I left for Yosemite at 5 AM and made it there in 3.5 hours! Pretty quick drive as long as you don’t get stuck behind slow cars.

First thing I did upon arriving was check into Camp 4 (walk-in only). All other campgrounds that take reservations were completely full, so I was hoping that Camp 4 would have room. I would have been fine sleeping in my car, but I guess you’re not allowed to sleep in your car at Yosemite. It turns out that Camp 4 fills up by the end of the day, but if you check-in early enough, its no problem getting in.

So I got a spot, and proceeded to set up my tent. All the sites are shared, so its pretty easy to meet people there. This guy insisted on helping me set up my tent, even though I insisted that I was perfectly capable.

After setting up my tent, I started hiking the Upper Yosemite Falls trail around 10 AM. This trail is labeled “Very Strenuous”, and estimates 6 hrs total hiking time. Its only about 3-3.5 miles one way, but it took me about 2 hrs to get to the top. It was the slowest I’ve ever covered that short of a distance – I hadn’t expected it to be so steep. It was a beautiful hike with great views. But when I got to the top, I had run out of water and was completely dehydrated. The hike was really exposed for the last mile or so to the top. I was dreading coming back down, since it was steep, sandy, and rocky. I developed a headache from my dehydration and sun exposure. I was so dehydrated, that I actually drank some water from a small runoff on my way down (sans filtering). I made it back down in 1.5 hrs and made a beeline to my car when I chugged about 1/2 gallon of water. Then I proceeded to the shuttle stop and just rode the shutte around since it was air-conditioned. I stopped off at the village to buy some cold fruit, cold water, and a pickle (need the salt?!)

Anyways, I felt better after a while, and called Roger from the pay phone. I wasn’t able to get cell reception in the valley, so I wanted to let Roger know that I was ok.

I went back to the campground and hung out at the campsite for the rest of the evening. I was sharing a campsite with 3 guys from Denmark. We chatted for a few hours, and then I turned in. It was the first time I’d camped by myself. A fun experience!

I took some pics, but not much. You really need to be there in person to experience the magnificance of it all.

Posted by Judy at 9:48 PM.