Yosemite in the Spring

I visited Yosemite once again last weekend, but for the first time since moving back to the Bay Area. It was my first time staying in Yosemite Valley and that made a huge difference in terms of getting on the nearby trails before the crowds. We picked a perfect time to go because the waterfalls were raging and the roads were clear, but you could still get in a snowy experience if you wanted. We also went at a unique and confusing time when many landmarks had been renamed as part of a trademark lawsuit, but they weren't renamed on every sign, map, or brochure, so we had to learn two names for some things.

We did a few hikes/casual strolls in the valley and a nice snowshoe near Badger Pass and I've described them below.

I've also written about Yosemite here and here.

Mirror Lake - 
There are multiple trails that lead to Mirror Lake and they range from wide and paved to small and somewhat rocky. Two or three routes start (or pass by) The Awahnee /Majestic Yosemite Hotel and another leaves from Curry/Half Dome Village.

It is about a 2-mile round-trip walk if you just go to the lake and back. A longer, 5-mile loop takes you to the lake, around it, and back. The paved trails are great for people with kids, strollers, or wheelchairs, but be advised the paved section ends right at, or right before, the lake.

One of the paved trails to Mirror Lake with nice view of Half Dome.

Mirror Lake being true to its name.

More Mirror Lake

Examples of two different types of trails leading to Mirror Lake.

Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls -
This spectacular and strenuous hike takes you up close to two amazing waterfalls. If you just go to the top of Vernal Falls it is 2.4 miles round trip via the Mist Trail and much of the trail is paved or stone. Nevada Falls is a bit farther (5.4 round trip) and the trail beyond Vernal Falls is more natural.

Don't take the Mist Trail (which is closed in Winter) if you have trouble with sheer ledges or walking on steep, moist, stone steps. On a separate trip I learned these steps can get really icy too! Taking the longer way may not take much more time since it is more gradually sloped, typically has less traffic, and has no bottlenecks. We took the Mist Trail up and decided to avoid it on the way back down by taking the John Muir Trail.

Vernal Falls has a large open rock area that is great for resting, eating, or waiting your turn to take photos close to the waterfall.

Looking over Vernal Falls

Vernal Falls

Nevada Falls

Badger Pass Snowshoe - It has been a goal of mine to one day snowshoe or crosscountry ski on Yosemite's many miles of machine-groomed snow trails. In the winter and early spring, much of Glacier Point Road is converted to a maintained snow trail with many more miles of marked trails often packed down by human traffic. I still hope to return and maybe backpack out to the Glacier Point Ski Hut for a night or two, but we did get in a nice snowshoe.
Our route left the Badger Pass Ski Area on Old Glacier Point Road, then turned up a steep hill to take in the views of the Clark Range from the Old Badger Pass Summit. From there we went back down the hill and on to Summit Meadow where we had lunch before returning via Glacier Point Road. My favorite parts were off the maintained tracks, but the machine-groomed sections definitely take less energy to travel on.

Valley Loop (parts of it) - 
As you may have guessed already, the Valley Loop Trail loops through much of Yosemite Valley. The full loop is 13 miles, but it can easily be done in smaller sections. While exploring the Valley, we frequently found ourselves on this trail enjoying its great views of all the waterfalls and impressive rock features. If you have the energy, this trail offers a fantastic alternative to driving slowly around the valley while stuck in infuriating traffic. It is quieter, more peaceful, and provides a more personal experience of the awe-inspiring scenery that draws so many people to Yosemite.

Check out my other Yosemite posts on:
Ten Lakes, Emerald Lake, Cathedral Pass, & more
Hetch Hetchy


California Readers: Interested in getting paid to unplug your laptop or turn off a light for an hour? $20 just for joining OhmConnect, learn more at: https://login.ohmconnect.com/ref/30315

Buffalo River Trail - Woolum to Margaret White

This past weekend I went on a short backpacking trip on the Buffalo River Trail between Woolum and Margaret White. The roughly 6 mile route had some real elevation change going from river level to the top of the bluff line twice. While we got some amazing views from Dave Manes Bluff, I suspect big views are more frequent (though less colorful) in the winter.

