Raining off and on today, so a great opportunity to catch up on cleaning and chores. We revel in electric hook-up and plenty of water available. It seems silly to have so much fun just letting the water run but such are the delights of living on the road with storage limitations.

Catch up on laundry, clean the house from top to bottom. Generally relax and have a down day after about two weeks of being on the go.

We wake up, take down camp, make breakfast and then hit the trail to return to the RV. It’s a lovely brisk, sunny morning. The hike back is a cinch (it feels way easier than it did on the way in the day before yesterday, but then again we are rested and refreshed) and we love seeing Wapama falls from a different direction.

 

Back at the RV, we load the motorcycle (one of the rangers stops by and tells us that she loves our set-up), make quick salads for lunch, and change into clothes that don’t smell because we’ve been wearing the same ones for about 5 days now. We decide to drive as far as we can today toward Redding, CA where we will be finding an RV campground and setting up a centralized base in order to visit both Redwoods National Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park without having to drive the RV to both places. The parks are in opposite directions and we want to conserve our precious RV gas as much as possible and take the motorcycle instead.

Down the mountains on winding, tiny roads, it takes us about 4 hours to make it to the interstate. We are both starving, have nothing but a bit of lettuce in the fridge, and breakfast sounds good so we stop at Denny’s for dinner. We still have the unwashed camping stench wafting off of us, so Denny’s seems like an appropriate place to dine as we shouldn’t be bringing the ambiance down too much. Dinner really hits the spot! Back on the road and a few miles away we find a rest area and stop for some much needed showers. We unpack our backpacks while the water is heating. Both clean and feeling refreshed, we hit the road again until about 10pm when we find another rest area to pull over in for the night. We’re both beat and head to bed immediately.

We wake up early, make a leisurely breakfast, and plan our day. We’ll day hike up the trail a ways, but we both want to have a relaxing, restful day since we’ve been going non-stop for a while. So, we fill up our water bladders and pack our bags for the day, first to explore the waterfall area and then continue up the trail toward Pleasant Valley until we feel like stopping. One of the couples from last night is already packed up and getting ready to leave, yay! We see a tiny trail close to camp we didn’t spot last night so we follow it and find it leads to the best camp spot! Perched on top of a rock outcropping, close to the river, overlooking the reservoir with granite formations in front of and behind it and a view of Rancheria falls to the left, this spot has it all, plus a fire pit! So we quickly make our way back to the tent, grab our stuff and move everything to our new home. What a great find!

All set up and settled again we head up the trail toward Pleasant Valley, stopping on the footbridge over Rancheria Falls to enjoy the view. Up, up, up we go, traversing more switchbacks. We keep making our way toward the top until we find a nice rock outcropping to settle down on and eat our lunches with a wonderful view of the reservoir below.

After lunch, we head back down the trail and back to camp for some relaxing beside the river and attempted naps. The other couples are gone by now, so we’ve got the whole area to ourselves, and our campsite is so secluded we don’t know if anyone else ever arrives. Matthew sketches some and I putter around camp. As nightfall rolls around, we start a fire and the moon (which is almost full) rises just behind our tent.

A wonderful, restful day of just enjoying the views around us. So glad we decided to stay in one spot for two nights and that we found such a great, secluded campsite!

We both slept pretty well last night and wake up feeling wonderful with the brisk air filling our lungs! We make breakfast and pack up camp. Packs back on we make our way down the JMT for a bit of different scenery. About 2 miles down the trail the views become spectacular. We are right on the edge of a cliff, with Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Falls all hovering hugely in front of us. Just amazing! I wanted to hike the JMT pretty badly before, but now I am dying to do it even more, and these are just the beginning views! Yosemite is an amazing place, and it’s interesting to see the same formations from different vantage points. Half Dome, for example, looks completely different depending on what side you’re viewing. It’s a multi-dimensional scenery, carved with tumbling waterfalls and I do not tire of seeing it.

