After waking up on the hard floor of JFK airport to the hustle and bustle of early morning travelers, we wearily crept on to the final flight of our journey. We were looking for an adventure. Our plan was to fly to California and drive up Highway 1 along the majestic Central Coast.
Welcome to Santa Barbara
We arrived in Santa Barbara just in time for Old Spanish Days Fiesta. Taking place the first weekend of August, the city shuts down only to come alive again with vibrant Spanish culture. The air was filled with confetti and the smell of grilled meat permeated my nostrils. The streets were alive. Music reverberated around the town; Dancers, performers, and artists extravagantly celebrating in their cities history.
When we weren’t filling ourselves with traditional Spanish food or dancing to the beat of the festival, we took respite on the Beach or in the Los Padres Mountains. We spent hours swimming in the salty Pacific Ocean and soaking up the vitamin D we neglect to provide our bodies throughout a northeastern winter. I often judge the success of my trips by the number of freckles added to the masterpiece of a map on my skin. The Santa Barbara sunshine has left its everlasting impression on my body and soul.
We spent our last evening in the city in a long, winding uphill race to beat the darkness. Around every bend we drove higher and higher until we parked our car and scurried up the rocks, chasing the last beams of sunlight. Perched on massive boulders, we watched the moon rise against pastel skies in the east while the sun dipped low beyond the offing. A beautiful sight. The last shores of the contiguous United States parting with the day’s warmth right before our eyes.
The Long, Winding, Path to the Sequoias
An early morning paved the way for a Monday arrival in Sequoia National Park. We drove through mountains, oil fields, cities, and small towns before reaching the foothills of the park. Generals Highway switches back and forth; notoriously steep and winding. You climb from the hot dry lowlands through the middle slope of the Sierra Nevada cloaked in mixed-conifer montane forests. Here, ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, white fir, sugar pine, and scattered groves of giant sequoia coexist in this remarkably diverse ecosystem.
We were early enough to snag a walk-up campsite at Lodgepole where we stocked up on snacks at the General Store. After setting up our camp, perfectly placed on the edge of the campground, we set out on our first mission: To find the Giant Sequoias. General Sherman, the largest tree by volume and therefore the world’s largest living organism can be found here among its giant brothers and sisters. We stumbled amongst other visitors, staring at the colossal trunks of Giant Forest in complete awe. Walking amongst some of the oldest living species on this planet was humbling and overwhelming. These magnificent towers of nature standing still, watching the centuries tick by without a care in the world, filled me with a feeling of insignificance.
That night we hiked out to Sunset Point, a flat, easy trail, and posted up on the rocks to watch the show. As the sun fell behind the mountains the sky’s complexion turned violent as the fiery ball dropped lower and lower on the horizon. As we caught our last glimpse of the sun, the sky softened into pink and lavender hues before the darkness enveloped us. We threw on our headlamps and began our walk back to the car.
As we traveled back down the path we had walked only an hour earlier, we turned a corner to find a drowsy looking bear looking back over his shoulder at us. I froze. Not with fear, but with fascination. After looking me up and down he continued on his way, completely unphased.
Sequoia National Park in a Day
It’s 3:30 AM. My alarm is blaring. We climb out of our sleeping bags and rush to throw on all the extra layers we can find. With great apprehension, we unzip our tent, don our boots, and climb in the car. Fifteen minutes later we are using the light of our headlamps to climb, lethargically, up the 350 steps to Moro Rock. We have the place to ourselves as we watch the sun rise above the Western Divide and the High Sierra; the moon establishing a beautiful array of pastel bands as it set over the Pacific Ocean. Everything was perfect in our world for that moment in time.
Our Sunrise hike was followed by a mid-morning nap in the hammock where I watched a bear and her two cubs scamper playfully through the trees next to our campsite. Later, we hiked along the Kaweah River to Tokopah Falls. The most perfect swimming hole sits tucked beneath a long series of steep picturesque cascades which create the tallest waterfall in Sequoia National Park; a perfect, albeit crowded, spot for a picnic. Feeling the need to cram as much as possible into our one full day in Sequoia National Park, we continued on to the Little Baldy Trail Head. This short and sweet, 3.3-mile hike is a must for breathtaking views of the park. Switchbacks clad in wildflowers will guide you through a quiet forest to a granite dome that peeks out above the treetops. The dome provides great views of the Silliman crest and the Great Western Divide.
Yosemite Campsite Desperation
At dawn we started the long drive out of the Sierra Nevada to Fresno to fill up on gas and food before heading back in to Yosemite National Park along Route 41. The drive was filled with apprehension as we had nowhere booked to stay the night. When you’re camping ‘first come first served’ in Yosemite, you need to rely on a whole lot of luck if you’re not at the Ranger Station by 1:00AM. Yes, AM. Traffic in Yosemite is dense, but could you blame anyone for driving slowly and taking in the view? Even if it means you don’t get a campsite. Thousands of feet of granite towering over you in every direction; the Merced river has carved out some of the most beautiful scenery America has to offer.
