Monday, October 29, 2012

The Mist Trail

One of the highlights of the hiking season for me is the hike to the top of Nevada Falls in Yosemite via the mist trail.  When we did this two years ago Hubby had a lot of trouble.  People would stop him and ask "are you OK?"  He made it up and down but we decided that would be the last time he would undertake such a demanding hike.  We thought it was his age, he was 75.  We were wrong.
Jules now                                                                                 Jules two years ago

It wasn't his age, it was his weight.  Now, 35 pounds lighter he was ready to try again.
Off we went.  The trail starts out pretty easy, paved with a nice wall to keep one from falling off the edge.  It is a bit steep, even at this point and can be very hot in summer months.

At the first bridge there is a nice view of Vernal Fall.


















Then the trail heads up, up some steep steps carved out of the granite.

There can be a bit of a traffic jam.























Finally the trail goes along the cliff  and then up to the top of Vernal Fall.





The reward for making it this far is lunch where Silver Apron flows into Emerald Pool.
After lunch we hit the trail again and cross the Merced River for the second time.











Then it is up more granite steps, some with a view of Nevada Fall.  This is where other hikers became concerned about Hubby's well being on our previous hike.  No problem this time.  Sure, it was strenuous and we felt it, 1,900 feet is a lot of up.






Once at the top we always find it was well worth the effort.














This backpacker even found himself an easy chair!  It looks like he brought along an e-book as well.  All the comforts of home.





Now we cross back to the other side of the Merced.  We didn't want to take the steep Mist Trail back down.  The John Muir trail is gentler but not as interesting.
















We look back at Liberty Cap on our way down.  Just one of the many granite domes for which Yosemite is so famous.



A few late autumn flowers still grace a weeping wall along the trail.

























And we look back frequently, not wanting to miss the spectacular views of Nevada Fall.










Will we make this hike again next year?  We hope so but the day may come when age will be the factor that keeps us on the valley floor.

You will find more views of our wonderful world at Our World, Tuesday.  Hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sandy and Sylvia.

21 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Such a beautiful place, Martha, and how terrific Jules made the trip again!! The waterfalls are awesome and your captures superb!! Hope you have a great week! Thanks for sharing the beauty of your world!!

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Awesome! I love seeing people stay active.

Gaelyn said...

You two are amazing! What an awesome and difficult hike but so worth the beauty that surrounds you. Right on Jules! And you too Martha.

Rajesh said...

Beautiful, the hike to the top is truly rewarding.

Penelope Postcards said...

This looks like a trail that has the right amount of challenges and lots of beauty along the way. Congratulations to your husband for losing all that weight. He looks fit and trim now. :)

Carver said...

Wonderful shots from the hike.

Unknown said...

Beautiful!! Extra weight can be deadly on a hike. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Unknown said...

Hubby has done this hike so many times while I was painting somewhere in Happy Isles. Great to see the view from someone elses eyes:) Congratulate hubby from us for his accomplishment!!

joy said...

I admire you both for the stamina. And the place is wothr vising again and again:)

EG CameraGirl said...

I'm impressed that your husband has lost the weight and was able to climb to the top this year. Well done!

Diane AZ said...

Wonderful! Glad both of you are so fit and active. :)

Anonymous said...

What an adventure !

Thank you for this journey and your all effort. Please have you all a good Tuesday.

daily athens photo

carol l mckenna said...

Bravo to you both and what an experience ~ a treasure and you both are wonderful role models ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

Barb said...

What a hike! Glad you went up again. Good for Jules (and you).

Linda Reeder said...

What an amazing hike! and good for Hubby. Losing weight certainly did make me more mobile.

diana said...

YAY for Jules! Both for hike and dropping the extra! Truly one of my favorite hikes too. Thanks for taking me along via your great pics!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

I just did the Mist Trail 4 days ago and got myself all worked up about it since it had been close to 30 years since I was last there. Turned out to be a walk in the park going up. What took its toll on me was coming back down - the steepness as you said. People like Jules are an inspiration for me showing me that in 10 plus years I still can do it. "Thanks Jules"

eileeninmd said...

Congrats to Jules! He is an inspiration! I loved the photos, some bring back memories of our trip there. Thanks for sharing, have a great day!

Latane Barton said...

Such a fantastic place. Glad Jules got to hike again. Congrats with the weight loss and the walk.

Andrea said...

Such awesome views, and your hubby is so inspiring at 75. I hope many of us can do that at that age. I am still very far from it, but I might be exhilarated going up those steps! Congratulations. And thanks for the wonderful tour!

Judy said...

I hope I am as active as you, in another 15 years!! And congrats on losing the weight! That is a major accomplishment!
The photo of the wildflowers is stunning!!