The Upper Yosemite Falls Hike
We tackled the Upper Falls Hike on our second full day in Yosemite, and by the conclusion of the day, we had learned a few things that we had not taken into account during the planning of the trip. Despite any hardships that may have found us on the switchbacks of the trail, the day was still a perfect start to our strenuous hikes and the most wildlife-filled day of our time in Yosemite.
Once we woke up, we jumped into our tasks to get ready for the day so that we could reach the valley around sunrise. Reaching the trailhead at or near sunrise was important for all of our hikes because we intended to maximize the daylight available to us while avoiding the bulk of the crowds that pepper the valley floor. I prepared us coffee and a hearty breakfast while my partner prepared our packs for the day ahead, then we switched tasks and I made our lunch for the day while he cleaned up our breakfast mess. This system allowed us to accomplish two things simultaneously, and we kept this system for the remainder of the trip. Once everything was packed up and tucked away into the bear box, we grabbed our packs, loaded into the car, and set off to the trailhead.
Rattlesnake spotted near the trail.
When we began our trek, the morning was cool and the trail was bathed in shade from both the trees and the mountain upon which they grew. This was a welcome start to the day and in retrospect should have been savored had we known how starved for shade we would be reaching the last third of the climb to the top of the Upper Falls. Despite the cool temperature and shade, the switchbacks were still very steep immediately from the start of the trail, and after just a few, my legs were beginning to scream. This was lesson one for the day, stretching the leg muscles before a hike, especially a primarily vertical hike, is of the utmost importance. Sure, we stretched at the car when we parked, but we were impatient to start our first big hike and fell for the idea that we could stretch as we walked. Of course, we were able to stretch our muscles on the trail, but it was not ideal and caused us to pause more often than we would have preferred.
Mountain king snake spotted along the Upper Falls Trail.
The day did warm up quite quickly once the sun rose, making patches of shade a valuable commodity to stumble upon. As the day progressed and the temperature rose, we made a point of stopping for a quick break in every patch of shade we would find to catch our breaths and hydrate, after all, it was a marathon, not a sprint. These constant breaks allowed us to fully take in the scenery, spot the wildlife that was hidden just beyond the edge of the trail, and converse with our fellow hikers. Besides the countless birds we saw along the trail, we also were graced with the appearance of a rattlesnake resting in a patch of sunlight during the early portion of the hike, a bobcat that crossed the trail at two different points as we neared to top, and a mountain king snake also near the top of the trail. Sighting even one of these animals would have been amazing, but it was unreal to have been able to capture all three on film, especially the bobcat since they tend to be secretive creatures.
The bobcat that crossed the trail in two places.
Around midway, the top of the Lower Fall meets with the mist from the Upper Fall and a cool rest point was found. We stopped for snacks and conversed with the other hikers that were also taking the opportunity to enjoy the spray from the base of the Upper falls in the shade cast by the trees thriving in the area. This marked the portion of the hike where mist and shade would leave us and we would need to plan strategically plan our breaks and dashes through the baking sunlight.
Above the Lower Falls, the terrain was more barren and lacked the massive shade trees found in the valley and along rivers throughout the park. There was a point where I thought we would need to turn back without reaching the top because I was becoming increasingly overheated and possibly reaching a point of slight dehydration, but we managed to reach an outcrop of trees where we stopped for a snack and an all-important water break. This stop was at just the right moment and gave us enough energy to reach the top of the switchbacks and earn the reward of a woodland oasis where many other hikers were stopping for lunch after conquering the steep trail and nearing the reason for the journey. After a quick rest, we completed the remainder of the journey and looked out over the top of the Upper Falls at the valley floor from which we had come. The water rushed by us before falling over the cliff and tumbling down to the next fall, where it would spray the visitors congregating at the viewpoint near the base of Yosemite Falls where we had begun our journey that morning.
View from atop Upper Yosemite Falls.
Although we had reached our goal, this was only the halfway point of our hike because we still had to retrace our steps and return to the valley floor 2,700 feet below us. Before taking on the descent we pulled off into the shaded woodland oasis, enjoyed our lunch, and wet our cooling cloths. The trip to return to the valley floor had more shade as the sun began to dip behind the cliff, which allowed us to take less frequent breaks and regain some time lost during the initial ascent. Despite the abundance of shade, the trip was still treacherous since the trail was still steep and tough to navigate at times, personally, I found the grade more taxing on the way down than I did on the way up. It was much tougher on my knees to keep my balance while traveling down because of my center of gravity being more precarious and not quite as directly over my feet as it had been on the way up.
It was a welcome sight to see the switchbacks that marked the trailhead on the valley floor, and we increased our speed until we were once again on nearly flat ground. Before we headed back to the car, we stopped for a quick bathroom break and visited the Lower Falls Viewpoint to gaze up at the spot we had been at only hours prior. When we returned to camp we enjoyed a hearty dinner around a warm fire and played cards until the sun sunk behind the mountain and we bunked down in the tent for the night to rest for the days to follow.
