To Free Solo or not to Free Solo that was the Question - Park #13
We were really excited to get to Yosemite Valley as we were able to secure a stay at in the park overnight at Half Dome Village now called, Curry Village.
By the time we checked in, it was getting dark. We walked around forever through the rows of tents trying to find ours. There were really strict rules about keeping all food and toiletries in the lock box outside the tent because of bears. Kyle and Ashley did a great job of studying all the rules.
We were hungry after our drive and decided to walk down to the visitor's center and have a bite to eat. On our way back to our tent back in the dark, we paused to look at the mountains surrounding Yosemite Valley. About 2/3 the way up one mountain we saw a few lights of from tents that were hanging off the mountain sleeping for the night. So crazy!
We didn't get the best sleep that night due to the closeness of our neighbors, but we were excited to see El Capitan and what the valley had to offer. We had all watched The Dawn Wall and Free Solo about a month before this trip and wanted to see why this place is so special among climbers. It you haven't had a chance to see these films I highly recommend them!
We got up early so that we could make the most of the day before we had to drive back to the Oakland airport to fly home that night. First stop...El Capitan.
Seeing it in person, up close, makes it impossible to understand how anyone can climb it, sheer granite, straight up into the sky. Just amazing! We hiked up to the base of The Dawn Wall and while we were pretending to climb, we did get to see some people that were doing it for real. Click on the grid of photos to enlarge each shot and see if you can spot the climbers.
This is a busy park, with a lot of people around, but it has this very intense vibe to it. It's very cool.
After our visit to the El Capitan, we decided to check out some other things in the valley. Check out the photo below with Kyle and Ashley with Half-Dome behind them.
Our next stop via the park bus was Yosemite Falls. I overheard a park ranger telling a couple that it is a 12 hour hike to the top and back to these falls. Once we got closer, I could see why. These falls are 2,425 feet tall and are incredible!
Ashley and I wanted to get closer to the falls, but there was no clear way to do it. You had to climb over tons of boulders creating your own path as you went. It was just the kind of challenge that she and I totally enjoy when we visit the parks.
The climb was worth it because we got to see this...
We had a plane to catch at the Oakland airport later that day, but before we left Yosemite Valley, we had just enough time to make one more stop. We chose Bridalveil Falls.
We took the hike up a short ways toward the falls, but there were too many people there so we couldn't get to the base. It was a interesting waterfall though because it danced around in the wind, twisting and turning, and even though we weren't that close to it, we could feel it's spray.
We loved our time at this park but realized that we were only really seeing a tiny bit of what it had to offer. Maybe another trip. We had a plane to catch...
Oh, and I forgot to mention we made it to the rental car agency with minutes before our plane was boarding no time to fill up with gas. The odometer on the car we returned? Remember that it started out at 226? Well, it came back at 1225. What a great trip!