dreadedmonkeygod . net

The first day, we set out from camp looking for an easy hike that we wouldn't feel pressured to finish. The guidebook helped us find a trail that promised "numerous opportunities to fish and swim", so off we went, thinking we'd be lucky this late in the summer to find a two-foot-deep spot to cool our feet in.

But we met a few locals at the trailhead, and found out that we'd actually found the local swimming hole: an amazing pool about two miles in, complete with overhanging rocks to jump off of and a rope swing. The water was beautifully clear, and easily 20+ feet deep, and very, very cold. After our first jump in, we all came up whooping and yelling.

We spent most of the afternoon playing on the rocks and getting up our courage to jump off higher and higher spots. (I was a total chicken, content with a couple of jumps off moderately-high spots.)

We had our sights set on Half Dome for day two, but immediately scrapped that plan when we discovered that it was a 16-mile round drip that was likely to take all day. We weren't in shape, and we weren't equipped. So, we substituted the much shorter Upper Yosemite Falls trail, which we though would be much less demanding.

Doh.

The trail is 3.8 miles of stairs. After several hours of slogging up the switchbacks (pausing frequently to admire the incredible scenery), our best information had us about 90 minutes from the top. We were hungry, tired, and running out of water very, very quickly. My Camelbak was dry, and several other members of the party were on the last few mouthfulls in their bottles. We'd expected a long, tough hike, but this was kicking our asses.

There were a couple of great people we met along the trail that offered to go with us to the top and use their water filters to refill our bottles. This was an attractive offer, but in the end our legs let us know that another 90 minute up followed by 3+ hours down just wasn't in the cards for us. We were ready to head back.

Descending took (I think) a little more than 2 hours, and left us dehydrated and panting outside Camp 4. I drank fairly continuously for the rest of the day, alternating between water and Powerade, and managed to avoid the headaches reported by the rest of the group. This, more than anything, makes me very glad we turned around. I think trying to continue could have landed us in real trouble.

Once we'd rested for a few minuts and hydrated a bit, we headed for the shuttle stop to catch a bus back to the day use parking area. The bus was running late, and I ended up talking to a couple of climbers we'd met on the trail. They pointed us to a bend in the Merced between the day use parking and Hauskeeping Camp that sounded like a perfect spot to cool off and shed the fine patine of trail dirt we'd accumulated. The group split: some headed back to camp to rest, while some dipped in the Merced's rejuvinating waters. Hot knees were cooled, and dirt was washed away, and we all felt like new.

Honestly, I'm not much of a trip report writer. I've left out everything about our introduction to s'mores, the incredible drive up, the insane land values around Yosemite, and there's nothing here about what we ate. Oh well.

I'm now more motivated than ever to get out and hit the trails on the weekends. I want to bike and hike my brains out, so that the next time I head out anywhere, I know I'll have what it takes to get to the end of any trail. It's the same reason I want to climb harder: being stronger means I can have more fun in more places.

So my new mission is to hike half dome as a two-day backpacking trip. Or complete the Upper Yosemite Falls trail that we had to abandon. But mostly, it's just to get out and onto all the amazing local trails near where I live. I'm tempted to do Boney on Sunday morning. We'll see. I just want to get out and hike, and bike, and enjoy more time outdoors.