The river was bone dry for most of this section, something that isn't rare this time of year for this part. In fact, the water is there, it is just flowing underground through the karst and it resurfaces downstream in interesting springs. Oddly enough, we had to cross flowing water at Woolum, but then were able to cross the dry bed downstream of there to camp near Dave Mane's Bluff and Ben Branch.

We heard tons of coyotes at night and saw a lot of stars.
Here is a link to more photos of the dry river bed: http://trailsofarkansas.blogspot.com/2012/08/buffalo-river-low.html
There are some interesting trails near here up around Point Peter:
http://trailsofarkansas.blogspot.com/2014/01/point-peter-mountain-trails-buffalo.html

Rocky Mountain National Park / Estes Park / Golden Colorado Trip - Summer 2014

I didn't feel like writing five separate posts for one trip, so here is everything outdoorsy I got up to in Colorado after spending a couple days in Denver.  Click any photo to view them larger and as a slideshow.

Trail around Estes Park Lake

As a light warm-up to help us acclimate for Longs Peak, we walked the paved trail around Lake Estes.  This trail is mostly flat and about 3.5 miles long depending on which route you take.  There are a couple water fountains and bathrooms along the route and you are fairly likely to see ducks or elk along the way.  There are several places to park around the lake and most are free.

View Lake Estes Loop in a larger map

Emerald Lake Hike from Bear Lake Trailhead

For our next tuneup we took the shuttle to the Bear Lake Trailhead and hiked to Emerald Lake which sits at an elevation of 10,090'. We considered visiting more lakes (Haiyaha and Mills) and doing a loop hike, but decided against that due to weather concerns.  On our hike we visited Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake.  The lakes are spaced roughly half a mile apart and each has a unique character.  Nymph Lake is small and shallow and had lily pads growing in it.  Dream Lake was long and wooded with scenic mountains in the background.  Emerald Lake was the highest, deepest, and probably coldest of the three and it was our favorite.  Though it was cool, cloudy, and windy for most of our stay, we all managed to get in and swim for more than a few seconds in this lake that is frozen much of the year and was actively receiving fresh snow melt.  

Dream Lake

Emerald Lake

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Alpine Hike

This short 500-yard trail heads uphill from the Alpine Visitor Center in the western part of the national park.  It gives visitors a chance to experience the tundra at 11,800' elevation, see incredible wildflowers, and maybe catch a glimpse of a marmot or pika. 

View Alpine Visitor Center Walk in a larger map

Longs Peak

Marmot, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

After attempting to dayhike Longs Peak, here is a summary of my findings followed by a longer description, map, and photos:

1.  Start early.  While incredibly fit people can summit Long's Peak and race back down to the trailhead in a few hours, the trek takes most people 12-15 hours and it is a good idea to be back down to the treeline by 1 or 2 in the afternoon to avoid summer storms.  For reference, we got hailed on at 1:30 and rained on much of the way down.  Starting early has the added benefit of letting you take in some amazing views of sunrise if you manage to get at least a few miles up the trail.

Duct Tape Saves the Day Again

2.  Go in the summer unless you like super technical climbing.  Ice and snow remain on sections of route well into July most years.

3.  Make sure you are acclimated. Take a few days to acclimatize to high elevations before attempting to summit the peak.  As you may have ascertained from reading the rest of this post, we spent a couple days in Denver (5,280'), then did a short easy walk in Estes Park (7,522'), followed by a hike to Emerald Lake in the national park (10,090') and a short walk at the Alpine Visitors Center (11,800') while camping at the Longs Peak Campground (~9,000').  You may want to look into taking Ibuprofen, Naproxen, or Acetazolamide to help with altitude sickness.

Pika, Rocky Mountain National Park

4.  The scenery and wildlife viewing are fantastic.  Even if you don't make it to the peak, the hike is
well worth it.  We saw marmots, pikas, elk, and ptarmigans up close. Bighorn sheep and other wildlife are also often seen along this route.  In the summer, tiny, delicate, incredible wildflowers are blooming all over.  If at all possible, make it to the keyhole to take in the fantastic view on the other side.

5.  Take plenty of water, food, and clothing.  We each drank at least 2 quarts of water/energy/electrolyte beverages.  3-4 quarts is recommended.  Weather ranged from warm and sunny to cold, windy, hail and rain.