Back down at the RV we take off and head toward Hetch Hetchy, a two hour drive to the northern end of Yosemite. According to our guide book, Hetch Hetchy is the place to go for solitude, and that sounds lovely to us. Hetch Hetchy apparently used to be just as beautiful as Yosemite Valley, until it was damed and made into a reservoir for the San Fransisco area water supply. Despite this, it is still a pretty beautiful place to visit. Vehicles over 25 ft are not allowed past the entrance station for Hetch Hetchy due to the small roads, however we knew this ahead of time thanks to the friendly ranger in Yosemite Valley. She called the Hetch Hetchy rangers to see if there was a place for us to park the RV and continue on in via the mortorcycle so we could do some backpacking. They gave us the thumbs up, so when we arrive they tell us where to park and issue us our wilderness permit for 2 nights in the backcountry along Racheria falls, about a 6 mile hike in. The ranger recommended this hike since much of the backcountry higher up still has snowpack and is only traversable with snowshoes, which we do not own.

In our traditional Clampet style, we manage to get myself, Matthew, and both of our backpacks on the motorcycle! It’s only about a 15 minute trip to the backcountry parking area, so not bad at all. We fill up our waters and off we go. It’s a pleasant trail, but a warm day (and lots of mosquitoes in this area), so when we reach Wapama Falls and cross the footbridges at its base, the soaking mist is a refreshing relief. The water is moving so rapidly I can feel the rumble through my whole body! Onward we go, and finally glimpsing Rancheria Falls we start looking for camping sites. There are two other couples out here with us, and we’d prefer to be off by ourselves, but by this time it’s about 6:30pm, we’re pretty tired from our 12 mile day and 2 hour drive, so we opt to camp in the wooded area where the other couples are, but spread far enough away that we don’t really see them. We’ll search for a better spot tomorrow, since we’ll be staying in this area both nights. Cozied up in our little wooded spot close to the river we make dinner and then head to bed.

Wake up early, load up, and hit the road in the RV around 7am. The roads are pretty empty so it’s easy going. We get to the trailhead parking lot and easily find a spot. Then it’s on to the small store in Curry Village to pick up a few lunch items for the next few days. We have a stash of oatmeal and Mountain House meals for spur of the moment backcountry trips (or emergency situations) so we are set for breakfasts and dinners, but we need some snacks for lunch throughout the day. Fully supplied we make our way to the trailhead and begin our hike. The Mist Trail is one of Yosemite’s most popular hikes, so normally it’s crowded with people. However, at 9am it’s pretty sparsely populated and we have nobody tailing us or slowing us down. We make it to Vernal Falls, a beautiful, fast-flowing waterfall and the trail works it’s way up right beside the fall via stone steps. It’s a wet hike due to all the mist and we get pretty soaked, but it’s fun and a great way to cool down. We make it to the top and remove our packs to enjoy the view a bit.

Continuing on, we work our way up some switchbacks until Nevada Falls comes in to sight, then it’s up more switchbacks to the top. Spectacular views of the falls and surrounding valley. The water is just rushing down with such velocity and volume, spring sure is a great time to visit!

Another mile past Nevada Falls we have arrived at the Little Yosemite Valley backcountry campground. We’ve never stayed at a backcountry campground, so it’s a new experience for us. There is an outhouse here with composting toilets (what? no digging your own poop trench? this isn’t backcountry camping!) and bear lockers are provided. Apparently this area is very heavily used in the summer months once the cables go up on Half Dome and you can hike up to the top. Therefore, it is also the area in the park with the most bear encounters due to the large volume of people. However, in the spring, before all the Half Domers and JMT hikers have begun, it’s a peaceful little spot. We spot only one other group of three here at the moment and snag a campsite way at the end, tucked away in a corner of the woods. We can see Half Dome looming behind the trees at our site.

We set up camp, eat a quick snack, and then head farther down the trail to the Half Dome Junction. The actual Dome is still snowy, but most of the trail to it is not, so we work our way up the trail in hopes of some good views (and a permit is not required at this time of year since you can’t actually climb to the top). We make it about 1.5 miles before the snowpack really starts (the whole trail is only 2 miles). Luckily, we are just about at the base of the Dome, so we have some spectacular views of its northern side and the surrounding valley, yay! We sit down on a bare spot of ground surrounded by snow and Matthew sketches the Dome. We enjoy the view for quite a while and then head back down.

Back on the JMT, we continue on a little farther, past the Clouds Rest Junction, enjoying the spectacular scenery. Finally, hungry for dinner we head back to camp, prepare dinner (the chicken and rice tastes spectacular to us tonight!) and head to bed early, full and happy! Great day of hiking, about 11.5 miles cumulative.

