The Adventures of Scott & Caroline: Easter Weekend at Yosemite National Park

April 18 - 19, 2014

Yosemite National Park, CA

The last time we visited Yosemite National Park together (infamous Kris Koeller-organized camping trips aside) was around 1999 or 2000 back when we were newly arrived Californians. Over this past winter and into the spring, we'd been doing a lot of hiking in the parks near our home and a couple weeks ago we hiked the popular "Little Yosemite" area of one of these parks. Although we continue to experience drought conditions here in California, it had just rained a bit and we were enjoying the small waterfalls and rushing waters flowing amongst the boulders so much that we decided that it was high time we returned to the real deal. "Let's go to Yosemite," we said! As luck would have it, Scott had a work holiday on Good Friday so we made it a date.

We arrived in the park to gushing waterfalls. Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park

After our traditional road-trip-morning-departure McDonald's stop, we arrived in the park at around 10:00 am and there was already a line up to get a spot in the parking lot at the Bridalveil Falls lookout. "Uh oh, this could be bad news," we said to each other. Unsure of what we might find beyond the parking lots in terms of crowds, we decided to warm up for the big hike we had planned with a section of the Valley Loop Trail, a 13-mile flat footpath that offers stunning views of many of the park's main attractions such as Yosemite Falls, El Capitan and Half Dome from the valley floor.

View of Half Dome from the Valley Loop Trail on a beautiful, sunny spring day

We ended up walking about 10 miles of nearly empty trails along a peaceful section of the Merced River, through pleasant and at times downright lovely grassy meadows and woodlands before heading to the Wawona area of the park to check into the Wawona Lodge for the night.

The peaceful Merced River on the Valley Loop Trail

The drive to Wawona from Yosemite Valley is about 45 minutes of pleasant if uninspiring terrain. Upon our arrival at the charmingly historic lodge, the inviting wicker sofas on the covered porch where guests were already enjoying happy hour cocktails beckoned.

The historic Wawona Lodge

But discipline and adventure won out and after checking into our upgraded room (the front desk had just had a cancellation on a room with private bath!), we jetted off in the car to Mariposa Grove to see the park's famed giant sequoias before returning to the hotel for cocktails in the lobby and dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Grizzly Giant in Mariposa Grove

While planning our trip, we agreed that we wanted to hike the Vernal/Nevada Falls trail, which we had done once before on our maiden visit to the park all those years ago. After a good night's sleep, we rose early, breakfasted quickly and headed to the valley floor to pick up sandwiches and park the car at the trailhead before the hordes arrived.

Walking to the Vernal/Nevada Falls trailhead with a friend

The crowds were indeed heavy on the walk from the parking lot to the trailhead but thinned significantly by the time we reached the Vernal Falls footbridge, only .8 miles in (albeit .8 miles of uphill climbing). Thanks to the typical spring snow-melt, the falls were gushing and the trail was every bit as beautiful and awe-inspiring and even more misty, damp and strenuous than we remembered.

Preparing to hike the Mist Trail section of the Vernal/Nevada Falls Trail

We took a brief rest at the top of Vernal Falls before continuing on for the most grueling section of the climb.

Enjoying a break and drying out at Emerald Pool at the top of Vernal Falls

As we continued on from Vernal Falls, it was a punishing climb onward and upward. If Caroline had remembered from the last time how difficult the final ascent was she may not have agreed to what felt to her like a fool's errand. But Scott was patient and she stuck it out, putting one foot in front of the other...ver-ry slow-ly...

A welcome pause on the Nevada Falls Trail

Caroline was handsomely rewarded for her efforts with some stunning vistas along the way.

Nevada Falls

The views from the top weren't half-bad either.

View from the top of Nevada Falls

When we reached the top of Nevada Falls, we enjoyed a hard-earned, satisfying picnic lunch with a view before heading back down, finishing the steep 7-mile round-trip in about 5 1/2 hours.

View from the top of Nevada Falls

Upon reaching the car back on the valley floor, we had our hearts set on resting our weary legs while enjoying bloody marys at the Ahwanee Hotel. Unfortunately, traffic on the valley roads was at an all-time high over the Easter weekend and after sitting in stopped traffic for quite some time, we made a bee-line for the closest park exit and headed home.

Despite the crowds, we had a wonderful reunion with Yosemite, creating additional memories that will last a lifetime. However, the Fosters Freeze soft-serve cones we had on the way home, while tasty, were no replacement for the bloody marys that just weren't meant to be.

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