We felt the need to get inspired after walking around in the smoke that had blanketed the park yesterday. What better place to get inspired than from a place called Inspiration Point?
Yosemite National Park
Got parking permits and park maps this time around when we entered the park, not to mention more pictures with the sign.
Yosemite National Park
Blue skies ahead. We could actually see the forest for the trees.
Wawona Tunnel
Driving through the nearly mile long tunnel that was blasted out of solid granite back in 1931.
Tunnel View
What a difference that a day makes. We actually got to see the classic views of El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock and Cathedral Rocks.
Inspiration Point
Going up the trail and away from Yosemite Valley.
Inspiration Point
Anybody see a lens cap? That’s what happens when you go off-trail and bushwhack for a bit.
Inspiration Point
What big calves that you have. Echoes from another hike on another island.
Inspiration Point
The steepness slacked off with each foot of elevation we gained.
Inspiration Point
Found my own tree to stand on and ruminate.
Inspiration Point
The girls coming down from the obstructed granite shelf to the clearing with a commanding view of the valley.
Inspiration Point
Are we inspired yet? Can I get a hallelujah? Can I get a shaka?
Inspiration Point
Somebody was inspired enough to balance a pine cone on her forehead.
Inspiration Point
Passing the junction point where the trail that used to be the old stagecoach road splits off into other parts of Yosemite.
Inspiration Point
Did you guys see a bear? Does a bear sh*t in the woods? No, we were too busy looking for the missing lens cap.
Inspiration Point
Coming down the switchback trail that we had somehow missed on our way up.
All pau
Making our way back down to our Jeep where we finished our 2.42 mile hike and drove to Curry Village to hike to the last remnant of a large glacial lake that once filled most of Yosemite Valley.
Mirror Lake
Is it 2.1 miles to the trailhead? To the lake itself? Roundtrip mileage? One of the great mysteries of hiking trails.
Mirror Lake
Hiking one of the few flat trails in Yosemite.
Mirror Lake
Passing the “refrigerator rocks.”
Mirror Lake
Looking at the lake that is slowly disappearing due to sediment accumulation. Enjoying what’s left of it.
Mirror Lake
Some kid was beating the summer heat with repeated plunges into the cold water from the tallest rock in the body of water.
Mirror Lake
We found our own rock to stand on. No jumping. No judging.
Mirror Lake
Life imitating art. Or Tik Tok.
Mirror Lake
No mirror. No lake. Just sand. Lots of it. Soon it will be called Sand Lot. We decided not to to the loop trail that would have took us around Tenaya Valley and headed back down the trail instead.
Yosemite Park
Sitting on the stone bridge at the end of our hike.
Yosemite Park
Walking down the road closed to four wheeled traffic, but open to two legged hikers and two wheeled traffic.
Yosemite Park
We are done hiking. Let’s catch the shuttle bus back to the village.
All pau
Saying goodbye to one of the resident rodents in the park as we returned back to our Airbnb, where Jasmin cooked us up a pot of delicious Chicken Papaya. Chayote is the new Papaya.
Photos taken by Jasmin Nepomuceno, Mari Saito, Quan Haberstroh and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.
Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.
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