Yosemite Trip Day 2
Our second day in Yosemite started with a light granola bar breakfast. We’re going to be doing our most strenuous hikes on this day so we prepped ourselves up with plenty of water, Gatorade, and healthy protein bars. We set off to Glacier Point as our starting point and planned on making our way to Sentinel Dome then to Taft Point which Hiroshi has never been to either one. Sentinel Dome is apparently the highest point in Yosemite so we’ll get another great view.
So the trail was about 2 miles long which I thought wasn’t bad since I’ve jogged two miles per day. Man oh man, I forgot to add the stupid elevation so that tiny two miles were pure hell. My legs didn’t get sore from walking uphill but I had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath. I think I’d much prefer to have sore legs than being out of breath the whole time and it irritated me even when I realized Hiroshi wasn’t as much bothered by it as I was. Sigh… Even the deers put me into shame but then again they live up there.
On the way up we saw a deer here and there. We could also see a bit of Half Dome, El Capitan, and Three Brothers.
Out of all the hikes I’ve ever been too, this was one of the hardest one because of the elevation but we really did make it to the highest point in Yosemite.
And the scenery was very well worth the crazy hike. Since we came in the morning, both temperature and weather were perfect. All I can say is Wow!
Of course, the waterfall was out of season but it’s still gorgeous being up there.
From the Sentinel Dome we took another trail to Taft point which was another 2 mile hike. At this point either I’ve gotten used to the elevation or the hike was less strenuous, but it wasn’t so bad. Along the way we encountered some interesting things.
And here are some more awesome view of El Capitan and Three Brothers.
Just a few feet from Taft Point, we came across some freaky cracks on the side. Seriously, if someone wasn’t paying attention while they walk like looking somewhere else, they could easily fall in it and some of them have a 90 degree drop. Shoot, there were even some rocks wedged between it.
Like most National Parks I’ve been to, they sure don’t believe in railings unless it’s somewhere close to a parking lot. At Taft Point, there was only one railing and it’s a tiny one by the edge. You have to climb a little boulder to get on top of it and it took a lot out of me to get on top of that boulder. It helped a lot to just look down (although in cartoons they say don’t look down) and not what’s out there. There was another tourist with me who couldn’t do it, knowing exactly how I felt but I managed to do it. It was a terrifying, thrilling, and fulfilling experience since I’m scared of heights especially when there’s a chance you can get blown off by the wind and fall off. As if I’m ever as light as a feather.
The rest, no railing but the landscape was beautiful.
And yes you can walk in that creepy area. As I’ve mentioned before, there’s no railing for the most part in Taft point. Personally, I think it would’ve ruined the view if they actually had some there.
After Taft Point we headed back to our car parked at Glacier Point which was a 4 mile hike. Like the day before, we could hear some thunder from a distance but this time the clouds were far away. I loved it all; hearing the sound of thunder on a clear day hike. It makes me feel more adventurous especially being this close to nature.
On our way back, we actually got a view of Sentinel Dome where we were earlier. At this time of day it was probably toasty and crowded up there. Most people like to go to places in the afternoon but thankfully Hiroshi and I prefer the chilly morning.
Aside from the nature’s beauty, we’ve also encountered something funky and nasty. I have no idea how we missed this on the way to Taft Point.
All in all, this was one of the best hikes I’ve been to. What I love about it is how despite we took the same route, we still found different things. It would’ve been nice if I was more in shape but oh well. Next time I’ll definitely be more prepared. Seriously, I’ve never seen nature at its finest.
Back at the campsite, we were so tired a bit full from the healthy protein bar that we just lounged by the campfire and skipped lunch. Since we had a hard time starting the fire the night before, Hiroshi thought it would be best to get a head start during the day. It was a tough but we finally did get it going just when it was getting dark.
This was my second attempt of roasting sweet potato on the campfire and instead of putting it on the rocks by the fire, this time I put it on top of the grill and kept it there for a long time. Once in a while I would come out of the tent to turn it and I felt like it kept it on the grill for about one and half to two hours. By the time I pulled it out, it was heaven. The inside was soft and hot but it was perfect for the freezing night. Hiroshi even said it was better than the ones he had when his grandma microwaved it. It was absolutely the opposite of my first attempt. The only thing missing was butter but man that really warmed me up.
The chili hotdog is also filled our bellies which is one of the things I look forward to in camping. We had our packed fruits for dessert and just as I predicted, Hiroshi preferred my mandarins over his pineapples. I carefully asked him if he wanted to trade and he immediately said yes. We were both tired so I didn’t bother baiting him on it.
That night I had a hard time sleeping because of the noise. The previous night I slept like the dead while Hiroshi couldn’t sleep. This time he used his ear plugs and had no trouble sleeping. Since it was Friday night, other campers started showing up and would not shut up at all. This was around 10pm at night and I was irritated how the park ranger didn’t say anything. Apparently they missed the memo to be considerate to others by 9pm. Eventually, I did managed to sleep but later awoken by the freezing weather. I actually had to bury my head in my sleeping bag which is rare. Ah well, you can’t win them all.
