Day #42 Hiking into Yosemite Valley

John Muir Trail Part 11/11 – From Trail Junction at Sunrise Creek to Happy Isles / Little Yosemite Valley (.. Miles)

I got up well rested and felt better every minute while hiking down, as the altitude got less and less. The forest opened up into a meadow full of flowers, brushes and burned tree trunks. To every side, giant granite pillars and domes rose. Half Dome was among them and I got a good view while getting closer. It‘s impressive to see something in person after admiring it on TV shows, films and photos over the years.

At Little Yosemite Valley camp, I noticed that my permit forced me to exit that day after talking to other hikers, I knew I could stay one night at the backpackers‘ campground as my permit was still valuable then. Okay, so I‘ll be sooner in the valley as I planned it – awesome!

Hiking down was exciting – it got more intense every minute, as steep walls began to rise up on all sides. A huge, dramatic canyon opened up and I was able to look down into the most Eastern part of Yosemite Valley. The Merced river carved its‘ way down, forming waterfalls and pools on its‘ way.

The landscape was gorgeous to look at, but the amount of people sucked and the steep, sandy steps and switchbacks on the way down caused me to fall and bring my knees to their absolute limit. The very last part of my John Muir Trail section hike was only two miles long – but it felt like an eternity.

I pushed on past dayhikers, a lot of them were out of shape (or am I really getting fitter?) so they were moving quite slow, blocking the narrow path and blasting music on their phones or taking quick selfies. Most of them didn‘t smile or greet back. It was a totally different atmosphere than in the backcountry.

At the trailhead at Happy Isles I asked someone to take a photo of me and then, several people congratulated me and I cried a little bit. Even if I just did a section of JMT, it wasn‘t easy – the cold, the bears, the altitude, the hardship of camping and my constant pain… I was proud to have finished it.

I got on a crowded shuttle bus that took me to the campsite. Everything felt overwhelming – orientation and getting used to the crowds and cars and giant walls that enclosed me.

After eating my hopefully last freeze dried meal and stretching out I already felt better. But then I noticed that I really needed a shower and walked over to Curry Village, a weird and curious place bustling with people. I was prepared to pay 5$ for that shower – but it was for free as the official summer and pool season had ended – awesome!

I got back to the campground to find my neighbors, a couple from Scotland, Andrew and Claire, grilling sausages over the fire. They brought me cold beer, chocolate and skittles from the store as a gift. We had hilarious conversations and even two rangers joined: a younger guy whose job is to scream at bears that steal out of open food lockers behind oblivious peoples‘ backs, an older woman with almost white hair and a generous smile – she had lots of stories on board and gave me tips about how to get into Camp 4 tomorrow. The fire was crackling and we nervously glanced around to spot bears, only to find complete darkness and peace. What a perfect evening to end my long distance hiking days!