The last time I saw Yosemite was 1972. I was in college in Stockton California- only a few hours drive away. For some curious reason it took 37 years to make it back to the park. I loved the Park then, and it turns out, not surprisingly, I still do.

Growing up in the SF Bay area, my Mom and I visited many times when I was little. I still treasure those memories. Even diving down to flip on the extra gas tank on our VW, while winding up Tioga Pass.

In High School, I hitchhiked to Tuolumne and hiked down to the valley solo. I envisioned a journey of self-discovery. What I got was a bear and a rattlesnake.

No harm, no foul. They didn’t bother with me- for which I’m still grateful- and I didn’t bother them. When it came down to it, the 3 day hike itself was just a hike, though on the lonely side. A moral there.

I made several trips to Yosemite in my college years. I remember the spontaneity of youth- skinny dipping in the Merced River and hiking falls by moonlight.

This trip was a bit different- as befits the near elderly. No sleeping bags or campsites this time around. It was clean sheets and good food all the way. And we had a 10 day plan- in 4 parts.

First up was South Yosemite- Wawona, the Mariposa Sequoia Grove and Glacier Point. Then came Yosemite Valley, with its glories and crowds. As a counterpoint, followed Tuolumne Meadows, which at 8600 feet is the gateway to Yosemite’s High Sierra. As a final act, Sharon and I came back to Yosemite Valley for a night at the fabled Ahwahnee Hotel where we celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary.

Our good friends Susan and David joined us in Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows.

I am happy to report that there is something to be said for the wisdom of acquired years and $$$$ well spent. This was my best Yosemite trip ever.

South Yosemite

South Yosemite is a bit off the beaten track as these things go. I must admit that when we pulled up to the hotel, I had misgivings. I suppose it was the golf course and the pool. My first impression was:

“Tourist Trap.”

Once we got inside, those fears evaporated. The historic Wawona Hotel, built in 1872, oozed Victorian charm. Wawona staff were suitably laid back and friendly. As the lady cleaning our room enthused,”Wawona is great. You can have the valley crowds. This is so much more relaxed.”

With that we dropped our bags and rushed off to catch the shuttle to Mariposa Grove, 6 miles down the road.

The Mariposa Grove has over 500 giant sequoias spread over 250 acres. The most famous is the 2,700 year old Grizzly Giant, over 20 stories high with a base 96 feet around. Mass-wise, it’s the fifth largest organism on the planet.

None of my pictures do the Grizzly Giant justice. Scale is hard to capture. We did make it up to the site of Galen Clark’s cabin though, and here the sheer size of these Sequoias can’t be missed. Photo to the right.

These are really big trees.

As we were riding in on the shuttle, the driver announced that the last shuttle out left at 6:00PM. As he put it, “You don’t want to miss it. If you do, I can pick you up at 9:00-AM-tomorrow.” Yuk, yuk.

I checked my watch- pushing 3:30PM. Plenty of time.

We figured we’d just stroll up the 4 mile loop a bit and then turn around when time warranted. I suppose, in hindsight, the scenario as played out, was entirely predictable.

At each famous tree we figured we had time for one more. After the Grizzley Giant came the California Tunnel Tree, followed by the Faithful Couple and then the Clothespin Tree. Finally we reached the log cabin, where we lingered about 3 minutes before high-tailing it back down.

We caught the 5:30 shuttle, dusty and out of breath, having hiked the full loop with its 1000 vertical foot climb and descent.

By 6:30 we were sitting in the Wawona dining room, showered and refreshed. Over dinner, we decided to hike Glacier Point the next day- on our way to Yosemite Valley. Good decision.

One hike in particular caught our eye- the Sentinel Dome/ Taft Point Loop. Although the Dome tops out at 8122 feet, the trailhead starts at 7600 feet. The loop itself looked to be 5.5 miles±. It looked just right for a second day- and it was.

The bonus was that large sections of the trail were along the top of cliffs dropping away to Yosemite Valley 3500 feet below.

