The Yosemite National Park reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain; it is known for it's granite cliffs, numerous waterfalls and clear streams...not to mention the more than 160 rare plants found only inside the park. Only about 5% of the park isn't considered wilderness - today, we ventured into the 95% - or we thought. Hazards to be aware of, in addition to the heights and sheer drop-off cliffs are bears (didn't see any) and the crowds.

Yosemite NP was definitely one of the more crowded parks at every point of interest and trail we ventured to see; and, there were lots of children and more trash. Almost all of the campgrounds were full and more than 90% were in tents. I should mention the weather was a beautiful 75 degrees with the night's low at 49 degrees. Sadly, on June 1st of this year, a young child fell from Nevada Falls (over 300 feet) - crushed under the powerful water, the body had yet to be found; there was a poster asking hikers to be aware and to notify the rangers if evidence of or if the body was found.

One of the most well-known trails is John Muir which starts at the bottom of Vernal falls and continues up Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls and beyond Half Dome (hiking permit is required) and is over 200 miles of hiking. I would be more inclined to do the hike backward as there would be fewer climbs and mostly downhill.

We did make the hike to the top of Vernal Falls, along with hundreds of other tourist. One downhill hiker- walking cliffside, carelessly bumped me as she meandered down the trail and nearly knocked me off balance. A few choice words came to mind but never left my mouth. Vernal Falls was more than a 300 foot drop and is clearly visible from Glacier Point. The climb (really strenuous climb) was constant and as the elevation changed, so did my stride. Dan described the last 15 minutes of the hike to the top of the falls like climbing straight up a ladder of rocks (aprox. 3/10ths of a mile). Towards the top there were few places to pass other hikers and the drop down the side of the cliffs, well - that was something you didn't want to see happen. There were different skilled hikers on the trail (including kids) but it really isn't for those with a fear of heights or with low stamina. While sitting near the base of the falls enjoying the cool mist, I met a young woman who had a fear of heights. Her husband had "parked" her there while he made the final treck to the top; when we started the hike down I noticed she had frozen to the cliff. I could tell she needed help and her husband had already gone down several turns ahead of her (bad husband) so I took her hand, walked her down to where the trail widened and she could hug the granite wall until I handed her off to her hubby. The trail began at Happy Isles and was a short 1.5 mile hike (one way), with the last 15 minutes going straight up and over rocks - it still took more than 3 hours for the entire trip but the view was worth it.

El Capitan (also called El Cap by most rock climbers)is a verticle rock formation in which the most experienced climbers attempt to climb. On our way out of the park we stopped to watch a group of 3 climbers cling to the side of the granite monolith, just under half way to the top. There are some who attempt to free climb, speed climb and base jump El Cap - none of those are on my list of things to do.

My favorite part of today was seeing different falls, the cliffs and the crystal clear waters; my least favorite were the crowds, the trash and the loud & rambunctious children on the narrow and dangerous trails.

Tomorrow we enjoy a different part of Yosemite NP and hopefully less crowds and less trash.