You know the adage - a picture is worth a thousand words but behind every photograph are a thousand more words to describe everything you’re not seeing.
The Mist Trail can usually be done in a day - rewarding you with a beautiful waterfall at the end of the hike (Vernal Falls) but steep inclines and rocky terrain are not kind to anyone suffering from knee problems. Add ice to this mixture and you’ve got a perfect recipe for a mental breakdown - and that’s exactly what happened. The trail’s slippery conditions made it feel near impossible to complete and I found myself on multiple occasions questioning whether I’d die on this mountain. “This is it” I’d say with every slip.
But I pressed on and in a brief moment in time, I was able to take my phone out of my pocket to snap a few pics. I had brought my DSLR to help capture this monstrous landscape, but fear had won over creativity, and my Canon remained in the pack the majority of the hike. (Btw, that’s an avalanche in the photo which did not help with the anxiety, if you’re wondering)
With the encouragement of a friend, I made it to the falls. Well kinda…the last part of the trail was closed due to hazardous weather conditions…um, what did I just experience?? As I sat at the bottom of the falls eating my PB+J, I questioned how much worse the trail had to be to require closure, and more importantly how the hell I’d get back down the mountain.
The sun was beginning to set and I could feel the anxiety begin to rise when a group of hikers joined us at the bottom of the falls. One man, in particular, stood out among the rest for his choice in footwear. He was wearing white socks and velcro sandals. Sandals, you guys.
I had so many questions that I knew would go unanswered, but at the end of the day my admiration for him was genuine, his oblivious demeanor indirectly telling me “you got this”.
Video Clip of Vernal Falls
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Yosemite, CA 95389
Check weather conditions before embarking on any hike 🤣
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