We trudged on, campsite after campsite. One is full; another isn’t open due to snowpack; each mile more defeating than the last. Finally we reached Tuolumne Meadows Campground. Our last option within the park. Fingers crossed, we walked into the ranger station. “We will add you to the waiting list.” The ranger stated. “Come back at 2:00 PM”
We sat there silently. Worried about where we’d sleep that night, but eager for the half-hour to pass so our fate could be decided.
We were one of two groups who did not receive a campsite. I was near tears when a man, his wife, and young son approached and offered to share their site with us for the night. We were saved! We set up camp, strolled through Tuolumne Meadow at dusk, and ate dinner on the sandy shores of Tenaya Lake while the alpine lake water lapped up on our feet. I spent a while that evening reflecting upon the kindness and generosity ingrained in all of us.
Tuolumne Meadows Basecamp
At 3:45AM I rose from my sleeping bag, grabbed my headlamp, a book, and a blanket. I drove to the ranger station to find a line had already formed. Five groups were already waiting at the door and it was only 4:00AM. I posted up behind a couple in camp chairs and sat. I sat on the cold, hard ground for four hours. At 8 AM the Ranger Station door opened and he told everyone he had 6 sites available. I’m the 6th in line. Well, as always, most things are too good to be true; you see, the first group only had three people waiting in line but two trucks full of friends vying for a site as well. Again, I was on a waiting list, but eager to explore regardless so we set out.
Soaring 800 feet above Tuolumne Meadows is Lembert Dome. We hiked and scrambled for just under 2 miles until we were met with the most stunning views of the Sierra Nevada. We ate lunch on the windy dome and carefully climbed back down to find out our fate. We have a site! After settling back into our hard earned campsite in the otherwise visually unappealing and excessively busy Tuolumne Meadows Campground we left for wide open spaces.
The Cathedral Lakes Trailhead was loaded with cars but we took our late-in-the-day chances at solitude and headed up the trail anyways. After about 3.5 miles of uphill climbing and a bog crossing that consisted of the most beautiful swamp I’ve ever seen, we found ourselves on the picturesque rock shelf that overlooks Lower Cathedral Lake. This impressive granite wrapped High Sierra lake is surrounded by Cathedral Peak in the east and by Echo and Tresidder Peaks along the southern shore. After some time soaking up the sun and wishing, yet again, that we had swimsuits with us we hustled back down the trail to beat the dark. The mosquitos were out in full force and man were they thirsty.
Living The Yosemite Valley Dream
5:00AM, another early wake-up. Aren’t you supposed to sleep in on vacation? If you want to snag a parking spot in the Valley and get on the trail before everyone in Mariposa and Tuolumne County starts their hike, you have to rise before the sun. Today’s goal was Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail. Six and a half hot, uphill miles; the initial ascent is steep, and crowded until you climb the 600+ granite steps to the top of Vernal Falls. Many day-hikers stop here, but if you continue up the switchbacks you will find yourself at the significantly less populated Nevada Falls. The perfect place to stop and take in the view, grab a well-deserved snack, and an even more necessary drink before returning via the friendlier (paved!) John Muir Trail.
We trudged on, running at the steepest downhills for the sake of our knees. Laughing, giddy with exhaustion, as we flew past other hikers trying to keep up with one another. At the trailhead we jumped on the shuttle to the next stop where we tried to take a lap around Mirror Lake. Maybe two miles in we became so uninterested and turned off by the hundreds of families swimming that we booked it over to the Half Dome Pizza Patio. Two tall drinks and greasy burgers later, we were finally content and ready to head back up to our camp in Tuolumne.
Exploring Yosemite’s High Country
Finally, I get to sleep in. We lazily brush our teeth and choke down yet another oatmeal breakfast before climbing back into the rent-a-car. Today we are heading over to Glacier Point but not before a pit stop in the valley.
We parked at the trailhead for Sentinel Dome and began our, short, simple, and sweet 2 mile Round Trip Hike to the viewpoint. The gorgeous granite dome provides stunning views down into the valley; Yosemite Falls gushes over the valley wall in one direction and Half Dome casts its shadow on the valley floor in the other. We scrambled over the dome seeking the spots with the best views, and the best photo opportunities before walking back to the trailhead.
Back in the car we continued on to the viewpoint 3,214 foot above Half Dome Village known as Glacier Point. The easily accessible, paved walk makes this overlook a very busy place. Almost annoying crowded, but the commanding view of Yosemite Valley is unparalleled. We enjoyed looking down on the waterfalls we had hiked only 24 hours earlier, in complete awe at how much higher we were even still! Finishing our trip with views of the valley from Yosemite’s High Country was certainly the way to do it. Looking out at all we had explored, from over 7,000 feet in elevation, really put the previous three days in perspective.
Beautifully Insignificant
I travelled to California seeking adventure. The National Parks provided me with days of exploration; acres and acres of wilderness like none that I have ever seen. What we found was a sense of beautiful insignificance in this great big world we live in.
