Yosemite National Park has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in the world. The giant green trees, the rapid waterfalls, the birdsong, it truly is a spectacular place.
I travelled to Yosemite in late March, on a day where it thankfully wasn’t too hot but it wasn’t too cold either.
The group I was with all decided we would tackle the hike up to Yosemite Point (the highest point to the right of the waterfall in the below photograph).
The hike up to Yosemite Point was about 16 kilometres return and an elevation of 1128 metres. As I’m not an experienced hiker I took my time on the hike, completing it in about seven hours, but it wasn’t without its challenges.
While the above photograph may give the appearance that it was a beautiful spring day there was still a whole lot of snow hidden just off camera. The final quarter of the hike up the mountain was through thick and sometimes waste-deep snow.
The level of snow in the park can perhaps best be seen in this photo of the Half Dome.
Once I reached the top of Yosemite Point I realised that the rest of the team only made it to Upper Yosemite Falls, about two kilometres below me and I had passed them without knowing.
Regardless, the view was absolutely worth it.
You could see right across the majority of the park, from the Half Dome, to several waterfalls, the river running through the valley below, snow-capped mountains in the distance, it was truly one of the most beautiful views I had ever seen.
After spending about half an hour sitting at the top enjoying the view, and eating my pre-packed lunch, it was time to head back down.
On the way I fell and tumbled about 100m down a steep hill covered in thick snow, I was a bit bruised, but thankfully okay. Once I got my bearings I was able to make it down the mountain in about two hours.
If you’re ever planning on trekking up to Yosemite Point EarthTrekkers have a great guide on what to expect and what to take with you. I wish I had read their guide before I went.
The final stop off for the day was at a viewpoint overlooking the Yosemite Valley, a vantage point many Apple users would be familiar with.
One of my goals when visiting Yosemite National Park, like when I visited the Grand Canyon, was to try and capture the beauty, but also the harsh reality, of the landscape. I hope these photographs do that justice.
My day at Yosemite certainly was an interesting one, but thankfully I didn’t visit a week later when this happened: