| With reservations at Yosemite's High Sierra camps, Beth and I set out on a three-day hike into the Yosemite wilderness. Our lodging and suppers would be waiting for us at 8-mile intervals across the high country of Yosemite--mostly over 8,000 feet. After a night in a Tuolomne cabin, the cackle of a fire and the roar of a nearby waterfall our lullaby, we were off into the unknown. Our entry into the 25-mile hike began at the magnificent Tuolomne Meadows, shown above. |
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It wasn't long into the hike that I realized I was far from home. A peculiar, large, rabbit-like rodent popped out of the ground, scampered quickly across the trail, and hopped onto an uprooted tree. I took a few steps over to the unusual creature and captured its image (at left). To this day, I don't have a clue what kind of animal it was I saw. It was not a RAUS (rodent of unusual size) because I don't believe those exist. Whatever it was, I've never seen one in Manhattan. I scampered on myself, hurrying to get back on track in a place like Wonderland's White Rabbit in a land where time ceased to matter. |
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It was a fantasy world, no doubt about it. Yosemite seemed like a movie--a movie that you almost had to suspend belief to truly enjoy. Crystal-clear waters ran through golden valleys of sparking sunshine, colorful trees dotting the surrounding landscape. A prettier place I couldn't conceive of in my overactive imagination. A fanciful deer trotted through the view in a manner you'd never believe were real if you saw it on TV. At right, its presence is confirmed in a fortunate snapshot. |
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| Waterfalls in varying shapes and sizes marked our path. Above left, Beth contemplates at one of the more significant waterfalls along the hike. Above right, I sit on a rock to consider the rush of water over smaller ridges of rocks. |
It was a long and fruitful journey, the first time I've hiked from
my car to an unknown destination for an overnight adventure. We timed
our adventure well and didn't rush tremendously, though we did backtrack
twice; Beth lost a Teva and I lost a boot, and each of us, respectively,
hiked backwards to retrieve our lost shoe.  We made it to the Glen Aulin camp several hours before sunset--thirty minutes before the skies opened up in hail. Golf ball-sized chunks of ice fell from the sky in cascading fashion, and it made me grateful for our shelter from the storm--and our wise decision not to hike past the campgrounds to the Waterwheel. The skies cleared again, and it paved the way for one of the most intense sunsets of my existence. Beth and I found a viewpoint with a flowing river, and the sun sunk in the valley of the vista. The colors from that sunset are unenhanced on the following photographs. |
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The ending sunlight cast a fiery glow over the area, the
red hue reflecting over the river. Behind us, mountaintops shone in the
sun's final rays, under a gentle pink sky (above right).
The fire on the mountain foreshadowed the fire at the campground an
hour later, with a lesson from a park ranger on lightning safety and
a rambunctious 12-year-old who never tired from burning sticks and waving
the sticks around. |
| The lingering humidity of the precipitation, the extreme elevation of the camp, and other unfortunate circumstances combined for an awful night's sleep. We awoke determined to enjoy the day, but also to hike out of the High Sierra camps and find ourselves a comfortable bed, a hot shower, and other amenities any honeymooning couple deserves. |
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The day spent hiking out of Glen Aulin was one of those perfect days in life. Once we decided to abandon our cabin plan, we had the freedom to enjoy each step with the knowledge we were in control of our destiny again. We took our time and relaxed at multiple spots along the route. We shook off the morning fogginess by dipping into the freshwater river, in an open lagoonlike area fed by a small waterfall. At right, Beth returns after a dip in the icy cold water (after following my brave lead). The water was absolutely frigid, but I felt no cold after dunking my whole body. I was baptized by Yosemite's holy waters. |
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