So the trail was about 2 miles long which I thought wasn’t bad since I’ve jogged two miles per day. Man oh man, I forgot to add the stupid elevation so that tiny two miles were pure hell. My legs didn’t get sore from walking uphill but I had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath. I think I’d much prefer to have sore legs than being out of breath the whole time and it irritated me even when I realized Hiroshi wasn’t as much bothered by it as I was. Sigh… Even the deers put me into shame but then again they live up there.
On the way up we saw a deer here and there. We could also see a bit of Half Dome, El Capitan, and Three Brothers.
Out of all the hikes I’ve ever been too, this was one of the hardest one because of the elevation but we really did make it to the highest point in Yosemite.
And the scenery was very well worth the crazy hike. Since we came in the morning, both temperature and weather were perfect. All I can say is Wow!
Of course, the waterfall was out of season but it’s still gorgeous being up there.
From the Sentinel Dome we took another trail to Taft point which was another 2 mile hike. At this point either I’ve gotten used to the elevation or the hike was less strenuous, but it wasn’t so bad. Along the way we encountered some interesting things.
And here are some more awesome view of El Capitan and Three Brothers.
Just a few feet from Taft Point, we came across some freaky cracks on the side. Seriously, if someone wasn’t paying attention while they walk like looking somewhere else, they could easily fall in it and some of them have a 90 degree drop. Shoot, there were even some rocks wedged between it.
Like most National Parks I’ve been to, they sure don’t believe in railings unless it’s somewhere close to a parking lot. At Taft Point, there was only one railing and it’s a tiny one by the edge. You have to climb a little boulder to get on top of it and it took a lot out of me to get on top of that boulder. It helped a lot to just look down (although in cartoons they say don’t look down) and not what’s out there. There was another tourist with me who couldn’t do it, knowing exactly how I felt but I managed to do it. It was a terrifying, thrilling, and fulfilling experience since I’m scared of heights especially when there’s a chance you can get blown off by the wind and fall off. As if I’m ever as light as a feather.
The rest, no railing but the landscape was beautiful.
And yes you can walk in that creepy area. As I’ve mentioned before, there’s no railing for the most part in Taft point. Personally, I think it would’ve ruined the view if they actually had some there.
After Taft Point we headed back to our car parked at Glacier Point which was a 4 mile hike. Like the day before, we could hear some thunder from a distance but this time the clouds were far away. I loved it all; hearing the sound of thunder on a clear day hike. It makes me feel more adventurous especially being this close to nature.
On our way back, we actually got a view of Sentinel Dome where we were earlier. At this time of day it was probably toasty and crowded up there. Most people like to go to places in the afternoon but thankfully Hiroshi and I prefer the chilly morning.
Aside from the nature’s beauty, we’ve also encountered something funky and nasty. I have no idea how we missed this on the way to Taft Point.
All in all, this was one of the best hikes I’ve been to. What I love about it is how despite we took the same route, we still found different things. It would’ve been nice if I was more in shape but oh well. Next time I’ll definitely be more prepared. Seriously, I’ve never seen nature at its finest.
Back at the campsite, we were so tired a bit full from the healthy protein bar that we just lounged by the campfire and skipped lunch. Since we had a hard time starting the fire the night before, Hiroshi thought it would be best to get a head start during the day. It was a tough but we finally did get it going just when it was getting dark.
This was my second attempt of roasting sweet potato on the campfire and instead of putting it on the rocks by the fire, this time I put it on top of the grill and kept it there for a long time. Once in a while I would come out of the tent to turn it and I felt like it kept it on the grill for about one and half to two hours. By the time I pulled it out, it was heaven. The inside was soft and hot but it was perfect for the freezing night. Hiroshi even said it was better than the ones he had when his grandma microwaved it. It was absolutely the opposite of my first attempt. The only thing missing was butter but man that really warmed me up.
The chili hotdog is also filled our bellies which is one of the things I look forward to in camping. We had our packed fruits for dessert and just as I predicted, Hiroshi preferred my mandarins over his pineapples. I carefully asked him if he wanted to trade and he immediately said yes. We were both tired so I didn’t bother baiting him on it.
That night I had a hard time sleeping because of the noise. The previous night I slept like the dead while Hiroshi couldn’t sleep. This time he used his ear plugs and had no trouble sleeping. Since it was Friday night, other campers started showing up and would not shut up at all. This was around 10pm at night and I was irritated how the park ranger didn’t say anything. Apparently they missed the memo to be considerate to others by 9pm. Eventually, I did managed to sleep but later awoken by the freezing weather. I actually had to bury my head in my sleeping bag which is rare. Ah well, you can’t win them all.
