What's better than hiking to the top of Yosemite Falls on a beautiful sunny day? Hiking to Yosemite Falls on a beautiful day, accompanied by a family of bears!
Talk about the thrill of a life time! Yesterday Paul and I started up the trail to Yosemite Falls at about 9:30 am. Less than 30 minutes into the hike, we were joined by a mama bear and her two cubs. They meandered out of the woods and onto the trail about 40 feet ahead of us. Mama bear knew we were there, but showed no concern unless someone started to walk towards the cubs. Then she would just turn her head and stare at the offending person until they backed up enough to satisfy her. Since they were walking up the trail to the Falls, we were stuck behind them. After a little bit, there were more and more people backed up behind the bears. We were all vying for the best vantage point for taking pictures, without irritating Mama.
We really didn't have to worry- there was plenty of time to take pictures! Once the bears went ahead of us, we slowly followed them up the trail. At times they would cut the switchbacks (the zig zags in the trail that make it less steep to climb) and we would think they were gone- but then we'd catch up to them in a minute or two. Several times they stopped to eat along the way, blocking our progress up the path. Mama kept a watchful eye, and soon got very upset. The cubs were on the trail and hikers came around the corner, headed down the mountain. It was obvious that Mama felt her cubs were being threatened. She visibly tensed and started making a swiping motion with her paw. The descending hikers immediately headed back up the hill, and those of us behind her backed off even further. She finally took the cubs up the hill aways, off the trail, and they were able to get down. We caught up to them again in a couple of minutes. By this time, the bears have been around for close to an hour and some of the hikers were getting antsy to get past them. One man tried to cut the switchback to sneak ahead of them, but to Mama it felt like a threat- she headed towards him (still about 50-60 ft away), reared up on her hind legs and made a swatting gesture. Boy did he fly back down that hill. Eventually she pulled them off to the side long enough that we were all (by this time, about 25 people) able to get by (very quickly, keeping a close eye out!). It was an interesting bonding experience with the people we were with, as we discussed our options for passing the bears, cautioned each other about getting too close, and discussed picture taking. We met a couple, Les and Pat, who we spent most of the day with, on and off, as we rested and hiked to and from the falls. They are from Utah, near Zion National Park, so we got some good tips on what to do when we get there next week. This hike to Yosemite Falls, is, without a doubt, the most difficult one I have ever done. Round trip we hiked about 9-10 miles total, with an elevation gain of 3000 feet. That's the equivalent of climbing the Empire State Building more than twice. We (I) had to stop frequently towards the top, and for a while, I wasn't sure I was going to make it- but I did! Once at the top we were astounded to see that there were people tightrope walking across the falls!
Paul got a good look at the Falls and guys doing the "walking" but I elected not to go down that pathway...a shear drop with a tiny railing. He came back pretty quickly, since the wind started picking up. As we headed around the corner, we ran into Pat again. She was completely distraught, unable to find her husband Les. She was convinced he had fallen over the falls (no railings- could happen, but of course, not likely). I stayed with her while Paul went ahead to look for him. Eventually we found him ( he had not heard her say where she would be, and thought she went on without him.) A pretty tense time for her, but with a happy ending. After resting for a bit, we headed back down the mountain. By that time it was already 3 pm and the day was starting to feel long. The views along the way were as beautiful as most view are in Yosemite, but as we looked into the valley, we could see was a haze- as it turns out, it was a haze of pollen, adding a slightly green tinge to everything. We made it down without incident, but didn't get to the bottom until almost 6 pm. We were so hungry and tired at that point, we ate at Yosemite Lodge instead of leaving the park for dinner. I also got a T-shirt with a bear on it. The drive back to our trailer is almost 2 hours and most of it was done in the dark. We arrived at about 10 pm and we were both (especially Paul)too tired for words. Driving those roads, 4 hrs a day, especially in the dark, takes a toll. All in all yesterday was one of the most strenuous,yet rewarding days of our trip. I feel extremely lucky to have spent so much time with the bear family. Today we canceled our plans to drive Tioga Rd, which is supposed to be beautiful, but would be about a 5 hour drive. Paul is done in, and we'll just relax today before heading out tomorrow.
