Lifestyle and Leisure
Chasing waterfalls in Yosemite
Ben Lewis gets wet whilst taking in the awe-inspiring sights of California’s legendary Yosemite National Park
Before my partner, Danielle, and I set off on our two-week spring holiday to California we both expected the highlight of our trip to be the five days we had planned to spend in San Francisco. Despite our excitement at the prospect of living it up in one of America's most fantastic cities we agreed that we should do a bit more with our time than blow our budget on numerous city shopping trips.
We decided to check out the possibility of spending a couple of nights in the (relatively) nearby Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately for us, after a couple of internet searches, bank balance checks and itinerary revisions we found that we could only really afford the cheapest of accommodation available inside the Park itself outside of pitching a tent. And so it was with a little bit of uncertainty that we booked to stay in what was described as a "cabin without bath or plumbing". Oh well, we thought, time to rough it! And so it was that after five crazy days in Frisco we hopped into our truck-sized Honda hire car and negotiated the Bay Bridge on our way into the wilderness. It took a good four hours before the drive started to become interesting when suddenly the dull sight of wind turbines, power cables and dubiously situated satellite towns turned into winding hillside roads, flowing rivers and lofty cedar trees. After negotiating the tricky turns, steep inclines and the generally weird feeling of driving on the right, we arrived at the park entrance after what seemed an age.
It wasn't long before we caught our first glimpse of one of Yosemite's many waterfalls spectacularly gushing down the side of a snow-topped peak. Upon first entering the park I can imagine it takes most people some time to get to their camps such is the desire to get out of the car at every impressive view, which inevitably means you are pull up in a lay-by every 500 metres or so. Feeling the urge to get checked in and satisfied we had exhausted every camera angle in our quest for the best artistic representation of our environment, we eventually made it to the dubiously named Curry Lodge.
If the American reputation for customer service hadn't quite lived up to our expectations in San Francisco, all our faith was restored once it came to check in. The eternally smiley park assistant sat behind the desk took us through all the camp rules obviously content in the knowledge that she was working in one of the most stunning locations on earth. Whilst Danielle listened in a typically organised fashion my eye caught the television in the corner of room screening a bear awareness video. I watched in amazement as a huge black bear peeled back the door of a car as if it was a football sticker, disappeared inside and emerged just seconds later with a loaf of bread in its mouth. The message flashing across the screen warned not to leave any food in your car. It was at this point that I remembered the two muffins we had left on the front seat. I started sweating as I ran through ways to explain to the car hire firm just where the Honda's doors had gone!
After removing all traces of anything remotely edible from the car, we followed the map we had been provided with to our cabin where we were very pleasantly surprised to find that despite the lack of plumbing it was very clean and cosy. It was getting late in the day and we were conscious of the short time had so we dumped our stuff and eagerly made our way to catch the park's free shuttle bus in an attempt to get in a walk before it got dark. We chose a stop at random and looked up for the nearest waterfall. I had it firmly lodged in my head that a holiday isn't a holiday unless you swim in the sea or take a plunge in a lake or river somewhere. Having seen the colour of San Francisco's bay and heard the stories of Alcatraz escapees I had no intention of taking my dip in on the first part of our holiday, so this was undoubtedly my opportunity to get wet.
Although I had seen the snow-tipped peaks I hadn't yet questioned the source of the water. Happy that we were alone I stripped to my boxer shorts and ducked my head under a mini waterfall to get myself in the mood for a plunge. Immediately my breath was taken away and my head did the brainfreeze thing that happens when you eat ice cream too quickly. Oh well, at least I managed to get wet! After our first night in the cabin we awoke refreshed and ready to get walking again. After a few strolls along some very easy-going trails we decided we would try and tackle one of the bigger walks. Our map told us that we could take a 'fairly strenuous' 4-5 hour walk up the side of one of the nearby waterfalls. We were a little worried when the first hour had us huffing and puffing up ridiculously steep hillside paths that cut in and out of the rock formations beside a river. Eventually we crossed a bridge and caught our first glimpse of what was a truly magnificent sight. Vernal Falls was framed in the distance up a steep valley that cut through the mountains on each side like a scene from a David Attenborough wildlife programme. We soon came to a crossroads and were disappointed to find out the path up the side of the falls was closed for fear of rock falls. After some deliberation we were soon greeted by a couple coming the opposite way who convinced us it wasn't quite as risky as the sign made out.
The path we took was cut into the rocks and reminiscent of paths taken by the hobbits on their way in to Mordor. As we neared the falls a mist of water soaked us and made for a slippery footing but the scene was incredible. It was difficult to hear over the thundering sound of the falls so it was fortunate that both Danielle and I were speechless. Such awesome power and incredible natural beauty are things that Yosemite has plenty of but at this moment we thought we had seen one of the most beautiful sights the place had to offer. Little did we know what was to follow!
We finally made it to the top by climbing a steep rock staircase that cut up the side of the falls. Satisfied we had completed the best part of the walk we sat down and ate our packed lunch happy in the knowledge that the four to five hours quoted by the map was catering for the older generation and us sprightly young things had done it in and hour and a half. After lunch we carried on up the gorge above the falls in search of a different route back. The route we eventually chose seemed to be taking us in the right direction for the first half-an-hour but before long we realised we were getting higher and higher. Concern started to set in when we came across the first signs of unmelted snow, yet still we continued to climb. Just when we were thinking that we would have to turn back we turned a corner to behold the most heavenly sight I have ever witnessed.
On a ledge that jutted from the side of the mountain we stood and admired a view that had been completely unexpected. It took in everything we had previously seen and added a few distant waterfalls, sheer slate cliff faces, jagged rock formations and a sense of awe no previous travel destination had ever come close too. Such was the magnificence of the beauty, we perched on the ledge in silence for next 45 minutes taking in everything our senses would allow. We didn't move until some fellow walkers disturbed our peace. There is no doubt that the memory of that spot and the time we spent there will be permanently etched in both our memories for the rest of our lives.
The journey down the mountainside was perilous to say the least. We were so high that the snow started to make up a significant part of the track we were walking on. At some points the entire track was made of packed snow and we had no choice but to negotiate ledges no wider than a 50 centimetres shod in our totally unsuitable trainers. Unfortunately for Danielle her shoes were the footwear equivalent of Formula One slick tires and at times her descent resembled the giant slalom. However, the potential danger of the situation didn't entirely hit home until she tried to negotiate a corner and slipped, thus launching her water bottle off the edge of a cliff as she threw her hands up in an effort to regain her balance. With that we significantly decreased the speed we were walking and around an hour later we made it home, much closer to the five-hour mark than the four.
There no doubt in my mind that Yosemite is one of the most wonderful places anyone could visit. I have travelled to my fair share of destinations in the world but I can honestly say that nothing I have seen strikes at your heart in the same way the Yosemite does. Even as a journalist I lack the adjectives to fully do this unbelievable place justice. So, with this in mind I will finish up this article with the advice that you put Yosemite National Park at the top of your list of places to visit before you die!
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