HOME: HIKING THE MONO MEADOW TRAIL IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK JULY 2010

It's cliche, but it's true: Yosemite National Park, one of the most visited parks in the world, is full of hidden gems that the average visitor misses altogether.  The Mono Meadow trail off the Glacier Point Road is a perfect example.  Just off the literal beaten path, the ever-popular Glacier Point Road is an out-and-back road that leads to it's famous namesake overlook.  From Glacier Point you have a bird's eye view of Yosemite Valley and a profile shot of Half Dome's round back that you share with thousands of people on a summer day (and good luck finding a space in that parking lot!).  Though the spectacular view from Glacier Point is worth enduring the crowds, if you want to experience Sierra high country with a more personal park experience, just pick a trail and get out of your car.  On this day, I chose Mono Meadow.

Half Dome view from Washburn Point just up from Glacier Point

Back of Half Dome from the Mono Meadow trail overlook

From the Mono Meadow trailhead parking lot, the path descends steeply through mature Red Fir forest until it reaches the meadow.  The meadow is wet and lush with downed logs criss-crossing the grasses.  Where the dry trail ends you can use the logs to cross the meadow without getting your feet wet and regain the dry path on the other side.

I was utilizing the first set of downed logs to navigate water on the trail at the entrance to the meadow when this guy showed up:

This oxymoron of a bear - cinnamon-colored Black Bear - popped out of the grass very close to me, intent on feeding, and didn't notice me for a minute.  I had the presence of mind to take photos, but was just uncomfortable enough with our proximity to abandon any ideas about video.  I was also stuck in a bend in the trail where it was necessary to go towards the bear to cross a small creek over a fallen log, or retreat back down the section of trail closest to the bear.  Once he noticed me snapping a photo, I opted for the creek.  Well past the bear and into the meadow, I tried to convince myself that I could not hear the bear behind me, but then realized I was hearing this:

Never been so glad to see a Mule Deer.  The trail exits the meadow and resumes a path through forest with sporadic granite outcroppings.  Fire swept this area in recent years and left patches of standing snags and downed charred logs.  The trail remains level with occasional rolling hills and goes from sun to shade and back again.  The birdsong was incredible and wildflowers were everywhere.

Charred logs with Lupine

Pussy Paws

Slender Triteleia

The trail crosses Illilouette Creek at a point where the creek descends down granite boulders on it's way to create Illilouette Fall in Yosemite Valley.  The pool of water where the trail crosses the creek was filled with trout zipping from side to side.  The pool of glacially cold snowmelt water was also deeper and wider than I wanted to wade despite the hot afternoon, so I looked for another place to cross and found this:

After spotting more trout while crossing, I was delighted by the creek fall downstream.  I noticed 'potholes' in the granite filled with water - a feature I've never seen here before.  Bright pink flowers grew in the granite next to the creek - California Fuschia.

I left the creek behind and resumed my trek to the Clark Range overlook.  More flowers, more burned trees with very green undergrowth and gigantic Sugar Pine cones lay scattered on the ground.  The vista ahead was beginning to widen and soon I could see mountains over the trees.  A long, low granite dome on the left side of the trail afforded a perfect view of the Clark Mountain Range and the rounded back of Half Dome.

Sierra Daisy

Woolly Sunflower

Mount Clark

Mount Starr King

The back side of Half DomeThe view is remarkable: Mount Clark, Mount Starr King and Half Dome from right to left with a turn of the head.  And so far, I had not shared the trail or the view with another human being.  I rested and rehydrated on the sun-warmed granite for the return trip.

I spied a lonely Snowplant on the way back.  More of a fungus than a plant, Snowplant is dramatic in it's drab setting.  I finally met other people on the trail in the same exact spot I saw the bear an hour earlier.  Shape shifters?  No, just a family of four from Fresno who were looking for bears and asked about my luck.  I shared my bear photos with them before ascending back to the trailhead parking lot.  That last hill is a doozy!

HOME: TAFT POINT SUMMER HIKE IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK JUNE 2010

Jeffrey Shooting Star wildflowers at Curry Village

Field of Lupine at Wawona

Lupine and Ladybug

It's June 21 and it hasn't rained (or snowed) for weeks.  The campgrounds are filled with people and the roads are filled with vehicles - it must be summer in Yosemite! The legacy of the wet and cold Spring continues to produce the most amazing wildflower show in the park as I spy Broad-Leaved Lupine everywhere. After a minor flood event the first week of June, the Merced River has stayed its course and river rafting in Yosemite Valley should commence by July 1.  

Both the Glacier Point and Tioga Pass roads are open in the park, providing access to our favorite summer hikes and climbs.  Seven miles from the lookout at Glacier Point, you'll find the trailhead for the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point hikes.  Easy hikes that will get you the most spectacular views of Yosemite Valley far below, Sentinel Dome is known for the picturesque lone Jeffrey Pine atop the dome (famously photographed by Ansel Adams), and Taft Point is known for deep fissures in the granite that provide a direct look at the Valley 3000 feet below.

Ted at Taft Point

Michelle peers over the edge of The Fissures

No handrails around The Fissures!

Boulders stuck in The Fissures

At 2.2 miles round trip, the hike to Taft Point is short and sweet.  This lookout over Yosemite Valley is also known for it's singular view of El Capitan - Yosemite's largest sheer granite rockface that towers 3000 feet over the Valley floor.  Mecca for rockclimbers, El Cap's most famous climbing route is The Nose, named after the vertical ridge that defines this feature.  From every other viewpoint, El Cap is a massive bulwark protruding into the Valley, but from Taft Point you can clearly see that El Capitan includes a concave section of sheer granite wall.

El Capitan from Taft Point

The Sentinel Dome hike, also 2.2 miles round trip, starts at the same trailhead going the opposite direction and also provides spectacular views of Yosemite Valley.  For a different take on the Valley view, try an evening Sentinel Dome hike during the full moon.  Join the throngs at Glacier Point waiting for moonrise over Nevada Fall and Half Dome, and then hike to Sentinel Dome for a moonlit view of the Valley below.  Most people hike out as soon as the moon rises, as Ted and I discovered some years ago where we had Sentinel Dome all to ourselves for a moonlight picnic dinner with the old Jeffrey Pine.  I was astonished to realize the lights I could clearly see were from the city of Merced, some 80 miles distant.

On the way home from Glacier Point I was pleased to find a meadow filled with Marsh Marigold enjoying the snow runoff.  I was even more pleased to note the flowers were being visited by bees and captured one bee's visit to the bright white and yellow flowers.

Happy Summer Solstice!