It’s late Friday Night when James and I drive slowly into the campgrounds. The entrance booth is closed, but a whiteboard covered in names and numbers tells us where we need to go: “OLLER - Site 56A”. James pulls forward and guides us along the bumpy dirt road to our campsite. Before unpacking & pitching the tent, I wander down towards a nearby river.
As my vision slowly adjusts to the darkness, a fantastic scene reveals itself to me: A massive granite dome, glistening silver in the pale light of the moon & stars. I’m reminded of the overwhelming nature of Yosemite.
LEMBERT DOME
Morning brings a host of new sights & senses. The rest of our group; Brennan, Colin, Nick, Simon, and Chance join us for a breakfast of oats, fruit, bacon, and coffee. As we debate which of the many hikes in Tuolumne Meadows we should do, the answer becomes obvious: we should hike the giant dome that we’ve been staring at all night and all morning.
The elevation (~8600 ft) of Tuolumne Meadows quickly humbles even the fittest among us as we start the hike. Conversation is cut short as everyone gasps for breath.
Gradually, our bodies acclimatize and the hike gets easier. Soon the trail disappears and we’re met by the sloping granite slabs of Lembert Dome. The summit gives me my first glimpse of Tuolumne Meadows’ expansive terrain. It’s an immense landscape, dominated by granite & green.
ELIZABETH LAKE
It’s pretty hot today, so after the morning hike we head back to camp and wade into the river to cool down. It feels fantastic to rinse off the grime of the day. Refreshed, we eat some sandwiches for lunch before heading out for another hike.
The trail to Elizabeth Lake meanders through riverbeds peppered with wildflowers and clover-carpeted young forests. Upon reaching the lake, we scramble up the granite boulders at the base of Unicorn Peak for a better view.
And what a view it is! All around, Yosemite flaunts its artistry. Here it seems that everything the earth has to offer is in its prime. The effects of time are magnified by the landscape.
On the hike back to camp, I keep falling behind the group, constantly stopping to take pictures, then sprinting ahead to catch up. It’s exhausting, but I don’t mind. Everything around me is so captivating! The young pine trees especially delight me with their delicate, curvy trunks.
Back at camp, I return to the river for another moment of peace and quiet. The calm water reflects the last light of the day on Lembert Dome. It’s incredible how time expands in the wilderness, making a short weekend trip seem to stretch on and on.
BIG WALLS
Sunday morning, I wake up around 7AM to the sound of birdsongs and head down to the river for a another quiet moment before starting the day. Soon after, the morning becomes a bit hectic as we pack our things, clean the campsite, and plan the day. Eventually the plan is settled: we’ll drive to Yosemite Valley to see the legendary rock walls, Half Dome & El Capitan.
With Half Dome towering above us to the right, and Tenaya creek bubbling to our left, we amble along the Mirror Lake trail. I chat with Nick about his father (a hydrogeologist), who once climbed Half Dome & El Capitan back when he was in his prime. We both look up at the sheer face of Half Dome and say the same thing: “That’s crazy.”
The views of Half Dome are fantastic, but after a while we feel it’s time to get away from the crowds on the Mirror Lake trail, so we drive west towards the most daunting feature of the valley: El Capitan.
From the meadows in the center of the valley, El Cap presents itself in classic form. The vertical scope of the face is staggering, like a horizon that runs up and down.
A small climbers’ trail leads from the road to the base of the wall. There, we’re amazed to clearly see and hear several pairs of climbers on the face, thousands of feet above.
Gazing up from the base of the wall, the prospect of climbing El Cap is simply absurd. I can’t contain my excitement at seeing the brave climbers above, battling with the features of the face. “This is so awesome. This is so awesome,” I keep saying.
Looking straight up through my telephoto lens, perspective is flattened, and the wall looks like a massive jumble of twisting, folding, cracking rock. The climber’s progress is slow as they work towards the ultimate prize. I think of what they’re going through up there, and what they hope to achieve. A quote from Warren Harding, the first man to climb El Capitan, pops into my mind. Reflecting on his historic ascent, he said:
“…As I hammered in the last bolt and staggered over the rim, it was not at all clear to me who was conqueror and who was conquered: I do recall that El Cap seemed to be in much better condition than I was.”
We make our way back to the car as a few raindrops start to fall. The camping trip is over; everyone says their goodbyes and drives their separate ways. On the drive home, my thoughts cling to the massive rock walls of Yosemite Valley. I think about the climbers still up there, settling into their portaledges for a restless night, suspended thousands of feet above the abyss.
