I have always and will always love
Yosemite. The first time I came here was in 1965 with my grandparents and
during that same time period as a Boy Scout. I was here in the late 60's as a
hippie, in 1972 on my honeymoon, from 1982-1985 I lived and worked in the park
and returned last year for a one year working vacation. Even though I was raised
in Merced, grew up in Laguna Beach and loved being at sea in the Navy, when I
crewed on John Wayne's boat the Wild Goose and on cruise ships Yosemite will
always be home.
So now it is time to say goodbye for now
one more time. After a year as the old guy behind the cash register at the
Ahwahnee Gift Shop it is time to resume my career as an Acupuncturist at Sea.
It was a great year and allowed me to
relax and focus on my photography. It also allowed my to pursue another of my
life long passions or a better way to put it…obsession…backpacking.
Although I have hiked hundreds, actually
thousands of miles through the Sierra, the Sawtooths and the Rockies I have not
done any serious backpacking in a number of years and moving back to Yosemite
last year opened that door again.
Throughout my life I have hiked hundreds
of miles in Yosemite and the surrounding Sierras but there is always a trail or
a lake or a mountaintop that you have not been to before. And even though I
hiked some of the trails that I had hiked previously that was my focus this
year, to hike places that I had never seen.
I had hiked the Panorama Trail many
times and this year was no different and my first hike of the year. As it was
early in the season I was rained on, hailed on snowed on but the sun did come
out every now and then during the eleven mile day hike.
Nevada Falls from the Panorama Trail
Self Portrait at Nevada Falls
My next hike was again just a day hike
on the Pohono Trail and covered sixteen miles. I had never taken this hike
before and it is now one of my favorites. It starts from Glacier Point and
traverses the entire south rim with Yosemite Valley 4,000 feet below. The views
were incredible of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and El Capitan.
Glacier Point Trailhead with Half Dome
and Tenaya Canyon in the background
Yosemite Falls from the Pohono Trail
Taft Point View from the Pohono Trail
Look close and I am on the left…
give the granite cliffs scale
Crocker Point View from the Pohono Trail
With El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls
The Trails End at Tunnel View
Great View of Yosemite Valley
On my next weekend I decided to hike
another trail that I had not done, at least some of it. I had already hiked for
the valley floor to the top of Yosemite Falls many times, I had hiked from the
valley floor past Yosemite Falls to do the traverse to the top of Lost Arrow
and back but I had never hiked from the other direction down to the valley.
I set out on my first overnight hike of
the season. The hike covered seventeen miles carrying a forty five pound pack
from the Porcupine Creek Trailhead to the top of North Dome where I would spend
the night after making a side trip to Indian Rock.
Indian Rock
Half Dome and Clouds Rest from the top of North Dome
The next morning I would hike to the top
of Yosemite Falls and then take the Yosemite Falls trail down to the valley
floor. Even though a good portion of the hike was downhill that does not mean
it was easy. Backpackers know that it is harder on your back, lungs and heart
going uphill and harder on your knees going downhill.
View From The Top of Yosemite Falls
View From About Half Way Down the Yosemite Falls Trail
By the next week most of the snow had
receded in the high country so it was time to head elevations between 8,000 -
10,000 feet. So the decision was made to hike to Grant Lake, which was all
uphill the first night and then drop into Ten Lakes Basin the next morning for
another night out. Then on the last day climb out of the basin and make the
long hike back to the trailhead where I was parked totaling a twelve mile hike.
Close to Grant Lake
Overlooking Ten Lakes Basin
Ten Lakes Basin
The Long Climb Back Out of
Ten Lakes Basin
The following week it was time for
another long hike, in fact my longest of the summer. I would cover thirty one
mile in forty eight hours. I again started at the Porcupine Creek Trailhead and
spent the first night on North Dome. The next morning I got up and hiked past
the top of Yosemite Falls and spent the night on the top of El Capitan ten
miles from my start. The next morning I hiked out to the Big Oak Flat Road
Trailhead and was out by early afternoon.
The top of North Dome With Half Dome in the Background
Chilling in my hammock on the top of North Dome
With Half Dome in the Background
My Camp on the Top of North Dome With Half Dome in the Background
The Summit of El Capitan
with smoke haze from the Rim Fire
One of the Climbers Camps on the Summit El Capitan
note the rock windscreen
From the Floor of Yosemite Valley
Looking Up at El Capitan
Next it was a short eight mile overnight
hike to the Seven Lakes Basin a little over 9,500 feet elevation. At these
elevations it is almost always windy and this day was no different. Still it
was well worth the hike to spend the night out in the pristine wilderness.
Cascade Lake, Seven Lakes Basin
Seven Lakes Basin
Seven Lakes Basin
On my next weekend it was again time to
push myself. I decided to go towards the Clark Range as the Rim Fire was
blocking access to much of the east side high country. Still I would be able to
hike over elevations of 9,000 feet and be in yet another area I had not hiked
before. And I would push myself to cover twenty six miles I less then twenty
four hours carrying my normal forty five pound pack. (sorry could not locate a photo)
With the short hiking season due to the
Rim Fire that would about cover my backcountry hiking for the summer. Still
with the too many to count five to ten mile hikes, three to four days a week throughout
Yosemite Valley's trail system I was still able to hike well over three hundred
miles this summer.
And now it is early April 2014 and time
to say goodbye to Yosemite once again. I will return as I always have but for now
it is time to travel to other countries throughout the world to discover their
beauty as I set sail and resume my career as an Acupuncturist at Sea on various
cruise ships world wide …
Bridalveil Falls
A Lazy Afternoon Spent Watching Bridalveil Falls
Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls
Ahwahnee Meadows Dawn on My Ten Minute Walk to Work
Fern Springs
First Snow of the Year at Valley View
Winter at Valley View
Tenaya Creek
The Milky Way in Yosemite Valley
Night Shot of Yosemite Falls
Classic Moonbow Shot of Yosemite Falls
And Now Some Shots of the Residents of Yosemite
Buck Mule Deer in the Ahwahnee Meadow
This is about 50 yards from where I live…
"His Majesty" near the Ahwahnee Meadow
Look at the size of his rack
The Local Bobcat near the Ahwahnee Hotel
The King of the Forest…The California Black Bear
They Can Be Black, Brown or Blond….
And Now My Home For the Next Seven Months….
Cunard's Queen Victoria
I hope you enjoy the photographs of Yosemite and in the near future you enjoy more of my images as I photograph the world….
Larry