north_dome
We got a late start from Palo Alto and didn't hit the trail until 12:15. I worried that we'd run out of time, since this hike is a round trip distance of approximately 16 miles, with well over 5000 feet of cumulative elevation gain. However, from past experience, I knew that this group would move quickly and without complaint, so against the odds, we started hiking briskly uphill on the Yosemite Falls Trail, threading our way through throngs of wheezing tourists. We stopped at Columbia Rock, as Antoine tended to two nascent blisters which were forming on his heels. From there, we hiked without stopping to Yosemite Falls. We made good time, 1h30m, but my body felt the pain. I was on my way to coming down with a cold, the same one that had floored Kim earlier in the week, and which now has floored me two days after the hike.
The crowds thin considerably after Yosemite Point. Some residual snow remained, which complicated route finding. As we pushed closer and closer to North Dome, we could find hardly any evidence whatsoever (i.e., footprints in the snow) of previous parties. We'd have North Dome to ourselves. The snow and routefinding slowed us down, but we made fairly good time and found ourselves on North Dome proper by 16:15. It had taken us four hours to get here, and if it took us four hours to return, we'd be walking much of the Yosemite Falls Trail (slick, rocky, and somewhat treacherous) in the dark. Antoine insisted on eating a sandwich, so after eating and some fantastic summit shots in the clear afternoon air, we started back at 16:45.
We boogied on the way down, jogging much of the way. In spite of a rest stop at Yosemite Point, we were back to the trailhead in Camp 4 by 19:45, just as the last traces of daylight faded away. Not a minute too soon! Rachel cut a nasty gash in her leg on the way down, and in spite of several rivulets of blood coursing down to her socks, she never complained about the pain. Antoine and Jesse ran much of the way down, arriving at the bus stop 15 minutes before Rachel and I. Amazingly, they were able to convince the driver of the last bus of the day to wait for Rachel and me. Soon we were showered and kicking back with some beers. A great day in the mountains!
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Department of Geophysics Stanford University |
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