6.  Take a first aid kit and duct tape.  Lots can go wrong on this hike/climb and timely help isn't guaranteed.  We came across a hiker with a boot blowout and aided his hike down by providing him with some duct tape.  You can sometimes find duct tape in tiny rolls or roll your own by wrapping it around a toothpick or something small so it takes up less space.  As mentioned earlier, Ibruprofen or Naproxen can help alleviate some common symptoms of altitude sickness.

Our trip

Hiking at 3:30 AM with a Headlamp

We camped at the Longs Peak Campground for two nights.  The campground borders a private summer camp which can cause noise and traffic issues if you have bad timing like we did.  We set our alarms for 3:00 AM and were hiking towards the trailhead at around 3:30.  Lots of people were up and making noise at the campground at 2:00 which may be a smarter time to get up for multiple reasons.

Hiking at dark with a headlamp was a new experience for me and it was fun, though at times I felt like I was walking in a trance.  There was fairly full moon and some hikers didn't bother with lights.

The route to the summit is 7.5 miles long and includes roughly 5,000 ft. of elevation gain.  The last 1.7 miles of the route is not a trail and is more of a scramble/climb over boulders, past sheer cliffs, and up steep rock faces which is why averaging just over one mile an hour (there and back) is pretty normal.

Sunrise began around 5:15 or 5:30 and we got an amazing show having reached a location somewhat near the treeline.  There are two toilets along the route which is nice since privacy is limited above the trees.  We saw lots of wildlife on our hike including numerous elk, pikas, and marmots at close range. Along the way I heard two of my favorite wildlife noises: elk bugling and hermit thrush songs.

Sunrise from the Longs Peak Trail

The Keyhole. Longs Peak

We made it through the Boulder Field and up to the Keyhole by around 11:15 (which is probably too late).  The view from the Keyhole was awesome, but the route beyond it was a little too much for me and many people I talked to.  The rest of our party continued on, only to turn around on the Trough due to time and weather concerns.

These concerns were validated by the fact that there was a thunderstorm with lightning and hail at 1:30.  The storm caught many people out in the open, while I managed to shelter under a large rock downhill from Chasm Lake but not quite below the treeline.

We got rained on for much of our remaining hike back to the trailhead but were able to dry off quickly when the sun returned.

Fork to Chasm Lake

Elk Herd Near the Boulder Field

Boulder Field Campsite - Exposed and Windy

View from the far side of the Keyhole

The Ledges

Pika, Rocky Mountain National Park

Ptarmigan

View Longs Peak in a larger map 

Golden Trail and Whitewater Park

Golden, Colorado is a cool little college town with tons of outdoor recreational opportunities.  It is nearly surrounded by parks in the foothills with hiking trails and to top things off, Clear Creek runs right through the heart of the city offering fun for tubers, kayakers, and reckless swimmers.  The Clear Creek Trail runs along both sides of the creek, which enabled us to rent tubes, put in upstream, float about half a mile down and walk back up to do it all again.  The creek has a whitewater park with some man-made rapids which are pretty exciting to go over.

The Trail Was Flooded, but that Just Means More Floating

Photo By Lindsay Smith

Photo By Lindsay Smith

Red Rocks

Though it actually came first chronologically, I didn't do much of the trail, so I just wanted to note here that Red Rocks has a few trails.  If you go there for a show, get there a couple hours early and take in the natural beauty of the place.

Trading Post Trail at Red Rocks

More photos and information on hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park can be found in my previous post at:
http://trailsofarkansas.blogspot.com/2013/12/rocky-mountain-national-park-of-week-6.html

Or on the NPS website:
http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm

Hawaii Hikes (Spring Break 2014!)

I just got back from a week and a half in Hawaii with the missus.  Since the main objectives were to relax, see friends, and eat lots of raw fish, we didn't get in any huge hikes.  We did, however, do plenty of interesting, short ones which I've described below:

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 

1. Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs

This was a short, roughly 1.5 mile round-trip hike off of Chain of Craters Rd. not far from the ocean. The main attraction is the petroglyphs carved into lava at the end of the trail, but the views along the way are great and walking on lava is a unique experience.

