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Day 1: Arrival
Aaron and I started late out of the city and didn't leave SF until about 9:00am
so we didn't arrive in Yosemite until after 1:00pm. We stopped off at the first
vista point looking into the valley (left). It was good to be back in Yosemite
again.
Everything looked a bit different from when I had last been here in the spring
with Lesli. The grass was brown, some of the foliage was turning to autumn
colors, and the waterfalls had minimal waterflow (Bridal Veil Falls, right) including
Yosemite Falls (below) which, very much to my surprise, was completely dry! It
made perfect sense because there was no snowmelt left, but it just hadn't occured
to me.
We were staying in Camp Curry. Even this late into the year, Curry was completely
booked and we were only able to stay there because of the inevitable cancellations
that occur a couple days before the weekend. A lot of the cabins in Curry were
cordoned off or even fenced off because of their proximity to the big rock slide
that occured earlier in the summer. Distance: 6.6 miles roundtrip
Elevation: 4000' to 6700'
Aaron and I had tried this trail the last time we had both come here together in the spring, but we gave up before even starting because of a sign that indicated trail closure beyond Columbia Rock. We hit the trail at about 2:15pm and it was quite warm. On the north side of the valley, there was a good amount of sun exposure. We were treated to some nice views of Half Dome and the valley on our way up.
As we continued to hike along the trail we stopped at Columbia Rock (you know
you are there because of the railing) briefly and continued upward. The trail
was very loose on the section just above Columbia Rock. This is the area that
had been reinforced after the damage in the spring. Even so, it did not look as
though it would hold up well under a strong rain or snowmelt runoff. We continued
and the trail dipped down fro awhile and then cut back towards the middle point
of Yosemite Falls where it splashes onto the rock face before cascading down to
the lower Yosemite Falls. The trail comes quite close to this point and must be
spectacular when there it water flowing. I'll need to come back to see for myself!
As we were hiking, we kept wondering how we we were going to ascend to the top
since most of what was visible was sheer rock face. As it turned out, the trail
began more steeply upward into a clearing to the left of the falls. A good amount
of the trail was stone steps (I dislike steps...shades Lantau
Island). 
Eventually, we made it to the top. There's a short trail that takes you down to
a viewpoint (railing) of the very top of Yosemite Falls where it flows downward.
On the way, we saw what remained of Yosemite Creek - just a few stagnant pools
of water (left). We could have also hiked over to Yosemite Point (right), but
we were very hungry (pizza and beer in Camp Curry...woo hoo!) and a bit tired
and chose not to. 
Here I am (right) contemplating life while
immersed in the beauty of Yosemite and after
some exertion to reach it.
Early evening view of Half Dome.A view of Sentinel Rock
on the south side of the valley.
On our way down, less than a mile from the trailhead, a few hikers were stopped
on the trail and pointing up into a tree. There was a momma bear and two cubs
up at the top of a tree. This was actually the first time I've ever seen a bear!
