Yosemite 2012-Day 3

We woke up to the cries of crows and other birds and emerged from our tent to the sight of the Merced River less than 100' away. North Pines Campground is pretty nice and offers a few campsites right along the river (ours was across a campground road from it). Site #s 101-113 (odd numbered) are along the main entrance road, so we try to avoid getting these. The best sites in this campground are #s 502, 504, and 506 because these are near the confluence of Tenaya Creek and the Merced River. In general we try to get one of these three sites, but if we can't then we try to find one that is not jammed between a bunch of other ones, is relatively close to the river, and is between bathrooms (not right next to one). Despite having campsite numbers into the 500s, North Pines only has 81 sites. Upper Pines is by far the largest of the three "Pines" campgrounds with 238 sites. Because of this, Upper Pines is usually our last resort. However, we stayed in Upper Pines for a couple of nights last year and it was pretty nice. In general (at least before Memorial Day), the people staying in the campgrounds are considerate, clean, and quiet between 10pm and 7am. There are, however, a few that aren't as considerate and/or clean. A nearby site in both of the campgrounds we stayed at this year were not kept clean and the crows were having a great time ripping through their stuff while they were gone. Having a dirty campsite can be dangerous for everyone around as it attracts bears and other wildlife. The monetary penalty for leaving food and material out while gone is also heavy ($1,000+). Last year, in Upper Pines, a campsite a few down from us left out dirty cooking material and dog food. The crows especially liked the dog food and happily ripped into the bag. Lower Pines is the gem of the three "Pines" campgrounds and we try to stay here as many nights as we can. It is the smallest of the three with only 60 sites and only a few are right on the river. However, these few also have spectacular views of Half Dome and Royal Arches Cascade in the other direction. There are also some campsites bordering Stoneman Meadow, which makes it easy to walk to Curry Village to shower and get pizza and beer.On our second full day in the park (first in the valley), we decided to take it "easy" and not do a hike. We ate breakfast and relaxed on the picnic table reading our books during the morning hours. Around 11am we made our lunches for the day and headed out, first for Foresta to find some Harlequin Lupine (above) and second to Glacier Point. On the way to Foresta we stopped at a viewpoint along Northside Drive for Bridalveil Fall on the opposite side of the river. At the intersection of the Old Coulterville Road and Big Oak Flat Road is a great display of color from lupine and other wildflowers. We drove further into Foresta and parked along the Crane Flat Road. Luckily, we parked right next to the only Harlequin Lupine we found on this day. While Britt was checking out the different wildflowers in the area, I walked down to a viewpoint of Upper Foresta Falls. It was now around noon and we headed off for Glacier Point.Last year, the Glacier Point and Tioga Pass Roads were closed while we were in the park because of the heavy snowfall the Sierras has received that winter. This year, the Glacier Point Road had opened at the end of April so we took advantage of the opportunity to see a part of the park we hadn't been able to before. As we approached Glacier Point (at the end of the road), we stopped at the trailhead for Sentinel Dome which was completely full. We waited for a minute before a spot opened up and ate our lunches from the back of our car. I had scouted out Sentinel Dome before coming this year and was really excited to climb to the top of it. It's only ~1.15 miles to the top from the parking lot with a 400' elevation gain and the views are unbelievable. Later, we heard a man at Glacier Point say to some people that the views on Sentinel Dome are similar to Glacier Point, so it wasn't worth the effort to go up there. Blasphemy! The views on Sentinel Dome are so much better and there are so many less people there than Glacier Point. On Sentinel Dome, you have 360 degree views that stretch to almost every corner of the park. The views are not exclusive to Sentinel Dome, but having them all in one place is. To the west is El Capitan and the Cathedral Peaks, to the north is the entire length of Yosemite Falls (one of the few places where you can see the entire length), to the northeast is North Dome, the Tenaya Canyon, and Mt Hoffmann (source of Yosemite Creek) in the distance, to the east is Half Dome, Nevada Fall, and the peaks on the eastern end of the park like Mt Maclure (above-left), and to the southeast are Mt Starr King, Mt Clark, Gray Peak, and Red Peak. The views to the south and southwest aren't as spectacular but still interesting. It is true that at Glacier Point you can see Yosemite Falls (can't quite see the Middle Cascades), Vernal Fall, and Nevada Fall at once but this view is not the best for any of them. The best view of Yosemite Falls (in this area) is from Sentinel Dome or the Four Mile Trail and the best view of Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall (together) is from Washburn Point, where you can also see the top of Illilouette Fall. Also, there were a few people on Sentinel Dome that had set up meditation circles and we didn't see anyone doing that at Glacier Point :) . Glacier Point does have a slightly better view of Half Dome and the Tenaya Canyon (right) than Sentinel Dome because the view of the valley floor is unobstructed (there are some trees that slightly obstruct this view on Sentinel Dome), however this view from Washburn Point is similar. Therefore, Glacier Point is still worth going to, but it should not be the only place you go to while you're on the Glacier Point Road.After taking some pics and pulling ourselves away from the views, we headed back down to the car. We then continued down the road to Glacier Point and checked out the different viewpoints that are set up there. The crowds here were really not that bad, which is why we choose to come to Yosemite before Memorial Day. I cannot sufficiently describe the scenery from Sentinel Dome and Glacier Point (and the Valley in general for that matter) for others to understand the true beauty and majesty of this place. Photos do a little bit better job, but are still pathetically lacking.We next headed back up the road towards Washburn Point. On the way, we saw a black bear tearing apart a fallen log (I assume to find termites or some other type of bug) just off the road a little ways. I decided not to stop the car to take a better look since there were no pullouts nearby. At Washburn Point, we enjoyed more fantastic views before moving on. On the way back down to the valley, we stopped at probably the best and most popular viewpoint of Yosemite Valley-Tunnel View (below-right). If you are only spending one day in Yosemite (which would be incredibly sad), this is one of the places you should stop at. This viewpoint is named as such because it exists immediately east of the tunnel along the Wawona Road. From the viewpoint is the classic view of El Capitan on the left, Clouds Rest and Half Dome in the center-distance, and the Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall on the right, all flanking the valley floor.Back at our campsite we tried one of our freeze-dried backpacking food packets to see which ones we like/dislike. This one was by Natural High and was their Spicy Sausage Pasta. I really liked it, but Britt didn't. In the morning I had also tried out a breakfast freeze-dried packet. This was by Mountain House and was their Scrambled Eggs with Ham and Green Peppers. I really liked this one too and with a little Tabasco sauce was perfect. It's pretty amazing the different kinds of food you can get freeze-dried, including breakfast and desserts. After dinner we headed to Lower Yosemite Falls. We hadn't walked to the base of the Lower Falls yet and it was a pretty easy walk. It was late enough in the day that the waterfall was entirely shaded, which was better for pictures. On the way back to the car we saw a young buck hanging out in the trees and Britt checked out a few Dogwood blooms. After showers at Curry Village it was time for bed. We had another hike to rest up for on the following day.