We decide to have a nice leisurely day in Yosemite today and so we opt for a short hike up to Inspiration Point which affords spectacular views of the valley without all the crowds. We motorcycle through Tunnel View again and stop just beyond it to begin our jaunt. Up we go (and apparently we didn’t drink enough water yesterday because we’re both parched and feeling sluggish). We make it to the top for a great panoramic view of the valley where you can see Half Dome, El Capitan, and Bridalveil Falls in all their glory. We sit, Matthew gets out his sketch book and charcoal and away he goes, apparently inspired on Inspiration Point. After about 30 mins, he finishes his sketch and we head back to the motorcycle and, once again, down to the valley.

We grab our salad lunches from the saddlebags and catch the shuttle to the Happy Isles stop. After walking a short way along the river down the Happy Isles trail we spot a great lunch spot, a huge boulder at the edge of the rapid water. We climb up and recline as we enjoy lunch and Matthew sketches again.

Then it’s back in to town where we check out the Ansel Adams Gallery and then we head to the Visitors Center to get our wilderness permit for tomorrow. The same friendly ranger we talked to the day we arrived gives us our permit. She also confirms that we can park at the wilderness trailhead parking lot but advises us to get there before 10am since it fills up quickly. Our hike will start at Happy Isles and take the Mist Trail up (past Vernal and Nevada Falls) and then on to the John Muir Trail until we get to the Little Yosemite Valley backcountry campsite. Then, on the way back down we’ll take the JMT the whole way for a change of scenery!

We head back home and get packed up for tomorrows excursion.

It’s a cool morning so we layer up our clothes until we feel like the Staypuff marshmallow man and then on the motorcycle and in to Yosemite Valley. Today is a lot busier than yesterday and we are glad to be on the motorcycle for ease of maneuvering and parking!

We take the shuttle to the trailhead for Upper Yosemite Falls, a very strenuous 7.2 mile roundtrip hike with a 2,700 ft elevation gain according to the park guide newspaper. Sounds like a good hike to do on a busy day, since most of the hard trails tend to be less populated. The trail consists of about 60 switchbacks and is continuously uphill. The views are great, but we do end up in a big line of people. However, as the going gets tough the crowds start to thin and we find little pockets where we get to hike by ourselves, letting people pass or passing others in order to keep our pocket of solitude.

We finally make it to the top of the falls where we relax and have our lunch. There are quite a few people at the top and there is a slack-line spanning the width of the waterfall to overlook the rushing water and canyon below. There are a few people (rockclimbers, I assume) zipping their way across the slackline (one at a time) – what an adventure and view they get – straight down the waterfall!

Just one more mile up and away across the falls is Yosemite Point. We can see it from where we sit and there appears to be less people there so we make our way toward that trail. Over the footbridge, across the falls, and up we go again but this time through a few patches of snow! We get to the Point and the views are breathtakingly spectacular! There are only about 6 people here and we find a little spot on the edge all to ourselves. We sit for a while, just enjoying the scenery until we decide it’s time to head back down the trail. It’s hard to make ourselves leave it’s so amazing!

Trip back down is nice and less crowded. We could even see the moon (half-full) right above Half Dome!

Knowing where we were going, we had a leisurely breakfast and then packed up the RV to head out of the park. We left, headed up into the National Forest just outside of the park itself and snagged the camping area that caught our attention yesterday. Didn’t take us long to get leveled and in place, so we packed lunch, layered up our clothes, and headed back into the park to explore the Yosemite Valley.

The ride there was easy and a delightful mountain road with light traffic. The tunnel was, as always, fun to ride through. Emerging from the tunnel on the valley side was amazing – Ashley’s eyes misted up. El Capitan sits, watching over the entrance to the valley, waterfalls are scattered around the valley walls, and the floor is carpeted with a variety of green trees and meadows.

We stop and check out Bridalveil falls. So glad I had my rain gear in my pack – the mist left you soaked! I didn’t get a good view, though, as it was not only so misty but also backlit by the sun. Ashley waited longer than me and was able to get a clear view.

