The BIG Hike!

Monday, 10/9/23

Monday was our BIG HIKE day, which we wanted to do first thing in the trip before anyone chickened out: hiking to the top of El Capitan, overlooking Yosemite Valley & Half Dome.   Monday morning I got up at 4:00am without much quality sleep the night before (this was my first real camping trip (aside from a night at a local campsite with the Schlipfs 4 or 5 years ago)) to start & stoke the fire and take some quiet time.  Everyone else got up at 4:30am.   Mind you, this group (aside from myself) are not necessarily morning people, but this time was decided to ensure we finished the hike before sun set that evening, around 6:30pm.   We fixed a short, yet fine breakfast of eggs, hash-browns, maple sausage, and toast over the fire, along with hot water for coffee and tea.  (Our utensils and pans were limited to the space and weight we could bring in our suitcases on the plane.  This prevented bringing much of the cast iron we would have liked, though we did have a cast iron griddle, and the fire pit had a grate for pans to sit on).  

After dumping several gallons of water over the fire from the nearby stream, we packed our luches (meat & cheese sandwiches, chips, apples, snacks, crackers, and bars), our backpacks, and lots of water, we loaded in the cars and drove nearly an hour to Yosemite Valley for the start of our hike.  The weather was cool in the morning (nights were mid 30’s - mid/high 40’s, we think), the the weather of the day was wonderful.  We brought several layers as sun, shade, time of day, ocasional breezes, and location on the mountains all changed the weather we felt.  

We started the hike around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning and soon found the trail to be very steep switchbacks (Jonathan & Mikayla had done this first part of the trail before, but then had stopped at the water fall).   The switch backs were brutal, zig zagging up the mountain over rocks and stone steps, dirt and sand, around trees and boulders, climbing an an average of 700 - 800 feet of elevation per mile for the first several miles, with only one reprieve from the strenuous incline, though we took numerous breaks along the way.  

For about three hours we hiked switchbacks at one mile an hour (3.2 miles), willing our out-of-shape aching muscles onward, and stunned by the views behind and before us as we climbed higher and higher.  

(The picture ABOVE is Alex, Jonathan, & Abi resting part way up the mountainside looking out over the valley. If they were to turn around and look up at the wall behind them, they would see the picture BELOW.  Both of these images were taken at the same resting point.  The top of the cliff as seen in the image below, is Eagle Peak, the mountain/cliff before El Capitan. We still had to climb switchbacks to get high enough to circle around the back of this rock wall, so we could hike out on top of it.)

Notice how small the trees are in the valley below; remember, as you do so, that most of the trees around here are rather tall. 

The rocks on the bottom of the images above & below are the hiking trail, part of the switchbacks.  

The above image is of Yosemite Falls, one of the world’s tallest falls.   The initial fall of water (as show in this picture) is almost 1,500 feet; after that, the falls continue down in two more sections for nearly 1,000 feet before crashing into the valley floor.  

Along the way we split up into several groups.  Mikayla sped ahead to get it over with sooner than later, Jonathan & I followed at a slower pace, and Abi & Alex came in the rear taking it easy, as they could on this extreme venture.  

At the top of the switchbacks, we found Mikayla waiting patiently, connecting with various hikers as the passed by.  As we all made it to that point, with the supposed worst behind us, we rested and ate a snack or two.  The top was also a fork in the road, either go left toward Eagle Peak and El Capitan or turn right, as many of the hikers did, and take in the pool at the top of one of the world’s tallest waterfalls, Yosemite Falls.  Thought some of us wanted to see the falls right away, we decided to mind our time first and view the falls on the hike back, if time/daylight permitted it.  We therefore took the left at the fork and headed in the direction of El Capitan.  Though the hiking there on out was much less strenuous and extreme, and though it did afford much more flat and slight inclines, it did also include several other small steep climbs.   

Though hard to see, just to the left of the big rock are two fawns and the back end of a deer.  

…some of the little critters we met along the way…

Here is another fork in the road, with a metal road sign indicating which way to go for which trails and how much further the destination of each was.  

I spotted two of these small lizards during the hike. 

During the backpacking trip beyond the initial seep incline, while Mikayla, Jonathan & I were in the front, and Abi & Alex were further behind (Alex’s hip was bothering him), we were climbing a hill of switchbacks with a moderate incline through wooded areas, Milkayla heard something that stopped her in her tracks (stopping Jonathan & I too): a bear.  Not far ahead, just below the trail, and above the trail behind us wandered a bear.   Mikayla’s first thoughts were Abi & Alex, as the hear was heading in that general direction.   Suddenly we turned around, heading back, calling Abi & Alexe’s names loudly and making much noise.  The bear, which was fairly small, though not a baby, without wat seemed like a second glance, meandered its way down the hill away from us.  It wasn’t until we saw Abi & Alex approaching cautiously that it occurred to us to try to photograph the wild beast.  By then he was a fair distance below us, and the Harpers did not see the furry creature at all, as much as they wanted to.   From there on out, at least for a while, we all stayed together as on group.  

