Wednesday Walk - Chilnualna Falls - Yosemite National Park, California

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This is my contribution to the #wednesdaywalk challenge, a weekly challenge initiated by @tattoodjay. His goal is to get us outside and observing the sites we find around us at the time. I always seem to be on epic walks on Wednesdays that are probably a bit longer than he suggests but, here we are. Full disclosure...this is from last week but I was in a place that had lousy WIFI so I couldn't get a post out to save my life...which is as it should be when you are at one of the most beautiful places on earth.

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This particular Wednesday, I was just beginning a couple day stay in Yosemite National Park with my son, Ryan, who had recently graduated from college. It was an excellent time for both of us to get out of the big city and clear our heads. We entered the southern end of the park on U.S. Route 41 which takes you through historic Wawona. Yosemite is known for epic waterfalls cascading from towering glacier cut granite cliffs but we thought we would ease into our experience with a visit to Chilnualna Falls that is located just outside Wawona. After a mile and a half drive off the highway that winds through the residences of park workers, we arrived at the trail head. Let's go see what we saw, shall we?

The full trail is long, just short of 7 miles, so we chose the abbreviated version so we could make it down to Yosemite Valley for sunset. We saw signs of new growth...spring had long since sprung. Look at those fantastic jagged leaves!

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This was our first glimpse at Chilnualna Creek. The sound of rushing water is so soothing.

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Here is the best view of the falls that we could manage from our spot on the trail. A tad bit of scampering on wet rocks was required but we always put safety first. Our goal is to avoid ending up on the evening news.

The basic stats are these: there are 5 cascades over nearly 700 feet and it is ranked 380th in the world as far as height...quite respectable!

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The next couple of shots are vignettes that caught my eye.

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So texturally delicious!!!

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This beefy ladybug almost met its demise because I was going to use this rock to help me get down the trail. My hand was headed in its general direction...thankfully I saw it just in time!

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I always marvel and the rock formations in Yosemite...how the granite separates from itself. This particular spot reminded me of the plates on the back of a stegosaurus.

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One tree's destruction is can be an ambitious bug's artwork. There was was definitely an overall theme / pattern to this masterpiece.

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And finally...the bud of a wild iris. Happy sigh!

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We have been to Yosemite countless times but this was my son's first hike to Chilnualna Falls. It was so great to start off with a new experience in a place that feels so much like home. I hope you enjoyed our #wednesdaywalk as much as we did!

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Here is @tattoojay's post for today that includes some suggested guidelines in case you want to join in the fun. There is still a few hours left depending on where you are in the world.

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!steemitworldmap 37.565296 lat -119.615628 long Chilnualna Falls - Yosemite Nat'l Park d3scr