We woke up a little earlier this time. Still, not early enough to call ourselves early-birds, and not early enough either to even consider doing the long hike up Half Dome. Our feet were actually a little tired from the previous day's walk, non-strenuous though it had been. That's what you get from sitting on your ass staring at a computer screen all day, I guess.
We decided to hike up Yosemite Falls. That seemed ambitious enough: over 7 miles of mostly switchbacks (over 135) and an elevation gain of 2700 feet (900 m). When we started walking though, we realized that this was not going to be a 'walk in the woods'. It was approaching noon as we started the hike and the burning sun was only getting stronger. The path that runs up from our campsite is quite amazing. It has been there since, I believe, 1870 and served visitors since they started flocking to the park a hundred years or more ago. It is constructed in a zig-zag manner and amazingly manages to take you slow and steady up half the cliff through these partly sheltered wooded routes, then across and around and finally up through a canyon. The trail is wide, never scary and almost paved out in places. It does get a little rugged though on the upper parts, with some slippery rocks.
Now, I had only walked for 40 minutes when I started sweating and losing my breath a little. It was quite relentless and steep, despite the considerable easeness of the trail. I was feeling too hot and even partly sheltered by the trees, was still suffering the burning sun. The air was much drier than I'm used to and the altitude seemed to make me a little dizzy. We passed a number of people on the way up though, so we didn't seem to be making such a bad time. A number of people were coming down as well, and I sort of envied them to have taken off early morning before it got too hot, but they were usually only coming from the viewpoint stop midway on the trail.
A strenuous hours hike and we were up at Columbia Rock where there is a nice viewpoint. My face was so hot and I was so out of breath that I was ready to call it a day there already. Most of the hikers on the trail were heading for or coming from this point anyway. We stopped for a good moment to take in the views and rest a little, then C suggested we continue, and off we went.
An easy trail and pretty leveled took us on along the cliffs to the bottom of the upper Yosemite Fall. The waterfall was dry, of course. Just as dry as my throat was after hiking uphill. As we pass the "waterfall" things started getting a little worse again. It got really steep, even with the switchbacks, and the heat was getting unbearable, at least to the unacclimatized me ... As we gradually made our way further, we ran into a few groups of fellow hikers who were either struggling with the elevation or giving up on it and taking the way back. I was just barely making it 'from shade to shade', not able to endure the sun for more than twenty yards at a time. Luckily, C was patient with me as I suffered through the ascension. Actually, he was probably in pain himself. Towards the top, even he was beginning to feel the elevation (over 7000 feet), as used as he is to it.
The top part of the path follows a canyon. Part of it was shaded from the sun. The last part wasn't, but we somehow got closer and closer to the top. As we reached the top I could nothing but grunt. We walked down to the top of Upper Yosemite Fall, took off our shoes and cooled our feet in the icy stream. Then ate our lunch, drank our water and the future started looking bright again. But, oh, I was tired. On the way back we went out to the observation point. That was another climb, but luckily there were some rails and "natural" staircases. The view was splendid but it was very windy there, and sort of hard to get an idea of the scale of the things 'down there' from all the way 'up there'.
The hike back down was not easy. It took us about two hours, I think, but now my feet were beginning to feel sore in my new never-used-before stiff hiking boots. To my consolation yet the sun was now behind the cliffs and we walked in shadow all the way back. We were so tired when we got back, and so determined not to be this unprepared next time we were to do a strenuous hike ... As a reward though, I got to go have a hot shower in the village. Tired as we were, we then treated ourselves to a pizza. While we ate it I saw a racoon for the first time in my life. It suddenly jumped upon an empty table where unfortunately someone had left his plate. C says racoons will be going to the moon in their own spaceships some time in the future. Well, they obviously spot food leftovers, but the moon, I don't know about that ...
We decided to hike up Yosemite Falls. That seemed ambitious enough: over 7 miles of mostly switchbacks (over 135) and an elevation gain of 2700 feet (900 m). When we started walking though, we realized that this was not going to be a 'walk in the woods'. It was approaching noon as we started the hike and the burning sun was only getting stronger. The path that runs up from our campsite is quite amazing. It has been there since, I believe, 1870 and served visitors since they started flocking to the park a hundred years or more ago. It is constructed in a zig-zag manner and amazingly manages to take you slow and steady up half the cliff through these partly sheltered wooded routes, then across and around and finally up through a canyon. The trail is wide, never scary and almost paved out in places. It does get a little rugged though on the upper parts, with some slippery rocks.
Now, I had only walked for 40 minutes when I started sweating and losing my breath a little. It was quite relentless and steep, despite the considerable easeness of the trail. I was feeling too hot and even partly sheltered by the trees, was still suffering the burning sun. The air was much drier than I'm used to and the altitude seemed to make me a little dizzy. We passed a number of people on the way up though, so we didn't seem to be making such a bad time. A number of people were coming down as well, and I sort of envied them to have taken off early morning before it got too hot, but they were usually only coming from the viewpoint stop midway on the trail. 
A strenuous hours hike and we were up at Columbia Rock where there is a nice viewpoint. My face was so hot and I was so out of breath that I was ready to call it a day there already. Most of the hikers on the trail were heading for or coming from this point anyway. We stopped for a good moment to take in the views and rest a little, then C suggested we continue, and off we went. 
An easy trail and pretty leveled took us on along the cliffs to the bottom of the upper Yosemite Fall. The waterfall was dry, of course. Just as dry as my throat was after hiking uphill. As we pass the "waterfall" things started getting a little worse again. It got really steep, even with the switchbacks, and the heat was getting unbearable, at least to the unacclimatized me ... As we gradually made our way further, we ran into a few groups of fellow hikers who were either struggling with the elevation or giving up on it and taking the way back. I was just barely making it 'from shade to shade', not able to endure the sun for more than twenty yards at a time. Luckily, C was patient with me as I suffered through the ascension. Actually, he was probably in pain himself. Towards the top, even he was beginning to feel the elevation (over 7000 feet), as used as he is to it.
The top part of the path follows a canyon. Part of it was shaded from the sun. The last part wasn't, but we somehow got closer and closer to the top. As we reached the top I could nothing but grunt. We walked down to the top of Upper Yosemite Fall, took off our shoes and cooled our feet in the icy stream. Then ate our lunch, drank our water and the future started looking bright again. But, oh, I was tired. On the way back we went out to the observation point. That was another climb, but luckily there were some rails and "natural" staircases. The view was splendid but it was very windy there, and sort of hard to get an idea of the scale of the things 'down there' from all the way 'up there'.
The hike back down was not easy. It took us about two hours, I think, but now my feet were beginning to feel sore in my new never-used-before stiff hiking boots. To my consolation yet the sun was now behind the cliffs and we walked in shadow all the way back. We were so tired when we got back, and so determined not to be this unprepared next time we were to do a strenuous hike ... As a reward though, I got to go have a hot shower in the village. Tired as we were, we then treated ourselves to a pizza. While we ate it I saw a racoon for the first time in my life. It suddenly jumped upon an empty table where unfortunately someone had left his plate. C says racoons will be going to the moon in their own spaceships some time in the future. Well, they obviously spot food leftovers, but the moon, I don't know about that ...
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