Pushing Our Limits - Upper Yosemite Falls Hike - Yosemite National Park, California

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My son, Ryan, and I were feeling ambitious and had decided to tackle the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. It is 7.2 miles up and back with an elevation gain of 2,700 feet...CRAZINESS!!! The trail guides suggest giving yourself 6 - 8 hours to make it happen. When Saturday morning came our ambition gave in, ever so slightly, to slothfulness...we slept in and didn't get the the trail until 10:15!!! This was supposed to be a relaxing trip so we just rolled with it. We gave ourselves until 1:00 to climb as high as we could. Where ever we were, we would stop, bask in the moment, breathe and head back down. There were a few other things we wanted to do that day so we wanted to have a little energy left.

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Here is the "abridged" 😏 version of what we saw along the way. Enjoy!

The trail, that was completed way back in 1877, begins in the dappled shade of grove of oak trees which gives way to this stark yet fantastic scene. I love how the texture of the bark mimics the granite cliffs. The vivid blue sky gave my eye a place to rest this beautiful day.

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After a mile of switchbacks and a 1,000 foot elevation gain, you come to this stunning view at Columbia Rock. That is Half Dome, the crowning jewel of the valley, across the way. The hike to the top of that rock is one I am perfectly happy putting off until my next life.

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Earlier in the month, I am willing to bet there was a reasonably healthy waterfall flowing here right onto the trail.

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Ryan needs to learn the art of blending in. 😁

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How about some more glacier cut granite?!

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Finally, our first glimpse of the falls we came to conquer...North America's tallest and 6th tallest in the world! 😍

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Beauty on a smaller scale. I'm diggin' those shadows.

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This is where the bottom of the upper falls meets the cascades that connect to the lower falls. The mist was refreshing and you could feel the power of the water. I thought I would experiment with some long exposure on this shot. I like!

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I don't know how many times on this trip I thought what I was looking at was unreal. The rock wall seemed like a painted backdrop! Perhaps, at this point, I was in a semi-hallucinatory state from not drinking enough water. Bad Sam!!! 😵

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The clock had struck 1 p.m...the end of our uphill climb. So close to the top yet so far. The trek down was going to take a while since the trail is covered with slick and loose decomposed granite. It can be a tad tedious when you have to think about every step you take.

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I have a tendency to be drawn to trees that have a story to tell...this place is full of them! This one appeared to be growing right out of a rock!

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I looked up at just the right time to catch Half Dome framed by tree branches. Gotta love that!

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Here's one last look at the falls before the trail took us around the bend. The clouds and the wind have changed the view...things here are in constant flux.

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(courtesy of www.nps.gov)

I think we made it within a mile of the top but, as you can imagine, that last bit is incredibly steep. We still made it farther than we did the time before so I'm guessing the third time will be the charm.

If you would like to give this hike a go, you can find the trail head at Camp 4, right across from the back entrance to Yosemite Lodge. May the force be with you! 😅

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For more from my trip to Yosemite, check out these recent posts:

Chilnualna Falls
ThursdayGreen - a collection of shots from my recent trip
Art Inspired by the Merced River

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!steemitworldmap 37.756885 lat -119.596986 long Upper Yosemite Falls Trail d3scr