What with all the heat and smoke the day before, plus the prospect of more crowded trails as we approached Yosemite Valley, we decided to rise at 5:15am and start hiking at first light, 5:45am.
It was a great call, because the smoke only got denser, and we managed to see some amazing sights, nearly all to ourselves!
As you can see from these photos, the smoke was especially dense first thing in the morning!
But in many ways, smoke really made the views even more dramatic!
Vernal Falls was especially stunning, and this is at the end of the season, one can only imagine what this waterfall is like first thing in spring!
At times the views looked other worldly, with this one in particular looking like a scene in Avatar!
It was an amazing set of views after days when we thought the views could not possibly get any better. We arrived down at the base of the trail, aptly called Happy Isles, at about 10:30, excited to have a hot cooked breakfast, enjoy chairs and indoor plumbing, and a quick trip to the gift shop for some clean clothes!
Really amazing way to end 75 miles of hiking and six amazing days!
The light shining through the smoke really does create a dramatic effect!
Wow what a great trip. Don’t envy you that smoke smell though and know exactly what you mean about that other worldly feel it gives the light. Amazing pics
Great reading and photos John, well done on completing the trail!
Beautiful scenery what a treat to see it all.