Second Day In Yosemite National Park

13 October 2014
Weather: Sunny & 31C

A 6:10am rise to have breakfast at 7:00am at the Curry Village Pavilion Dining Hall.  8:00am we picked up salad rolls for our lunches and fifteen minutes later we arrived at Yosemite Valley Lodge to meet our hiking guide, Allissa. 

We boarded the 8:30am Glacier Point Bus Tour, the bus driver/guide was very informative and the two-hour drive was pleasant and went quickly.  We saw some great vistas along the trip but the best was Glacier Point where we started out on the hike with Allissa. 

View from Glacier Point

I chose the six miles, five-hour Panorama Trail for us.  I organised a guide as I was scared of the thought of running into a bear and had read that you are less likely to have problems with bears if there is three or more people.  The Panorama Trail starts at spectacular Glacier Point and then takes in Illilouette Falls, Panorama Point, Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall, finishing at Happy Isles.

Justin and I at Panorama Point

Illilouette Falls

Vernal Fall

Nevada Fall

Most of the hike was downhill but we had a 1000 feet slog uphill over one mile which was hard going.  The downhill between Nevada and Vernal Falls included slippery rocks and required concentration as well.

Allissa told us interesting information about the vistas, where we were hiking to and had hiked to as well as the formation of the Yosemite Valley plus the variety of plants.  We saw Steller’s Jays, one of the many highlights on the hike.

Steller's Jay

At 3:00pm we were glad to reach the end of the trail to catch the free shuttle bus back to Yosemite Valley Lodge and Justin drove back to Curry Village, where we chilled in our cabin for the rest of the afternoon and evening, only going out for dinner.  This turned out to be a mistake (not continuing to exercise) as we awoke during the night to sore tightened leg muscles. 

Happy Isles