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| Me, Tony, Kaylee and Allison posing at the halfway point on upper Yosemite falls trailh |
By Ashley Bowerman
atb63@txstate.edu
Miles Traveled (on the hike): 1.4
Elevation: approximately 1,500 feet
Temperature: 87 degrees
Hiking tip: You should always bring more than enough water with you on a hike, especially if you decide to hike upper Yosemite falls
It was the last early morning in the park and a group of us decided to go on one last hike before we had to head back home. We had planned to hike lower Yosemite falls, but that quickly changed to upper Yosemite falls when we got off the shuttle bus. Why? I think we were feeling a bit confident, maybe a little too confident.
Upper Yosemite falls hike
The trail started off flat and not intimidating at all. That was until we got to the mile and a half, vertical elevation, switch-back trail that seemed to come out of nowhere. With quite a bit of hesitation, we pushed up the mountain. Despite the unpreparedness of hiking such a tough trail, we never seemed to give up. We stuck together, took our time, and faced our fears. A few other hikers on the trail had promised us that there would be a pretty view of the valley if we kept trecking a mile and a half up the trail. Eventually, we made it halfway and boy was it worth it. The view of the valley from that high was spectacular. The hike back down the trail reminded us how far we had actually just hiked! This hike was a memory of the trip that I will cherish the most.
After the hike, a few of us headed to Yosemite Village to get some more interviews for our stories and take advantage of the Wi-Fi. This would be our last day in the park so anything else we needed to complete our stories we had to get today!
Family dinner
At 5:00 p.m. we all met at Degnan's Loft in Yosemite Village to have our end of the trip dinner. We had loads of pizza and even some complimentary orders of nachos and salsa after a complication with our order. We all talked about memories on the trip, told funny stories, and laughed with one another. It was amazing how close the group had become after spending only one week together. I can easily say the people I met on the trip have a special place in my heart and we will continue to hang out after we leave the park.
John Muir Play
After dinner, we headed over to the Yosemite Theatre to enjoy stories told by a John Muir impersonator. Anyone in the audience was open to ask him questions and he would respond with stories about what John Muir experienced as a mountaineer and father of National Parks. It was nice to be able to sit down after a meal together and learn more about the man who we can credit for allowing us to enjoy Yosemite's beauty.
At the end of the night, a bunch of us met up in one cabin and sat around and talked. We laughed so hard that most of us had tears falling from our eyes. I think most of the laughing came from delusion, but none the less, we bonded over embarrassing stories and memories from the trip. After a long day in the park, I sat in bed thinking about how much we had seen, heard, and experienced at Yosemite. I could not believe our time at the park was already over, but I knew that we would take home friendships, hard work, and memories that we will remember for a lifetime. Thank you Yosemite for making my senior year memorable and bringing me closer with nature. I will be back, and next time finish all of the upper Yosemite falls trail!
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