On into the Valley floor, we parked and headed into the visitor center to learn more. Received some trail recommendations and then hiked over toward the Lower Yosemite Falls trail for lunch. I enjoyed a fabulous view of Half Dome while eating, then sketched it before we headed out. Walked the path up to the bottom of Lower Falls. That’s an amazing amount of water to fall so far!

 

 

 

 

Back out on the road we catch the shuttle and ride around for a few stops – we get off and walk through the meadow, across the bridge over the Merced river. Just going slowly and enjoying the views.

Again on the shuttle we ride around the loop to the Mirror Lake stop. Get off and hike up to the lake, where we enjoy the view of Half Dome from down below.

Out on the road once more we ride the shuttle into the village. The art gallery and art center are closed. We check out the store – it’s a full grocery store in there! and then gear back up for the motorcycle. 3 layers later, we head out for home. Of course, we manage to get stuck behind the slowest cars possible. At home we fix supper and plan out the next few days. Hike to the Upper Yosemite Falls tomorrow, a break day on Sunday, and then the JMT on Mon-Wed.

After breakfast we packed up and headed out, aiming for our next park, Yosemite. We stopped in Visalia for wifi – finally sent out the weekly Adventure-Some email and looking up camp site options inside Yosemite. Really nice coffee shop (Tazzaria) and delicious wrap that we split for lunch. Pulling out, I turned too sharp and scraped across a light post – poked a small hole in the side of the RV – it’s fiberglass, though, so a patch should be pretty easy to do. Until then we’ve got a strip of white duct tape covering it.

Stopped at the visitors center before heading into the park. Learned about campground options, trails, and also the back country camping options in the adjacent national forest.

Headed into the park and got a campsite at Wawosa, then hopped on the motorcycle for a short trail. Ended up being about a mile long with a suspension bridge across the stream in the middle. Beautiful stroll with only a couple of people on it. We paused at the bridge on the return and I quickly sketched the scene.

Back on the motorcycle, we headed out of the park to find the nearby boondocking location. We can’t get a campground ahead of time, it would be on a day-by-day basis, which just sounds stressful. Though we miss the turn and travel an extra mile or so, we find a great camping area (Goat’s Meadow Snowplay Area) just outside the entrance of the park, just a few miles further away from the campground we would be staying in otherwise. It’s big and empty and free!

We head back to the RV, eat supper, and then stroll through the campground before reading in bed.

Woke early for a hike up to Marble Falls. The trail leaves from site 14 in the campground so it’s an easy start. We carry breakfast and coffee fixins with us. Part-way up the trail we stop and eat breakfast to perk our energy back up. At the falls we find a rock to sit on and enjoy some fresh coffee.

While there we discuss our plans for the day. Original intention is to head out and aim for the Azalea campground in Kings Canyon for a night or two stay before heading on to Yosemite. We decide that a day trip on the motorcycle up General’s Hwy is a better option. Excited about the change in plans, we head back down the trail to the RV.

Back at the RV I head out of the park to Three Rivers for a stop at the nearest gas station. While there I stop at a candy shop for a chocolate surprise for later in the day. The shared Ghirardelli square yesterday was a delightful treat and I want to replicate that. At home, Ashley’s got lunch ready. We eat and then head on out.

It’s awfully foggy on the way up, and rather cool. The high is 55 up in the mountains. We stop at the Kings Canyon Overlook but can’t see anything in the valley due to the low-hanging clouds. On to the Grant Grove. We park and walk around, checking out the General Grant tree – third largest (or fifth, depending on what signage you read) – the Nation’s Christmas Tree.

A quick stop at the Visitors Center lets us read more about the park, catch the park video, and pick up some post cards for both Kings Canyon and Sequoia. We head over to Big Stump to tour the stumps remaining from Sequoias that were logged in the 1890s. Just imagine how big they’d be with another 100 years of growth! Getting up and walking on the Mark Twain stump really gives a sense of how massive these trees truly are.

At the parking/picnic area we fix afternoon coffee and split the dark chocolate peanut butter cup that I picked up while getting gas. What a delightful treat!

It’s time to head home and we enjoy a fabulous, twisty ride back across the mountain range and then down the mountain to the RV. Supper, a relaxing evening and then bed – we’ll be heading out early tomorrow, aiming for Yosemite.