Day 13 – Happy Isles

Mile 192.0 – The End!

We got up super early, as our bus out of Yosemite was that afternoon and we wanted to spend some time in the valley. There was frost on the ground as we walked towards Halfdome. At the fork between Halfdome and the valley, I suddenly realized I had been there before. My last trip to Yosemite, we stayed in the campground right by the turnoff. It’s an odd feeling to be in a new place but all of a sudden recognize something around you, and then something clicks and the whole place is familiar.

Our hike into the valley was incredibly scenic, as expected from Yosemite. Nevada Fall (yes, it’s singular) features in this image. At this point we started running into a few day-hikers. About an hour later the crowds were almost unbearable. We were moving aside for somebody on nearly every switchback. The trail became paved for the last mile or so, which was somehow more painful to walk on than solid granite.

We made it! We made a beeline for the showers before celebrating our finish with pizza and ice cream. All that’s left is to catch a bus out of Yosemite, and we can start driving home. We’ve hiked 200+ miles from the tallest peak in the contiguous US to the best national park (unbiased), and we have a 1600 mile drive back.