Yosemite Part 6 - El Capitan

After our hike at Hetch Hetchy (though easy) we were not ready to head home but didn't want to do anything strenuous. It was a really hot day after all. So we decided to drive into the park and just hang out at El Cap Meadow and see if we could spot any climbers on El Capitan. I could see us lounging in the soft grass, speculating on whether we were looking at climbers, abandoned gear left hanging off a rock, or just a spot that was a different color than the rest. We'd munch on dried fruit and hope a bear didn't happen past. They do like to hang out in the meadows too.

But instead we spent most of the night walking. On a road.

We parked at Bridalveil Falls knowing that El Cap was right across the river. Of course we had to hike a bit because we had to find a bridge to cross the river. John and I were in flip flops because we are idiots. Always be prepared. Even if you put on your flip flops for a short stroll across the river, bring the glorious feet-keepers that are hiking boots. You will need them when 1 mile turns into 5.

Turns out the trail was much longer that we thought. We had to go past El Cap, all the way around the backside. And then once we crossed the river we should have followed the road to the meadow. But we went into the woods some. Still, we had some great views of El Cap (including the heart on the surface and a waterfall right next to the rock) and DID make it to the meadow eventually.

Once at the meadow we were simply amazed at how tall El Cap really is. And how small the climbers look from the bottom. Seriously...ANTS! The boys were good at spotting people on the rock and we used our cameras to zoom in and confirm. Mostly the looked like ants, or just black spots on the rock. Binoculars would have been nice.

We also watched this little guy push pile after pile of dirt out of his hole.

Then we had to find the car again. We decided the way we took was too long so we'd go down the road to the other bridge. Big mistake. Took forever. But I managed to get some nice shots of Bridalveil Falls from the long road trip. Then once we crossed the bridge we weren't too far from the car. But John and I were tired of walking on the road so we took a little trail than ran alongside the road. Full. Of. Mud. And we had to take a short meadow stroll back to the road to get to the car. Swamp! My legs were a little dirty. So while we ended up with waaay more miles than we wanted it was a grand adventure. And I'm glad it happened.

Oh, we also passed this cool spot: