Travel with Manfred

Travelogues from around the world

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Copyright © 1994 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

June 19, 1994

Highlights from a Hike to El Capitan

Just another Thought on Yosemite Nat'l Park

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: USA, California, Yosemite Nat'l Park, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

It was grrrreat! Everything was just perfect, except one thing: Poor Walt got a speeding ticket on the way to the national park. That day he joined the "100" club. Insiders will know what that means.

The main goal of the weekend was to hike to El Capitan. But for most of the time Walt and I hung out near the top of the Upper Yosemite Falls. The hike up to top of the falls was pretty steep but only a few hours long. We actually started at noon time after a satisfying lunch somewhere along the Yosemite Creek. Once on the top we simply moved away from the other campers which seemed to prefer to stay close to the cliffs and the falls. We simply walked upstream for half a mile and found a private spot where we didn't get bothered throughout the weekend. The only thing that we feared was a visit from some bears which have spotted in this neighborhood before due to the high tourist concentration. He took plenty of precautions to avoid any surprised and went to extremes when storing the food.

I never really found time to write down my thoughts on this pleasant three day weekend. But I still remember the evenings at the campfire chatting away and sharing stories from our teenage years, listening to the cracking wood in the fire, and watching the occasional sparks fly through the air. How much more idyllic can it get? These peaceful hours where you warm your buns at the fireplace after a filling rustic dinner are always delightful.

Just as a summary:

• We enjoyed the scenery from top of El Capitan thinking of Silvia who jumped off here with a parachute.
• We took relaxing swims in the pools of the Yosemite Creek on top of the falls. The water was cold but so unbelievably refreshing and enjoyable. The scenic environment was just too inviting to stay out of the cold water.
• I saw the brightest shooting star ever.
• We did some rock climbing and I feared for my life while doing so. Boy oh boy, my legs started shaking, I sweated, and my heart was pounding heavily. But, naturally, it was worth it.
• We found gold in the creeks, I am not kidding you. We left it behind.
• Furthermore, we encountered some wild life: coyotes, deer, scorpion, and to our disappointment also mosquitos. However, no bear crossed our path.

We are planning another trip to North Dome (3 days again) in about a month.

Postscript: This planned second trip to the North Dome never happened. Work as always interfered with our plans. But one day it will happen.