Remarkable views. I do fine as long as I’m not too close to the edge.

Beforehand, just looking at pictures of Taft Point gave me vertigo. When we got there, it was indeed the real deal. 3500 feet straight down. Sharon didn’t seem at all concerned. See the photo to the left.

I was far more timid, edging up to the edge.

The next day when I was describing our Taft Point experience to David, he told me of the memorable time, many years gone by, when the Yosemite search and rescue team he was studying decided he should prove his job commitment by dangling off Taft Point on ropes.

After all this was their world. If he wanted in, even intellectually, he had to ante up. David did the deed. As he put it, “What choice did I have.” A guy thing. Kudos.

Yosemite Valley

I’ve had a chip on my shoulder about Yosemite Valley for as long as I can remember. Sure its got three thousand foot towering cliffs and sparkling granite domes and a picture-perfect layout. It’s also home to four of the world’s ten tallest waterfalls.

But Yosemite Valley’s also got the crowds that go with such world class scenery.

After our Sentinel Dome/ Taft Point Loop, Sharon and I drove down to the valley and checked into the Yosemite Valley Lodge- late afternoon. David and Susan were already up from Berkeley.

After settling into our room, we all went looking for food. First stop was the Food Court. We all ventured in, but I turned on my heels, Food Court- Bah. While David, Susan and Sharon poked around, I sat outside.

We knocked around the Valley’s food establishments before settling on an adequate grill a couple of miles away.

After a night’s rest, Sharon and I, headed over to that very same Food Court for breakfast. Curiously in the morning light everything was great. Fresh, well-cooked food, entertaining folks behind the counters and that very early morning crowd seemed just right- a happy balance of park employees and hardcore hikers.

I don’t know if it was the water, the coffee, the bed, or just Yosemite magic, but the chip on my shoulder was gone. The Food Court became one of my favorite places- and Yosemite Valley too.

After breakfast, we jumped on the shuttle to Happy Isles, the shuttle stop for the Mist Trail. The Mist Trail is reputedly the most popular trail in the valley. For good reason. It includes two waterfalls- 317-foot Vernal Fall and 594-foot Nevada Fall.

During Spring melt, the trail is drenched in mist from the falls. Mid-September, the trail was dry. We were happy to have any water at all. Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Fall were both dry.

The picture to the right was taken the day before from Glacier Point. Both Falls on our trail are visible. We came up the left side and down on the right. The total hike was on the order of 6.5 miles and 2000 feet vertical.

All did fine. It is pretty steep going up. Going back down on the horse trail was a saving grace. It was longer, but less steep which translated into far fewer stairs- and less pounding on the knees.

On the way up we soon settled into our comfortable order- David #1, Susan #2, Sharon #3 with yours truly bringing up the rear.

As the last, I could linger taking pictures and chat comfortably with folks on the trail.

Sharon claims I must have had a personality transplant sometime in this last few years. Chatting? Out of character not that long ago. Personally, I think its the Latin influence. In any case, folks out and about in interesting places, not surprisingly, tend to be interesting.

We were on the trail relatively early- before 9:00AM. I struck up a conversation with a 50ish fellow heading back down. Question: “So when did you start out?” Answer: “2:00AM [pause] I did Half Dome.”

This was around 11:00AM.

Half Dome is the most fabled hike in the Park. Round trip is 17 miles with an elevation gain/descent of 4,800 feet. Strong hikers can make it in 12 hours.

This guy was on track to do it in 10. Mild-mannered guy too. Suspect near-elderly extreme hikers tend to come in this flavor.

The pic to the right is on our way up the last stretch to the top of Nevada Fall.

The next day was an official day off. Each couple went their own way. Sharon and I decided to hike on the valley floor. I suppose it was predictable, but one trail led into another and when all was accounted for we had racked up another 10+miles.

Twice our trails were closed due to recent rockfall activity. The first time was behind Mirror Lake- better described as Mirror Meadow at this time of the year.

