2010 Backpacking Trip: Yosemite's Illilouette Basin & Half Dome

"I climbed Half Dome!"

It's a famous saying plastered

on many a t-shirt in Yosemite Valley,

and now,

Samuel and I are members of the club!

This summer, for Samuel's birthday,

I surprised him with a couple's trip to Yosemite to hike the big one. 

It was my first backpacking trip (He's done several as a boy scout),

and it was incredible!

It's a significant investment to get started,

but once you get the basics and hit the trail

there really is no other way to travel.

We started at the only place you can start for a city girl...

The Ahwahnee!

Talk about luxe!

This is Samuel actually standing in one of the hotels massive

fireplaces (yes, there are two).

Before we started "roughing it",

I wanted to know exactly what we were leaving behind.

That meant lunch in the very spot where in 1984

the Ahwahnee played host to the Queen of England.

I won't lie,

I felt like a Queen myself!

The Appetizer

Dungeness Crab Cocktail with

Mint, Citrus, Avocado & Local Olive Oil

...

I wish I had photos of our entrees!

Basically the King & Queen in us left the building

and we devoured every morsel with abandon!

Here's why...

The Main Course

Grilled Becker Lane Pork Chop with

Polenta, Spinach, Avocado Crème Fraiche, Spicy Tomato Sauce

 

Grilled Brandt Farms Petite New York Steak with

Chimichurri, Watercress, Sweet Potato Fries

I wouldn't have changed a single thing!

Perfection!

The Dessert

Trio of Italian Gelato & Fresh Fruit

Butter Pecan, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut, & Pistachio

We savored every bite!

And then our bill came...

Ouch!

The view on the lawns are spectacular!

We will definitely bring the kids back to experience this!

Alright,

"Pampering Time" is officially over.

It's time to hit the trail!

First up,

Vernal Falls at 5,044 feet!

Samuel and I took a similar shot of our hands for our wedding.

I love the pose,

and I was happy to get it again,

nine years later.

Gotta love those stairs!

Nevada Falls at 5,907 feet!

Can you believe some people leave the railing to get closer?

Crazy!

Beautiful sights found on our way up to Illilouette.

Are you allowed to carry big guns on the trail?

Okay, how about teeny ones?

He he.

After all the climbing up,

it was nice to settle into a relatively even trail.

What was most startling,

and so appreciated,

was the utter solitude.

What a blessing to have left the crowds behind!



This is the place!

According to our permit,
we needed to be below the Illilouette Basin before setting up camp.

Unfortunately,
there's no sign saying where the Basin is,
and we couldn't identify it for the life of us!

Another concern,
of more grave import,
was the fact that we hadn't seen a water source for some time.

With the sun beginning to set,
it was praying time,
and sure enough,
we found a stream that suited our needs perfectly.

Note: 
Samuel wanted to press on
-he wanted raging waters-
but a blessing is a blessing
so we lived with it and were grateful!

Spicy Thai Chicken & Orzo with

Peanut & Coconut Sauce

Who needs the Ahwahnee now?

Samuel desperately trying to stuff our food

& other bear-enticing products

(i.e. deoderant, toothpaste, etc.-)

into our woefully small bear can.

We didn't plan too well on that one.

In the end,

he had to stuff a separate sack full of everything else that wouldn't fit. 

Luckily he has mad climbing skills

so he strung the sack between two trees. 

When all was said and done though,

the sack sagged no more than five feet above the ground!

Oh, well.

Bears:

It's open season on the Elmers!

Note:
We made it through the night,
and it appeared that we remained "bear-less"!

Samuel pumping water for the second half of our trip.

All washed up and ready to go!

And yes,

I insist on washing my hair EVERY day no matter what!

I used Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap

(good for everything including brushing your teeth!),

and came away minty fresh

and without harming the environment!

(Samuel hates being green... :)

Here I am,
totally happy because I had just marveled
that I could go to the bathroom anywhere without anyone seeing me. 

Then,

as the pants are going up,

I see two hikers passing by.

Nice.

Granted,

they were yards away,

but still...

Sigh.

I guess our location wasn't as remote as I thought!

Goodbye Illilouette Basin (if that's where we are!)!

We'll be back someday!

Incredible views,

wherever you are on the trail.

We successfully backtracked to Nevada Falls

and saw the team crossing the bridge.

These mules and horses are used to empty

the latrines in Little Yosemite Vally (LYV).

Sounds gross,

but it's some pretty incredible technology. 

Waste products are absorbed & digested via a natural treatment process

leaving a final product that's compact and easy to cart away.

Way to take one for the team!

We broke for lunch at the top of the falls and this little guy

was relentless in trying to get our food.

He was pretty mad at us

I guess it's not everyday he happens

upon some uncooperative hikers

who actually follow the,
"Do not feed the animals" rule.

