I heard bad things about Yosemite National Park. Too crowded, too commercialize, too…. ok, those might be truth, but definitely not this time of the year! I got lucky; avoided all the summer travelers and fully enjoyed my trip!
It was absolutely amazing to see so many waterfalls around you. To be honest, I have never seen so many waterfalls in my life. Before we even reach the entrance to Yosemite National Park, we couldn’t wait to take picture with the beautiful scenery. I really miss the beauty of nature, well, San Francisco itself is a magnificent product by the mother of earth, but Yosemite is different.
The air is different, the trees are different, and the road is different… Everything that is ordinary becomes extraordinary here. Or maybe, it is because I am different? I was extremely excited; everything I saw was surrounded with halo, it is just like heaven! I think if we take away all the cars, people and buildings, everywhere can be as gorgeous as Yosemite.
We went to Vernal Falls through The Mist Trail. Well, before the trip, I did prepare a raincoat for the “rain”, not for the “rain like mist”! We all got wet while hiking up to Vernal Falls. Luckily the weather was really good and sunny, we all took a rest and dried ourselves at the peak of Vernal Falls. At that point, I also realized I wore a wrong outfit and shoes, but so what, I was going to make it to the top!
The peak of Vernal Falls was not very impressive after a 1.4 miles hike. But it was kind of cool to stand so close to the edge at where the water starts falling down. It was just weird to see a small creek can create such a big splash! I took some pictures and rest besides the edge of waterfalls, enjoying this view with many others. If you hang out with me for a while, you will notice I like to go to places that are exclusive, especially when I visit national parks or beaches. I didn’t get that kind of exclusive feeling, that’s what missing so far. But I am sure if I can make it to a higher peak, that “exclusive feeling” might come along
Maybe that was what motivated me to move on to Nevada Falls. I actually enjoyed this trail more than the Vernal Falls trail because it was more challenging and the view was awesome! Nevada Falls is also a bigger waterfall and much higher than Vernal Falls. This time, our team went separately, some people didn’t make it to the top, and I spent sometimes hiking by myself with no one else around me. It was a very sensational feeling, I just felt totally awaken and alive, because I could hear my own breathing and heartbeats along with the low echo surrounded the mountains.
Finally we reached the peak! It was great to stand up high! Even we were still surrounded by other mountains, it was definitely better than the peak at Vernal Falls.
I think hiking can be addictive, I was all out of water but still determine to go up. When we finally reached there, we ended up drinking mountain water, which according to a stranger at the peak, you have to take a small risk to drink the water. It actually taste pretty good, but still, I was kind of worry and tried my best not to think of what human or animals did at the upper stream! We also met a guy who works at the park; he was the one who taking care of all the modernized restrooms along the trail. For 27 years, he has been hiking up and down everyday! I truly admire him and a little jealous as well, I would rather work at outdoors than in this cold, windowless office!
Of course, for all the experienced travelers out there, you will know choosing your companions is crucial! No matter where you go, if you go with the wrong person, you won’t even smile in front of the Eiffel Tower! I am glad to go with all these fun people; even I just know them…err…during this trip?