If there’s one place that you should visit in your life, it’s Yosemite. The rushing waterfalls, the beautiful nature scenes, the stunning views, the exhilarating climbs, …I could go on for ages. But we don’t have that much time. So I’ll tell you about my favorite part-the climb to Vernal and Nevada Falls.
We started out on a low flat trail, and ascended slowly. This was to be our “challenge hike”, and an hour in, I could see why. Facing us were slippery steps, 650 of them cut into the rock. Yeah, you heard right. 650. To make it worse, on ones side was a rock face and the other side was a sheer vertical drop. Every 5 minutes we had to take a break, because our legs were burning. Finally we reached Vernal Falls. Even though my stomach was in knots, I couldn’t help but admire the scenery. The waterfall started as blistery white foam on the top of the rock face, and thundered down to crash on the rocks below. The blue waterfall, outlined by the rocks and the moss and the surrounding trees, created a beautiful picture. And that’s why I took one.
We arrived at the absolute top a few minutes later, and we had granola bars and apples, as well as a few more pictures.
The climb from Vernal to Nevada Falls was a bit easier, as in less scary. The first half was pretty easy, and then it got hard. We were basically climbing boulders for 1 hour, big ones. Every 2 minutes we had to take a break, and I was completely exhausted. Then, just as it seemed it would never end, we reached the top.
Shouting with joy, we headed to the flat rock where we would have lunch. I peered down the 592 foot waterfall and suddenly felt sick. I almost threw up, but decided the people looking from down-up wouldn’t appreciate it too much (just kidding!). After PBJ sandwiches, our group headed down.
The first part was the scariest. Again, a rock face, and a vertical drop, with no fence, but the worst part was that the trail was icy. I slipped twice, but we all made it through safely. Our guide Derrick-who was an amazing guide- ice-skated down the ice, sliding while the rest of us looked like clumsy hippopotamuses. After that part, the rest of the hike was pretty easy, and we had fun. We exchanged jokes and riddles, and had a lesson on geology. Finally arriving at our cabin, I wiped a hand across my sweaty face, knowing this was a hike I would never forget. It was the first time I had hiked 10 miles in one day.
P.S. This was a school trip. A group of us were assigned to one guide. 4 people shared a cabin.
