Nevada Falls and the Mist Trail

When I was 8, my father and my cousin climbed Half Dome for my dad's 45th birthday.  Not to be outdone, my mom and I climbed the Mist Trail to Nevada Falls, an all-day hike that involves a lot of switchbacks and scrambling up rocks that are awfully, well, misty...not to mention a section of "stairs" cut into the rock face that are sometimes three feet high each.

Ten years later, I returned to conquer the Mist Trail once more.  I was dismayed to discover that I was in better shape in third grade than I was as a freshman in college.  The trail was a lot more difficult than I remembered it being, and upon reaching Vernal Falls (about 2/3 of the way up the trail), I seriously considered stopping there and calling it a day.  The rest of the class persevered, however, so I decided to as well.  So glad I did.  It isn't an easy climb, and I was out of breath for about four hours afterward, but it's so beautiful and rewarding to know that you've made one of the more difficult climbs in all of Yosemite.

Looking back, this shortness of breath was a sign of things to come...read the Grand Canyon hike entry for more information on that.

On the way out of the park and back to LA, we stopped at the Mariposa Grove of giant redwoods.  This is also something I've done countless times with my parents.  It's a touristy area just outside the park where you can see...giant redwoods.  They're impressive, they're imposing, and they're not that exciting to see more than once or twice in your life, unless you're really into trees.  They are pretty, however, and it is rather crazy to think how large some of them are.  Nevertheless, they seemed bigger somehow when I was in elementary school and my mom would drag me there every year.