2014 – Yosemite Valley’s North Rim via snowshoes

2014 – Yosemite Valley’s North Rim via snowshoes

Yosemite National Park, CA – April 3, 2014

The final snowstorm of the 2013/2014 winter season ended as I embarked on a two day trip with Sarah to explore Yosemite’s North Rim.  We planned to complete a 22 mile loop from our campsite at Camp 4 up to Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Point, North Dome, and then down the Snow Creek trail walking past Mirror Lake back along the Valley floor to Camp 4.  In January Dave and I completed this loop when less than a foot of snow covered a mile or two of the north-facing slopes near Indian Rock.  I suspected this snowstorm dropped a few feet of snow on the entire rim and prepared for a challenging journey on snowshoes this time around.

We arrived at a largely vacant Camp 4 with a few inches of melting snow on the ground and enough remaining daylight to explore the base of Yosemite Falls and around the mainly closed park concessions.  Visiting Yosemite in the off-season is a treat as compared to the summer months when the Valley is filled with people.  After a simple dinner at one of the restaurants, we returned to our bivy sacks at Camp 4 and settled in while the temperatures dropped into the low 20s.

Our adventure began at dawn as we marched uphill towards the nicely flowing Yosemite Falls.  Toward the top, the trail became a slippery mixture of packed snow and ice which slowed our ascent.  At the crest we admired the Falls and walked across the bridge where we met with deep untrammeled snow.  We donned our snowshoes and prepared for the big effort ahead.
 

Snowshoeing requires a much greater effort than hiking although it opens up a blank canvas of snow on which to tread.  Deep snow offers modern snowshoes great purchase with which one can ascent steep slopes which are otherwise entangled with vegetation.  We reached Yosemite Point with a few college students enjoying the freshly broken path and enjoyed a snack once reaching the overlook.

We continued on from Yosemite Point alone as the students retraced their steps back to the Valley.  We followed the edge of the Rim through four plus feet of snow and admired the views of the Valley and the stillness of the Ponderosa pine forests.  The warm sun shone brightly as we enjoyed a gorgeous day in the backcountry.

All was quiet until Sarah was unexpectedly passed by two men running in our tracks wearing only running shoes and light windbreakers.  During our 30 second conversation, I learned of their plan to ascend North Dome on their way back to the Valley floor, just like us.  With a friendly ‘goodbye’ they ran, post-holing up to their waists, making quite the scene as they bounded up and down through the deep snow. 

We loosely followed their path for a mile or so through the tight pine forest until their tracks took a sharp turn to the North.  Fairly convinced they turned the wrong direction, we continued on our own towards North Dome.  Once we reached the final approach to North Dome, my route-finding was confirmed but I wondered where they ended up as no tracks were to be found.  Hopefully they would have better luck finding the top of Snow Creek trailhead as a night in wet sneakers with limited clothing would be dangerous.

Sarah took a breather as I hurried out to North Dome to enjoy the views.  The wind howled outside of the shelter of the pines while the sinking sun reminded me that we had more hours of snowshoeing than daylight ahead of us.  We skipped a visit to Natural Arch as the sun began to drop and, just above the Snow Creek trail, crossed the tracks of the intrepid runners confirming that we were the last people on the Rim.  We watched the setting sun’s pink glow on Cloud’s Rest and Half Dome as we descend the steep trail into the Valley.

The short winter day and long slog on snowshoes meant we covered the last 6 miles and ~3 hours by headlamp as the temperatures quickly dropped.  We made our way toward our campsite under the stillness of the crisp winter night while the bright moon and stars illuminated the Valley’s granite walls. 

 

Once we arrived back to Camp 4 at nearly 10PM we faced the unfortunate reality that all of the limited use concessions had closed for the evening therefore depriving us of the time honored food binge that follows a huge day in the backcountry.  With nothing to do but wait until morning light, we climbed into bivvies and listened to our stomachs growl.

The next morning brought sunshine and two hungry travelers to the park cafeteria.  There we devoured breakfast before a short hike and drive back to the Bay Area where warmer weather awaited us.

 

Another wonderful adventure in the Yosemite snow!