The day after our almost-Half Dome hike, we are tired and sore. It is Sunday. A day of rest.
I want to make the day meaningful for Sam, given his short time in California, but we agree not to return to the Yosemite Valley floor. We’re ready to be away from the traffic and the crowds. We also don’t have the energy for any big adventures. Instead, we decide to wind our way up out of the valley on Highway 41, back towards Fresno.
We do a short hike up Sentinel Dome, which is the best reward-to-effort hike in Yosemite Valley. At only 2.2 miles and 500 feet of elevation gain, it nonetheless offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Yosemite Valley. It is the perfect recovery hike to stretch out our sore muscles without overdoing it.
Afterwards, we visit the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The more one knows, the more one sees. I keep trying to get smarter on forest ecosystems—with novels like Richard Powers’ The Overstory and nonfiction books like Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees—but I can’t seem to hold onto the details. They flow right through me like water, and I find myself simply marveling at big pretty trees like everyone else.
Developing the eyes to truly see a place like this is a lifelong effort, requiring extensive time and patience. The forest won’t yield its secrets on a quick drive-by. On my way out, the sequoias challenge me to keep reading, learning, looking, listening. I will see more next time.
In the evening we stay at a RV campground, where we do laundry, take well-earned showers, and watch Valley Uprising, the best single documentary about Yosemite’s climbing history.
And that is all for today, a day of rest.