Return to Yosemite

(TOP) Looking down from the Vernal Fall footbridge. (Bottom) The falls in the distance as seem from the footbridge.

I went to Yosemite in August of this year and returned this week for a final visit in 2023. The highlight was a hike up the Mist Trail to the Vernal Fall footbridge. Here’s what really happened:

I almost gave up. The 400-foot gain in elevation was tough on my aging body. My steps were increasingly shorter as I neared my destination. Although I wasn’t short of breath, the effort to go forward was difficult as younger people from around the world passed me. But I went on, slowly, until the water from the Merced River was under me. I stayed for a time before enjoying the descent where inertia led the way.

The hike was a reminder that what I did over 50 years ago was easy but not appreciated as much as it was this week.