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2.  End of the Road

Located at the end of Chain of Craters Road, this trail follows just over a half mile more of the road out to where it was buried by a lava flow.  You are free to explore all over the lava, but must people just go 10-20 yards out and then head back.  This easy walk has some surreal scenery.  It was wild seeing bits of the road and old signs poke out from under the lava.

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3.  Kilauea Iki Crater/Thurston Lava Tube

Walking on a frozen lava lake was one of the most unique experiences we had in the park.  The lake was very unfrozen in 1959.  Even though the lake is completely solid now, parts of it are still cooling, and steam was rising out of numerous vents and cracks on the surface.  The Kilauea Iki trail (shown below) is a 4 mile loop, but we only did the part shown in blue.  Lined with huge tree ferns and dense vegetation, the hike down to the crater feels like walking through a rainforest.  Then the trail levels off and shoots out onto the buckled and cracked black surface of the crater.  People wander all over the area, but you the trail runs in a straight line and follows rock cairns to the other side of the crater.  It was interesting seeing the ferns and other early successional plants growing in such an uninviting environment.
Located across the street from one of the Kilauea Iki trailheads, is the short Thurston Lava Tube trail.  This easy, family-friendly walk takes you through the forest, and under it, via a tube/cave formed by flowing lava hundreds of years ago.

Kilauea Iki Crater

Thurston Lava Tube

Thurston Lava Tube

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Mauna Kea (Visitor Information Station)

We really wanted to visit the summit of Mauna Kea for the great views, interesting sights (snow in Hawaii, huge telescopes, etc), and great stargazing.  Though supposedly quite rare, we were snowed/rained out two days in a row and had to settle for exploring the area around the Visitor Information Station located six miles up the Mauna Kea Access Road at 9,000 feet. (Lesson: make your reservation/plans for the top early in your stay so you can reschedule if necessary)

Luckily, there are plenty of trails around the Visitor Station of various lengths and difficulties.  You can even hike from there to the summit on the 6 mile Humuula Trail that gains roughly 4,500 feet in elevation.

I didn't have the time, acclimatization, or nerve to hike through the thundering clouds to the snow covered summit and back so I explored around the center.  In addition to the old dirt roads and the very short, easy walk around the Silversword Trail there is a trail around a cone at the base of the road.

Mauna Kea Humuula Trail

Silver Sword Plant

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Green Sand Beach - South Point

Located at the end of South Point Rd. near the southernmost point in the USA, on government (HI Department of Home Lands) property, Green Sand Beach is not widely publicized out of safety and/or desecration concerns.  The beach gets its color (really more of a yellow-green-brown) from the presence of lots of olivine. The hike in is not that difficult but does expose you to plenty of wind and sun.  I don't know what the rules are on this, but there are friendly locals are willing to take you one or both legs in their 4WD vehicles for a fee.  There are lots of old dirt roads and trails weaving together along the way and you can follow any of them, just keep the ocean to your right on the way to the beach and you'll be fine.  The trail closest to the water is very scenic, but rough and less direct.

Look Down at Green Sand Beach

Climbing down to the Beach

The Trail/Road to Green Sand Beach

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Lava Trees State Park

I highly recommend this simple 0.7 mile stroll in Lava Trees State Park if you are staying near Pahua. The park gets its name from the interesting tree-shaped molds left behind when hot lava flowed around trees that resisted the incredible heat long enough for the lava to cool.  While the trees are gone, their shape remains.  The lava trees were great, but we also really enjoyed the surrounding forest and its jungle feel where vines with enormous leaves climb the highly invasive, Falcataria moluccana, or Albizia, trees that tower over the road to the park.  You can see their interestingly shaped, massive canopies in the satellite-imagery of the map below.

Lava Tree

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Pololu Valley Beach

Located on the north side of the Big Island, the Awini/Pololu Valley Beach Trail is a short, moderately difficult highly-eroded dirt trail that heads down a steep slope from the Pololu Valley Lookout at the end of Hwy 270 to the beach and beyond.  The beach is beautiful and the wooded area nearby is quite scenic as well and has plenty of great places to sit in the shade.

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