Since we had come this far, we at least wanted to see the havoc and destruction- so we ducked the barricade and walked on.

The rockfall was impressive- big trees snapped like toothpicks. The trail was long gone. After suitable contemplation we turned around.

Later we read that this event registered on seismometers around California as a magnitude 2.5 earthquake.

Behind the Ahwahnee Hotel we came upon our second trail closing though, at first we didn’t know it was due to a rockfall.

Yellow tape with “Police Line Do Not Cross” printed in large letters was stretched across the trail. We weren’t about to wander through a crime scene. Then, on the ground, Sharon noticed a rock fall warning sign which had fallen down. Particulars read, “On August 26, 2009, approximately 3,200 tons of granite fell from the cliff behind The Ahwahnee. No additional rockfalls have occurred in this area since August 26; however, be aware that rockfalls can occur at anytime.”

That sounded pretty generic. We scampered across the 75 feet to the next yellow tape stretched across the trail- without incident.

That night I was sitting on a stool in the Yosemite Lodge Sports Bar nursing a beer while watching the New England Patriots barely pull out a win, when the guy sitting next to me turns and says,”Did you hear that BOOM this afternoon? We heard it from across the valley. Another rockfall behind the Ahwahnee.”

2 hours after we’d sauntered through.

Tuolumne Meadows

The next day we drove up the Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows, which at 8600 feet is the gateway to Yosemite’s High Sierra.

I have to admit that when making Yosemite reservations, Tuolumne Meadows’ Lodge had me at- “tent cabins with wood stoves.”

Apparently I wasn’t the only one so enamored. Back in December 2008 when I was trying to work out this trip’s logistics, the first three night block available was mid-September, the last week of the 2009 season.

We grabbed the reservation and organized the rest of the trip from there.

Just to be sure I called from Berkeley, before our drive over to Yosemite. Yes our tent cabin would have sheets and blankets, and firewood was provided too.

Nights were cold- low 30s. As luck would have it our cabin was the closest to the wood storage. While others grumbled about running out of wood, we simply helped ourselves. Our tent was toasty all night- every night, thanks to an endless supply of wood, a great little stove and a light-sleeping, firebug of a wife.

Bears are taken very seriously in Tuolumne. All food and scented items such as toothpaste must be kept in bear bins- Not in the car, not in the tent.

I wasn’t sure what a bear bin was before this trip. I know now.

A bear bin, at least at Tuolumne, is a front loading steel-plate box 33” deep x 45” wide x 18” tall. At Tuolumne Lodge, the bear bins are lined up along one side of the parking lot and shared communally- no locks allowed. They look easy enough to open, but are curiously counter-intuitive.

And the two step latch can stick before fully engaging.

This is not lost on the bears, who apparently run down the string of lockers giving each a good bang. Stuck latches pop open- and a bear party ensues. As to how bears get into cars, the joke goes, “They use the keyless entry system.”

They tear the door off.

We had no bear encounters. Not that Sharon wasn’t ready. Every day she wore her bear whistle. She was also packing a laser pointer. I never got the full explanation behind that one, but I have not doubt that there’s a story there.

After we had checked in at Tuolumne, found our tent and figured out the bear bins, Sharon and I struck out for Lembert Dome (photo above) and Dog Lake. 6 miles and another 1000 vertical feet later, we were back- another hike in the bag.

While Sharon unpacked, I headed for the Lodge and a beer well earned. The Lodge was also a charming hybrid-tent structure.

In a curious and most welcome twist, powers-that-be in Yosemite fix beer prices. The Lodge reception area is considered a store and as such a cold Anchor Steam is pegged at $1.67.

The folks behind the desk will even open the bottle for you.

This write-up is getting pretty long, so I’m going to skip over the details of our next day at Mono Lake, a short drive down the far side of the Sierras.