Goodbye Nevada Falls!

Next up,

LYV at 6,100 feet!

A beautiful sight!

Half Dome and The Saddle.

Look closely and you'll see that all those little dots

are hikers going up!

I love our camera,

and this is one of my favorite shots of the trip. 

Talk about building up the anticipation!

We needed to walk off some pent-up energy so we took a walk.

The "walk" turned into another 4-mile round trip hike

that led to this beauty of a rock slide.

These pictures are no small feat for Samuel.

For some reason,

he took one look and got really nervous.

He has a slight fear of heights,

and seeing this made him second-guess

if he could hike Half Dome the next day.

I was so surprised,

but told him we could just continue our walk.

At the last second he turned back muttering,

"Bill, would do it!",

and then up we went together!

{Note: Bill's my "Man vs. Wild" brother-in-law".}

Okay,

so we thought Illouette was isolated.

Boy, were we wrong.

This place was magical and completely removed

from the rest of the world.

There was a stunning river and a lone tent pitched nearby. 

 We couldn't see anyone around,

but it gave you the feeling that you happened upon the

private grounds of an ancient witch doctor!  

Super-cool and a little eerie all at the same time!

With the sun setting,

we new it was time to turn back,

especially since we were violating one of the biggest rules in hiking:

No water!

We were just going for a little walk, right?

Famous last words.

What we hadn't noticed on the way in,

was a real lovers lane!

A grove of towering trees with

hundreds of hearts and initials carved into it.

Samuel took out his knife and...well, you can see.

Mother nature though,

did not approve,

and she sent

-literally

-a swarm of mosquitos after us!

Have you seen a swarm of mosquitos before?

It is BAD!

Miraculously they went for Samuel

and pretty much left me alone. 

And that IS amazing because usually he never, ever gets bitten,

and I always look like I have the measles!

Obviously,

since I'm writing this,

we did NOT die of dehydration.

Thank goodness because the menu tonight featured...

Roast Beef & Gravy over

Butter Potatoes & Stuffing

The Dessert

Milk Chocolate Pudding with

Brownie & Banana Chip Crumble

The morning of our ascent dawned bright,

and right off the bat we saw two does & a buck!

 

We thought we got a pretty decent start,

about 9:30 AM,

but were surprised to see folks already heading DOWN the mountain.

Two miles to go!

And fully warned!

Woo hoo!

The Saddle!

The Death Shot

You know,

in case we didn't live to tell the tale.

I've got the gloves...

...now there's nothing left to do but go up!

We made it!

Half Dome at 8, 836 feet!

And the first thing I do is drop into a spread eagle.

I wanted to peek over the edge but Samuel
begged me to crawl, not walk, to the edge.

I obliged!

And was happy to, after seeing the drop!

The Diving Board

I was so proud of Samuel for getting out on the edge!

Okay,

this place is amazing!

The Not-Dead Shot

Just as important as the first.

Sub-dome Panoramic Shots

These were very important to Samuel.

Thanks, babe.

I wanted to see a bear so badly on this trip.

I'd never seen one before,

and sightings are very common in Yosemite.

All the way down to LYV,

we kept running into people who kept saying,

"Keep an eye out for the bear!"

We were thrilled!

Except he never showed.

Just as we got into LYV,

I told Samuel I officially give up!

No more wishing & hoping for the bear!

And then,
we hear shouting!

It was a bear!

He was being chased out of the campground

and was making a slow, easy bee-line for the trees.

He crossed right in front of us,

so of course we break another rule and follow him!

We got some great shots,

and I can finally say,

"I've seen a bear!"

This shot earned Gabriel the new nickname, "Bear".

Seeing this guy lumber around,

picking at this and that,

totally reminded us of our little guy back at home!

The beautiful Merced River!

We spent some time swimming there,

and had so much fun!

Thanks for a lovely afternoon, Samuel.

The John Muir Trail!

We were nearing the completion of our 34-mile hike!

Our feet were sore and some lovin' was in order!

That's my boy!

Not to worry...

I can hold my own too!

We ended where we began,

and with big smiles too!

After we departed Happy Isles for Curry Village to collect the car,

we headed to Yosemite Village for some dinner.

Though you run into people all over the place

in various stages of "unkeptness",

we wanted to clean up a bit so we semi-stripped down

to wash up (Yea, for baby wipes!).

It was dark in the parking lot,

so who cares, right?

Well...

Just as I'm getting ready to throw my shirt back on,

I look over and see this little Indian boy looking down at me

from inside a mammoth SUV.

His eyes were like saucers...

Great.

At that point,

there's nothing you can do but eat pizza, right?

And eat we did!

Thanks, Degnan's!

...

I love you, Samuel!

Happy,

Happy Birthday!