My hike was amazing!!  I can’t even begin to explain how truly magical this experience has been, but I’ll try and give it a shot. If that doesn’t work, here is my complete album. (Extra-special thanks to my teammates for giving me the pictures they took of me on the trail.)

My hike group (Carey, Ellen, Katie, Shayna, Cynthia, Anne, Jan, and myself) was assigned to the aptly-named Panorama Trail. We started at Glacier Point (elevation 7,200 feet above sea level) around 8:30am and proceeded to hike downhill for about an hour, all the while in awe of Half Dome, Liberty Cap, Vernal & Nevada Falls, and the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our guide, Jerry, with Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides, was just terrific. He’s worked in Yosemite for something like 40 years. In fact, he pointed out parts of the trail he helped build in the early 1970s. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the park, the natives who were displaced by the park service, and all the flora and fauna along the trail.

After about two miles, we reached the top of Illilouette Falls and stopped for our first break. We then crossed the bridge to the other side of the falls and proceeded to hike 1.5 miles straight up – our only ascent of the day. (The whole way up, all I could think was, ‘wow, this is so much easier than Jeremy’s Run in Shenandoah!’) We took our second break halfway up the trail at Panorama Wall. Jerry deemed this a “no chase” zone, as in, if your camera or pack or lunch goes rolling toward the cliff, you DO NOT chase it. (He did say he WOULD chase us if one of us went rolling down!) At this point, we could look back at Glacier Point and see the trail we had just hiked down, as well as Upper & Lower Yosemite Falls, green meadows on the valley floor, and of course, Half Dome. The view was mostly clear, but a little overcast in the distance. The weather was hotter than we expected (mid-90s) but not too bad in the shade. We were required to carry at least 4 liters of fluid with us. I carried 4.5 liters of water and a half liter of Gatorade. I drank it all.

We continued uphill to the most incredible lunch spot. We had a great view of Half Dome from across the valley, and could see Liberty Cap (another huge stone formation) just to the east. After lunch, we started back downhill and soon came to the junction with the John Muir Trail and the stunning vista of Liberty Cap and Nevada Falls. I just couldn’t stop taking pictures here.

At the bottom of the John Muir Trail, we arrived at an overlook of rainbow-veiled Vernal Falls, and then the junction with the Mist Trail. First we hiked down to the top of the falls and took pictures of Glacier Point and the Merced River. We then proceeded down a steep, slippery staircase carved into the side of the mountain. At this point, Jerry recommended we don our rain gear. It’s a good thing too, because we got SOAKED. The “mist” blowing from the thundering falls blew right through my poncho. The water dripped down my bare legs and right into my hiking boots. I couldn’t see a thing, but it was SO MUCH FUN.

At Vernal Falls and along the Mist Trail, the hiker traffic grew heavier and heavier because we were nearing the Curry Village parking area in Yosemite Valley. We found a sign that marked our progress – “8.2 miles from Glacier Point." Hooray!!  We did it!!  It took us nearly 8 hours (including breaks and lunch), but we did it!

On the way to the parking lot where we were to meet our shuttle, Jerry led us to an area called “the Fen” at the bottom of Glacier Point. He took a picture of our hike group with our starting point in the background. In total, we gained 1,420’ in elevation and descended a total of 4,600’ to reach the valley floor. Whew!  Where’s my margarita?

After we returned to the lodge, all of the participants gathered at an outdoor dinner to celebrate our “mission accomplished." We made s’mores and drank Sierra Nevada ale – how appropriate!  We congratulated “Half Dome Thom,” the only person from our chapter selected to hike the challenging 18-mile trail that included summiting Half Dome assisted by cables. A handful of us who didn’t want this magical day to end stayed up as late as we could before settling in for some much-needed sleep.

Earlier, while we were waiting for the shuttle near the Fen, I sat by myself in the shadow of Glacier Point and reflected on what this event really means to me. I challenged myself physically, and because of all the training I did, I was in great shape for this hike. (In fact, Jerry told us that of all the groups he’s led this year, our group was the best prepared in terms of training and supplies.) Attached to my pack, I carried a card with all the names I’d been given – both cancer survivors and those whose lives I hiked in memoriam. I thought about all of those people and how many more lives will be saved because of the money we’ve raised as a group. From start to finish, this truly has been an amazing, heartwarming, unforgettable experience.

 

What a great journal of ALL our hikes:) I can say I truly enjoyed every hike we went on together. Getting up at 6am on the weekends was easy knowing I would spend the day with such a great group of friends...and that's saying a lot because not many things make me smile that early in the morning!! Good luck in Louisiana!