My waterproof shoes and gaiters helped keep my socks remarkably dry. Maybe that was a feature more than a bug though since the cold mist was refreshing in the hot sun. The spray created gusts of wind that flapped my poncho around like crazy and barely kept me dry besides my torso. When I did manage to steal a glance upwards, my face was immediately slapped by water and it was difficult to keep my eyes open. I wanted to look up at the waterfall and not just at my feet, but other things demanded my attention, like the sheets of water cascading down the tall rock steps and the crowded, two-way trail. I put on a poncho and knee-high gaiters to keep water from running down into my shoes. At some point, people started stepping to the side of the trail to don their rain gear.Įven though it was a hot day, we weren't going through the Mist Trail at its peak without rain gear since we had a night to spend in the wilderness after. The air became increasingly wet the closer we got to Vernal Fall. Seeing water like this made it easier to imagine how it could have carved a place like Yosemite Valley over millions of years. When the river was pinched between boulders, the water shot upwards as if it were erupting. The flow was so violent that the entire river was opaque and frothy. It was hard to comprehend the force of that much water coming down even while standing there in person. The rivers and waterfalls of Yosemite are a spectacle every spring, but after a record-breaking winter, they were truly astounding to witness-the deafening sound, the mist thicker than rain. The Mist Trail follows the Merced River up towards Vernal Fall. Then the groups line up and the rangers do more talking to each group about their specific itinerary. The rangers wait until a group forms to do wilderness rules and regulations talks. This part always takes a lot of waiting around. The valley was peaceful, but the wilderness center was bustling with backpackers picking up their permits. We breezed through the still unstaffed entrance a little after 7 AM, and were parking near the wilderness center before 8 AM. Thanks to our efforts to leave early, the roads were empty. One entrance closure would create an even bigger bottleneck at the remaining ones. Going to Yosemite on a long weekend is already asking for chaos. We were leaving this early because storm damage had closed our usual entrance (Big Oak Flat) to Yosemite Valley. After barely sleeping for 2 hours, I somehow still picked up my backpack and stumbled into my friends' car, hoping I wouldn’t regret my decision. I had only started antibiotics for it just earlier that day. I had spent the whole night packing and unpacking, undecided about going on the trip because I had been dealing with stomach issues for the past week. It was 3:30 AM and officially the earliest I'd ever left the house for a backpacking trip. Going to Yosemite on Memorial Day weekend is basically asking for crowds, but I love that there are still ways of finding solitude on the trail when you're backpacking. We did this trip over Memorial Day weekend in May 2023. Then we hiked off-trail until we reached the valley rim where we had excellent views up and down the valley. Our permit was for “Past LYV”, so we kept going on the Cloud's Rest trail until we reached the elevation of Quarter Domes, around 8.1k feet. Little Yosemite Valley (LYV) is a large backcountry campground that serves as a basecamp for many Half Dome and Cloud's Rest hikers, and also the junction at which some continue down the Merced River valley towards Merced Lake. The crowds thin significantly beyond it as the trail continues towards Little Yosemite Valley. Nevada Fall is the destination for most day hikers. The waterfalls are a spectacular sight in spring, and the cold shower from Vernal Fall is welcome on a hot day. It overlaps the popular Mist Trail + Nevada Fall corridor. The hike starts amongst the crowds at Happy Isles, one of Yosemite's most popular trailheads. In no case will camping be permitted within 25 feet of a stream, trail or body of water.” Quarter Domes is a half mile off the trail, so it is within the camping guidelines. According to the NPS website: “Camping is permitted within 100 feet of a stream, trail or body of water provided that a well established campsite exists and terrain permits no other options. Note: I’ve seen posts online of people camping on top of Cloud’s Rest, but as far as I can tell, this is not allowed. They are much less well known than their iconic South Rim cousins, and they take some off-trail hiking to get to, but I would make the bold claim that the view of Half Dome from Quarter Domes is better than from Cloud's Rest. The Quarter Domes are two granite domes located on the valley rim between Half Dome and Cloud's Rest.
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