We really didn't have to worry- there was plenty of time to take pictures! Once the bears went ahead of us, we slowly followed them up the trail. At times they would cut the switchbacks (the zig zags in the trail that make it less steep to climb) and we would think they were gone- but then we'd catch up to them in a minute or two. Several times they stopped to eat along the way, blocking our progress up the path. Mama kept a watchful eye, and soon got very upset. The cubs were on the trail and hikers came around the corner, headed down the mountain. It was obvious that Mama felt her cubs were being threatened. She visibly tensed and started making a swiping motion with her paw. The descending hikers immediately headed back up the hill, and those of us behind her backed off even further. She finally took the cubs up the hill aways, off the trail, and they were able to get down. We caught up to them again in a couple of minutes. By this time, the bears have been around for close to an hour and some of the hikers were getting antsy to get past them. One man tried to cut the switchback to sneak ahead of them, but to Mama it felt like a threat- she headed towards him (still about 50-60 ft away), reared up on her hind legs and made a swatting gesture. Boy did he fly back down that hill. Eventually she pulled them off to the side long enough that we were all (by this time, about 25 people) able to get by (very quickly, keeping a close eye out!). It was an interesting bonding experience with the people we were with, as we discussed our options for passing the bears, cautioned each other about getting too close, and discussed picture taking. We met a couple, Les and Pat, who we spent most of the day with, on and off, as we rested and hiked to and from the falls. They are from Utah, near Zion National Park, so we got some good tips on what to do when we get there next week. This hike to Yosemite Falls, is, without a doubt, the most difficult one I have ever done. Round trip we hiked about 9-10 miles total, with an elevation gain of 3000 feet. That's the equivalent of climbing the Empire State Building more than twice. We (I) had to stop frequently towards the top, and for a while, I wasn't sure I was going to make it- but I did! Once at the top we were astounded to see that there were people tightrope walking across the falls! 
Paul got a good look at the Falls and guys doing the "walking" but I elected not to go down that pathway...a shear drop with a tiny railing. He came back pretty quickly, since the wind started picking up. As we headed around the corner, we ran into Pat again. She was completely distraught, unable to find her husband Les. She was convinced he had fallen over the falls (no railings- could happen, but of course, not likely). I stayed with her while Paul went ahead to look for him. Eventually we found him ( he had not heard her say where she would be, and thought she went on without him.) A pretty tense time for her, but with a happy ending. After resting for a bit, we headed back down the mountain. By that time it was already 3 pm and the day was starting to feel long. The views along the way were as beautiful as most view are in Yosemite, but as we looked into the valley, we could see was a haze- as it turns out, it was a haze of pollen, adding a slightly green tinge to everything. We made it down without incident, but didn't get to the bottom until almost 6 pm. We were so hungry and tired at that point, we ate at Yosemite Lodge instead of leaving the park for dinner. I also got a T-shirt with a bear on it. The drive back to our trailer is almost 2 hours and most of it was done in the dark. We arrived at about 10 pm and we were both (especially Paul)too tired for words. Driving those roads, 4 hrs a day, especially in the dark, takes a toll. All in all yesterday was one of the most strenuous,yet rewarding days of our trip. I feel extremely lucky to have spent so much time with the bear family. Today we canceled our plans to drive Tioga Rd, which is supposed to be beautiful, but would be about a 5 hour drive. Paul is done in, and we'll just relax today before heading out tomorrow.
I'm so glad you posted the videos. Love the bears and that is something you will never forget.
ReplyDeleteSandie,
ReplyDeleteyou are right, hiking with the bears will always be one of the highlights of our travels. I had to revert to an earlier edition of Blogger to be able to post videos.