It may be hard to see, but in the middle, just to the left if the evergreen trees, stands the bear.  When we first met him we were probably a stones throw away. 

Sometime around noon, or shortly before we reached another fork, the left offering the brief uphill hike to Eagle Peak, and the right the nearly 2-mile trek to El Capitan.  Abi & Alex decided to stop at Eagle Peak and wait for the rest of us to return from El Capitan, so the party split ways again.  That two mile hike included some much steeper inclines, closer to that which had started the hike, as we dipped into a several hundred foot valley between the back of Eagle Peak and the back of El Capitan.  

Jonathan posing on the bottom half of s split boulder on top of a mountain.  Behind him in the near left side, stands Eagle Peak.  On the right, beyond the picture is the trail leading to El Capitan.  

Abi. I think this picture was taken by Alex on or near Eagle Peak.  In the front middle background, you can see the famed Half Dome jutting up from the ground, showing it’s mighty face to valley onlookers.  

Again, this is the far right side of Eagle Peak, with Half Dome looming in the distance.  

Mikayla.   Half Dome photobombing her selfie.    

Again, I think this picture of Abi & Alex was taken on or near Eagle Peak.  

Jonathan & I standing on a ledge overlooking a valley dip between Eagle Peak (background left) and El Capitan (further on ahead to the right - beyond the picture). 

One of the many views from Eagle Peak

Upon reaching the flat and nearly treeless rocky top of El Capitan, our energies were renewed as we could see the destination ahead.  Upon reaching the top, Jonathan ventured the furthest down the angled slope, but none of us knew how far it went and didn’t want to risk a steeper incline or a sudden drop-off, so we retreated to the flat top, eating our lunch as we took in the breathtaking views on nearly all sides of the rock.  El Capitan stands over 7,500 feet above sea level, and about 3,000 feet above the valley floor, a jutting rock formation with a nearly 3,000ft cliff face overlooking the Yosemite valley.  

A neat wild flower I found on top of the rocky El Capitan.  

Upon prepping to leave the destination peak, we met an young Australian man leaving this stunning sight with the valley floor in his sight.  He accompanied us for most of our return hike.  

The guy on the far left is the Aussie, named Alex.  Jonathan is in the middle back, I am on the right, and Mikayla is in the front middle.  

Abi & Alex had texted that they started a slow decent back to the floor of the valley (cell service was sporadic, often we did not have it (including at the campsite).  On our way back we stopped at Eagle Peak, with the Aussie, and were quite amazed at how stunning the views were, competing with, if not better than that of El Capitan.  The short hike up to the peak was arduous for our overly tired muscles who were ready (and expecting) only downhill travel from here on out, yet now had to endure another set of steep inclines.  But the view was well worth it.  

Aussie Alex posing on top of Eagle Peak. 

After Eagle Peak we continued the hike back down, sadly skipping the falls as we were both tired and worried about getting back to our cars before nightfall.  We did see several deer on the way.   Then came the 3.2 mile decent of the steep switchbacks. 

This latter portion of the hike stretched the muscles on the top side of the ankle, the shin, the knees, & my feet & toes much more than the incline.  Both on the incline and the descent, our hiking sticks proved invaluable, and we would have likely suffered much more without them.   As we descended we saw many more stunning views, including Half Dome lit up by the setting sun.   

This was the same spot we had taken rest at on the way up (as pictured earlier in this post), except now we were on the way down, nearing sunset.  

The hike as a whole wasn’t overly crowded, we me the most people on the initial and ending inclines, but on the way down that evening we passed a surprising amount of people heading upward, to what we assumed was being at the top of the falls for sunset.   We highly relieved after the roughly hour and a half of descending the cliff finishing off the hike at about 10.5 hours,  16 miles, and 45,000 - 50,000 steps!   Whew!  What a hike!   (We were sore for several days afterward)

If you ever wondered how out legs - how our bodies felt after that, just look at Mikayla’s face here, it says a lot.  

Abi & Alex had headed to a local store to get a few supplies we needed for the rest of the trip and then headed back to the campsite.  They had left the valley before we reached the bottom.  After a well-long-for-ed bathroom break at a lodge near the Upper Yosemite Falls trailhead, we gingerly climbed into the car and drove the 50-60 minutes back to the campsite.  On our way out of the valley in the darkening night, we saw the many stings of lights, each one of a rock climber climbing the straight, 3,000-foot cliff of El Capitan!

Upon reaching home well after dark, arriving about 20 minutes after Abi & Alex, we stoked the fire and brought it to a good heat before heating some delicious tacos over it.  The meals included three shredded meets: carnitas, chicken, beef (all precooked as we knew we would be exhausted after the long hike and wanted an easy-prep meal). The tacos, in warmed tortillas, were topped with a spicy pineapple guacamole, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, shredded cheese, & crushed tortilla chips.  

Food prep for our late night meal. 

YUM!! Fire cooked/warmed tacos after a long and tiring day!! 

After cleaning up the meal, packing everything back in the Bear Box, dumping 4 gallons of water on the fire (which became the minimum amount we used the next several days), we headed off to bed, ready for a good night of sleep after a very long and exhausting day.