Arriving in the area, we checked with a Forest Service Ranger, and were quite surprised to learn that most of the dirt roads in the National Forest were still unpassable, either because they were still covered with snow, or damaged by runoff from this year's very heavy snowfall. We were told about three or four small (10 site) campgrounds in the forest that might be accessible. We were relieved to find a reaonably good campsite at the first campground we chose.Unfortuntaley, soon after we had set our tents up a Ranger stopped by to inform us that our campsite was only a car park, and we had to move. He said that one campsite was still available in the campground a few miles up the road, so we crossed our fingers and drove there. Fortunately, the site was still available. It was a quite nice site, bordering a small meadow filled with Corn Lilies.
Although we very much enjoy hiking and camping in the mountains, particularly in the area around Yosemite National Park, we never seem to get away to there as often as we would like. The three-day Fourth of July holiday provided a good time for us to go, so we there with a friend. We knew that obtaining a campsite in Yosemite would be impossible, but we became a little concerned when the telephone to the adjoining National Forest (Sierra National Forest) was continuously busy. Nevertheless, we believed that we could find a campsite somewhere in that area, so we headed off.
The camground was a horse camp, so it was primarily used by families that bring their horses up to ride in the forest. The campsite turned out quite well; there were only enogh horses to add a bit of ambiance, not enough to interfere with our camping.
From our campground, we had a good place to sit and look at Fresno Dome, and we hiked most of the way up Fresno Dome to catch sunset on Friday night.
We spent Saturday hiking the McCleod Flats trail. The beginning of the trail was a bit ominous; instead of a simple trail map with distance markers, the Forest Service has installed a trail map that shows how many people have been killed in the river at various points along the trail. The sign is meant to underscore the danger of getting into a fast-moving river, and it makes its point well. The trail was quite pleasant, however. It follows a river that that has a number of thundering cascades and waterfalls. We stopped on cliffside rocks at the end of the trail for some much-appreciated shade and lunch, then turned around and hiked back down.
Returning to camp early in the afternoon, I took advantage of the time to wander off into the nearby forest and photograph snow plants, a curious and strange-looking plant.
Sunday, we drove into Yosemite National Park and hiked the Mist Trail, a delightful trail that ascends immediately alongside Vernal Falls. The trail is about 2 miles (3 km) each way, and ascends about 1000 ft (350 m). The trail has several special characteristics. First, the scenery is spectacular. Second, the "mist" (which ranges from a dry breeze in autumn to an ice-cold soaking in summer). Finally, if you are on the trail around 10:30 AM when there is a lot of mist, there are amazing rainbows to be seen!
