15th June, Sunday – Yosemite National Park (Day 2)

Day 16
Yeah, dorms rock – at least it was warmer than the tent cabin, even though it was still cold in the morning with a blanket – and there was attached bathroom without having to walk outside in the cold.. bbrrr… =P

Another day of walking lays ahead! As usual, due to the 1 hour shuttle bus ride into the Yosemite Valley itself, we found ourselves on the 6.40am shuttle into Yosemite to try to catch our tour bus leaving for Tuolomne Meadows!

A beautiful place that’s only open to public access mainly during summer, Tuolomne Meadows has been shaped over the years by glacial movements..

A lengthy 2 hour ride up from Yosemite Valley to Tuolomne Meadows! We had 3 hours to explore the area before the return trip on the bus, so we climbed up Lembert Dome which overlooks the meadows and offers a beautiful view of the area..


On top of Lambert Dome..

Now, this is definitely testament to the fact that I probably need more exercise.. Urgh. The other 2 guys were going the incline at such a pace, I almost died. -_-" An original 1.5 hour hike up almost 2km was finished in less than 30minutes. -_-" Kao.

But the climb up was worth it! After another harrowing scamper around the rock formations at the top, we were rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of Tuolomne Meadows!



Check out the Meadows below, with a river snaking through it..


And the surrounding mountains.. The highway looks so small in the distance!

It wasn’t exactly freezing on top of the dome, but the wind was so strong! Was half-afraid that I’d be blown away since I’m so light.. Haha.. But otherwise, thank goodness for long sleeves – for warmth and preventing sunburn! =)

Check out the other photos..


After photo-whoring on top for a long time, we decided to head back down to try to squeeze in a quick trip to the Soda Springs in the Meadows..

Our bus driver was a little uncertain of us heading out to the Springs, since we had only an hour left, and the recommended trail time of 2.4km was 1hour (I suppose they meant at a leisurely pace with photo-taking time included), but we still went ahead anyway.

Walking on level ground isn’t too much of a problem for leggy me.. its just the upward inclines that kill.. =P


Soda Springs! Erm, looks quite sad right.. like only 3 bubbly spots left only… O_O

But check out the ground level photos of the beautiful Meadows!




And yes, we made it back for our shuttle bus back to Yosemite Valley.. =)

Heading back to Yosemite Valley early, we decided to try some of the less strenuous trails available..


Mirror Lake! Well, actually a pond of sorts since it dries up during Summer, it is supplied by Tenaya Creek..

And the Yosemite Falls!


Consisting of 3 falls – Upper, Middle and Lower, it spans up to 2400 feet in height.. Strongest during Spring and early summer due to snow melting from the mountains, the falls thin out during autumn and winter, and you can even hear ice smashing down occasionally during winter.. =)



And that more or less wraps up our trip to Yosemite as we caught the Yarts shuttle bus back to our hostel. (the shuttle runs like every hour, so if we missed it, it’d be dark by the time we get back.. -_-")

But otherwise, it’s been a fantastic time at Yosemite Park! Hhmmm, a bit tiring, but the scenery’s spectacular no matter wherever you looked – the trees, the mountains, the skies, the water features.. Beautiful! Just wished that we had a chance to head down to Mariposa Grove to check out the Giant Sequioa Trees.. but there were no shuttles headed to that area, and it was pretty inaccessible unless you drove a car.. -_-"