop every 50 to 100 feet to catch our breath. We spot many double rainbows and keep climbing to the top.
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| Vernal Falls |
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| Soaked |
Once near the top, there is a long trail that has been carved into the side of the mountain. A railing along the side keeps hikers from falling over the edge and the path is just wide enough for a couple people to pass (if they slide by sideways). Finally at the top, and there is a large granite landing. Many people are laid out here, soaking up the sun and drying out. We take off the backpacks; I pull the camera out of the bag and use a towel we have to dry it off. I lay my shirt out to dry and we head over to the railing to get a much closer view of the falls from the top. We are just a few feet from the drop and you can see that they have moved the railings back about 10 to 15 feet due to the high water.
We sit and rest for a bit, talk to a leader of a group of kids from California who is taking a bunch of special needs kids to various wilderness locations and then discuss what we want to do next. The kids are still up for the trek up to Nevada falls, but Wendy and I aren’t sure we are up for the climb. I show the kids on the map where we are and tell them that this is the ¼ point for making it UP to Half Dome. In hindsight, with some more prep and training, the kids probably could handle that hike, but they have not been faring well on some of the other hikes we have been doing. I’m hoping that this one is turning them around. They all are very excited about what we have seen and talk about doing longer hikes on our next stops.
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| View from the top of Vernal Falls |
We decide to just head back down the Mist Trail again. Our alternatives were to go the rest of the way up to the top of Nevada Falls, or just go a little further and catch the John Muir Trail back down. We did that trail on the mules, and the kids would rather get wet again. I convince them to hike a little further up this trail so that we can catch a glimpse of Nevada Falls. We make it past Emerald Pools where people typically can take a dip to cool off, but there are many signs warning people to stay out. The water in the pools is swirling and there are large logs swirling around with it. We walk a little farther up and there is a long flat area of granite with water rushing over it.
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| We soaked our feet in these pools on our last hike up Half Dome - raging water now |
We start to walk up the side, and then notice some people sun bathing. One of the girls has decided to work on her tan where the sun normally doesn’t shine, and Jackson, Charlotte and I decide not to walk right past. Wendy is not so modest and says she is not going to let that stop her, so grabs the camera and Georgia and plods right past. As we look from the woods, Georgia is doing handstands for a photo op right next to the group. They don’t seem to be bothered, and looking back at it, we probably should have all just walked by.
The kids all tell us they had great views of Nevada Falls on our mule ride, and if we can’t climb to the top they would like to just hike back down. We head back down the trail and into the mist one more time. We stop a few times to again take in the views and we don’t get quite as wet this time as we are moving much faster down the steps.
As we get about a third of the way down, I am reminded (by my knees and feet) how tough it is going downhill. Although you are not climbing, your legs don’t have the same strength as the climb up, and we all need to be a little careful not to slip on the wet rocks. A little further down, Georgia decides to show me that it is easier to just walk backwards and starts to walk and skip down backwards. Jackson is now climbing every rock he can find to show us he is still full of energy.
Once at the bottom, we hop the shuttle back to Curry Village. Wendy grabs my phone to do a little research on things for the kids to do in Vegas while the kids grab an ice cream and I head back to the bar. One more local IPA (a small one please, I have a long drive back to the campground), and then I go to round up the kids. They are only about half way through the line and I tell them to meet us over at the lodge and head over to sit with Wendy. We spend some time talking about the game plan for the next couple days and when the kids get back we all head over to the car.
We make a couple stops on the way out. We pull though Camp 4 where the climbers all stay and I hop out at El Capitan to take a couple pictures. It is just about sunset and the lighting is very different than when we photographed this a couple days ago. There is a guy with a scope looking at the climbers on the side and he offers a view. I can pick out one set of climbers in their tent, and he tells me that is the same group that was there a couple days ago when we spotted them from Tunnel View. We also find another pair who are pulling up some gear and setting up their tent for the night.
On to Tunnel View and I pull over for our last glimpses of Yosemite. The sun will be setting in 20 to 30 minutes, which would offer spectacular views of the Valley, but we are all tired and hungry and we have an hour of curving, winding road to get us back.
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| Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls - as sun begins to set |
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| El Capitan - Almost Sunset |
The drive takes its toll on everyone but me. I’m not sure if it is just that I am behind the wheel, but there are a LOT of curves and speeding up and slowing down. We finally reach the edge of the park, flash our park pass and look for the entrance sign for our obligatory picture.
Back to the RV and the kids all start a fire. As I am pulling in the luggage and talking to our neighbors, I hear them comparing the hike today to some of our other adventures. They really are enjoying the trip and there is so much left to experience.
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| Moon rising over trees by our campsite |
We fire up the generator (somehow the batteries have gone completely dead) and everything unpacked. Wendy fixes dinner while I put everything away. I open a couple bottles of wine and we all sit and talk about the hike. The kids then watch a movie on their laptops while Wendy and I relax for a bit. Off to bed and I don’t think it took a minute to fall asleep. Great day in Yosemite!