Mono Lake is an alkaline Lake in the desert to the east of Yosemite. Rather remarkable country and a favorite of David and Susan’s. The tufa towers were grand. My favorite photo is Sharon tasting kutsavi, a Mono Indian delicacy. Call it what you may. It’s still alkali fly larvae to me.

Our last full day of hiking was 20 Lake’s Basin outside Yosemite to the east, which hand’s down was our longest and highest hike at over 12+ miles above 10,000 feet. We even did a bit off-trail which earned us a bit of respect at the lodge.

When we were heading out of Boston at 6:00 AM or so, I pulled out my Yosemite hiking guide at the JetBlue gate to pass some time, before we boarded.

Next thing I know, this wiry 30s-ish guy jumps over next to me. “Are you going hiking in Yosemite?

We are too!”

He was clearly a reserved guy, articulate and thoughtful, likely not the sort to enthusiastically chat up strangers at airline gates at 6:00AM. All became clear with the backstory.

Honeymoon.

He and his is wife of two days, also a naturalist from Western Massachusetts, were celebrating with 5 days of hiking in remote Yosemite. She was glowing too- and at 6:00 AM.

Wished them the best as we boarded, figuring chances of another meeting were remote at best given our itineraries and the size of Yosemite.

8 days later, Sharon and I were just sitting down to dinner in Tuolumne Lodge’s Dining Room, when who should be sitting at the next table- The Newlyweds.

And I thought they were happy before. The glow factor had cranked up several notches.

He confided out of earshot of his wife, “I missed our one week anniversary.” I answered, “I suspect you’ll have a few more (weekly anniversaries) when you can make it up to her.” We both laughed.

Although the road for a happy marriage can be long and twisted, I’ll give these two far better than even odds.

David and Susan headed back to Berkeley, a day before us.

Next up for Sharon and me was the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley, and our 31st wedding anniversary. Time has a way of slipping away. Personally, I find it rather curious that I’ve been married this long. Seems like no time at all.

The Ahwahnee

Lots of good things have been written about the Ahwahnee. Many consider it the finest lodge in America.

I’m not going to argue, though it might take a few more trips to be sure.

The Ahwahnee experience doesn’t come cheap however. Kind of like lighting a match to a very, very large pile of ten dollar bills.

In itself this is not necessarily a bad thing- if there’s value and the occasion warrants.

The value was in the fun, and the occasion warranted. If not on your 31st wedding anniversary, then when?

Sharon and I have neglected years of anniversaries. As I look at it, we now have carte blanche to make up for lost time. Maybe this is a rationalization, but it’s my rationalization and I’m sticking to it.

If its going to be saltines in the rest home. So be it.

We arrived at the Ahwahnee, dusty and tired, having logged another 5+ miles of steep hiking in the Tuolumne and Merced Sequoia Groves after our drive down from Tuolumne Meadows. We were dragging our sorry selves through the Ahwahnee Porte Cochere, packs, tattered grocery bags and all, when three brand new red Ferrari’s pull up- polished and dust free.

Three drivers get out, strut around, then toss keys to the valet parking guys one after another. Driver #1 looks like an Italian male model, leather jacket, ferrari emblems and all. #2 looked like he wanted to be #1, though had passed his prime. #3 had brought his wife and had come to terms that he would never look like #1.

Just another day at the Ahwahnee.

Very entertaining. Even when you’re dusty, dirty and trail-tired.

While dinner at the Ahwahnee was great, breakfast was my favorite.

At dinner, we were seated away from the windows, back towards the serving stations.

I politely asked how one moves up, say into that most exquisite alcove at the end of the grand dining room?

The predictable answer was: “You have to ask. And it wouldn’t hurt if you said it was your anniversary.”

I can learn. At breakfast, I led off with, “Can we have a window, and its our anniversary.”

That little head in the alcove on the left next to the window is Sharon.

We talked about coming back to Yosemite in July of 2011 at the height of the wildflower season with all the waterfalls at their peak. Such reservations need to be made one year in advance- July 2010.

Not too far off.