The wanderlust inside us craved for a trip and a thought popped up for “Yosemite National park”. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for us to get agreed on this choice. It was a Friday night so we had a weekend to quench the thirst. We planned a small one night weekend trip which included a hike and sight seeing so I booked a room with airbnb which was in . We started early morning next day (Saturday) and drove from Sunnyvale, CA to Yosemite National park via US-101 S and CA-152.
After 2 hours of drive from our place, we got to see this view which made the drive much more exciting. Now, the child inside me was asking for more..
We were on the roads; one was driving and another was checking the hike options. Some of the options we had were Bridalveil Fall Trail, Vernal and Nevada Falls Trails, Half dome trail, Snow Creek Trail and Four Mile Trail.
It was around 4.5 hours (one-way) drive and we covered almost 180 miles including some detours and short breaks. It was 9 am when we reached the park. We decided for the trail popularly known as "Four Mile Trail" Distance: 4.8 mi (7.7 km) one way to Glacier Point. 9.6 mi (15.5 km) round trip, elevation gain: 3,200ft. The starting point of the trail was with the caution "No Restrooms" Ting! Ding,Di-Ding!
It was 9:30 am and with the little of experience I had (only me, my husband has done lot of trails with the level of difficulty as high) but with the hope there is so much yet to be discovered, we started. Without deep dive more into the details, lets start a walk.
With the narrow paths and steep hill ways, pounding heart and sweaty face. Take a bite, sip a drink, focus on the path and make a clear way.
Following these basic rules we reached to this point. The destination was still far but hello, let me enjoy the view first. The view! this view made me fall in love with the mighty nature "again".
It was enthralling - the cool breeze, blue sky, cotton clouds hitting the mountains high. I am witnessing them with a sigh of relief and thanking god while my heart skipping beats.
Glacier point has the breathtaking views of Yosemite Valley, including Half Dome and three waterfalls.
You know the best part about the hiking, people greet you with a smile and keep on encouraging you. I remember people coming from the opposite side and saying "You are almost there, just few more miles". But I knew the truth in my heart that there is a long way to go. Ha ha..
Remember that dialogue from the Bollywood movie "Chak De India" - When you have 70 minutes left for the completion of an exam. This is what kept echoing not the 70 mins but yes, for the 7 Hours trail. Walking step by step, achieving something every mile. Climbing the mountain with one foot up and another into the sky. The 7 hours changed the view from Impossible to I am possible. Indeed, a walk to heaven. You can achieve anything, just dare it :). We completed the round trip trail, patted ourselves on the back and with the feeling of contentment headed towards our shelter for a day.
Caution : Don't be over enthusiastic to take a photograph on a cliff. Be very cautious, one wrong step can make the things worse. I realized it later, but a lesson for a lifetime :)
Day 2: Our shelter was about an hour away from the park. We need to book at least six months in advance to get the lodge in the national park which we obviously missed. No regrets though! This day was fully dedicated to the scenic views and sitting in the car and chirping "WOW"
Mirror Lake is one of Yosemite's most popular swimming holes. We did 2.4 miles (3.8 km) round trip from the trail head to Mirror Lake. It was an easy paved trail. And I was already a champion in my mind so I just said "Bring it on" :P ha ha
We purposely kept the day-2 for sight seeing and easy going as we had to drove back and reach home in time. We reached home by 11:30 pm. People usually spend 4-5 days in Yosemite, stays in RV (residential vehicle), do camping, cycling and a lot more but our trip was short, crisp and full of spices Like Indian magic masala. It was a short trip to the park but the worthy one. Hope to see you again on the next trip. :)
