Photos

Vernal Falls, taken from the John Muir Trail on Day 10 of the four-month road trip I'm currently on. Took this photo at around 5:45 AM after getting on the trailhead at Happy Isles around 4:45 so that I could get up to Half Dome before most of the heat and most of the crowds. Anyway: I really like morning light as it turns out. It was also amazing how different the scene was when I came back down this way nine hours later -- wall-to-wall people. The hike back down from the waterfall was like walking in rush-hour traffic. For that matter, to me the most amazing thing about Yosemite Valley was how crowded it was (and hot -- 105 degrees every day I was there!).

It's sort of notable also that I started up the John Muir Trail rather than the Mist Trail. Seems like most photos of Vernal Falls you see are from the Mist Trail (which, admittedly, is a far cooler trail to hike on as you get sprayed by the fall for a good quarter-mile).

Thanks for checking it out.

bkd