We leave nice and early for a full day
in the National Park. The entrance:
First stop is the famous view down the
valley.
Next we take a close look at the Bridal
Veil Falls. There is a nice easy walk along the stream that leads
from the fall to the Merced river. To Niels' delight there are lots
of enormous boulders to be conquered. As we get near the fall we can
feel the mist in the air.
As we drive further into the park, we
get a great view of El Capitan. Climbing season has not started yet
so we couldn't see anyone on there yet.
First view of Yosemite Fall.
Next view is the Half Dome. Again, no
climbers yet. In season, climbers sleep half-way up roped in.
At the Visitor Center we learn there is
no 'other half', the sheer face is due to glacial erosion. We also
see a reproduced Indian village with bark houses.
Yosemite Fall is fed entirely by
melting snow and usually dries up in summer. It consists of three
cascades with a combined drop of 740 meters. It is the tallest
waterfall in the US and the 5th tallest in the world.
As we get close, we can only see the
lowest cascade. To get to the top is a strenuous 6-8 hour hike, we'll
leave that for another day...
As we leave the valley at the end of
the day, the rain/snow clouds start forming. Snow is forecasted for
the next few days. Great timing!
Today: 198km - 4h3m
Total: 27,377km - 535h56m
