We left camp around 8:15am (or later, since we were usually later than Wilson wanted us to be) and headed out the remaining 4.5 miles (7.25 kms) to the trailhead at Tuolumne Meadows where we would meet our shuttle.
We passed many day hikers along the way. Many were eager to reassure us that the trailhead would appear soon, "just a little further". Some of them asked where we had come from, so they were ever so eager to tell us we were almost there. They were amazed by our stamina and praised our achievement. Some, perhaps, thought we were simply exhausted from a day hike....but perhaps hadn't smelled us up close! With each passing comment, I cried sadly at the thought of leaving the\is beautiful place.
As an aside, friend Piper snapped a close up shot of this plant, the "Toilet paper plant" that we picked along the way. We were careful not to take leaves liberally in order to maintain the species health. This leaf supported us in a "leave no trace" etiquette that meant we used less toilet paper, all of which needed to be packed out.
When we reached the trail head we did not wait long before Cathy, our shuttle driver, pulled up in her shuttle bus. While we waited we unpacked some of our gear, using the bear boxes for tables.
We had travelled the final 4.5 miles (7.25 km) in very little time.
About Bear Proof Food Lockers:
Bear proof food lockers are large metal food lockers available in every campsite (ie. High Sierra) , most trailhead parking areas, and at lodging areas with tent cabins (Half Dome Village, formerly Curry Village; White Wolf; and Tuolumne Meadows). Lockers are also available at Little Yosemite Valley and High Sierra Camp backpacker campgrounds.
While a bear can smell food in a locker, the bear can't get into the locker if it's closed and latched properly. Be sure to keep your locker closed and latched at all times, even if you are in your campsite.
Most trailheads in Yosemite have several lockers available.
Please ensure that all your ice chests and food, drinks, and toiletries will fit in this locker; all these items must be stored in a locker.
N.B. Where we camped in the interior, there were no bear boxes. We used bear canisters [8x, one for each person] into which we packed all of our food for the trip. Each bear canister was packed into our backpacks during the day. At night, our stellar guides, Wilson and Sierra basically guarded our canisters from wildlife!
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| Friend, Rhona with "the dirty white shirt", near the bear lockers. |
Before long, the shuttle arrived and out came the coolers of beer and water, that SYMG had sent us, to celebrate our achievement.
We dodged across the street before leaving this wonderland for a group photo in Tuolumne Meadows with a view of the continuing JMT beyond (off to the right). It was 10:30am.
From this point forward, shuttle driver Cathy, was forced to endure the stench of 8 backpackers. The smell in the van was offensive.
We were fortunate to have time to stop at the Tuolumne Visitor Centre not far from the trail head. We ran to the camp ground washrooms with glee and washed our hands not once, but 2 or 3 times. Other tourists, grimaced at the smell (and sight) of us, and (quite obviously) stepped away from the sink area. Maps, hats, stuffed animals, books, t-shirts and more were purchased to commemorate the excellent adventure.
From the Visitor Centre we drove about 1 hour to a meadow below El Capitan where we were able to have a delicious picnic lunch. Sandwiches and special treats were prepared by SYMG in advance of our pick up, and ready in coolers for our final day.
NB. You can't see them....but there are climbers up there!!
The history of El Capitan is fascinating:
El Capitan (Spanish for The Captain, The Chief) is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about 3,000 feet (900 m) from base to summit along its tallest face and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers and BASE jumpers.
El Capitan is composed almost entirely of Granite, a pale, coarse-grained granite emplaced approximately 100 mya (million years ago). In addition to El Capitan, this granite forms most of the rock features of the western portions of Yosemite Valley. A separate intrusion of igneous rock, the Taft Granite, forms the uppermost portions of the cliff face.
Along with most of the other rock formations of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan was carved by glacial action. Several periods of glaciation have occurred in the Sierra Nevada, but the Sherwin Glaciation, which lasted from approximately 1.3 million years ago (mya) to 1 mya, is considered to be responsible for the majority of the sculpting. The El Capitan Granite is relatively free of joints, and as a result the glacial ice did not erode the rock face as much as other, more jointed, rocks nearby.[6] Nonetheless, as with most of the rock forming Yosemite's features, El Capitan's granite is under enormous internal tension brought on by the compression experienced prior to the erosion that brought it to the surface. These forces contribute to the creation of features such as the Texas Flake, a large block of granite slowly detaching from the main rock face about halfway up the side of the cliff.
Once considered impossible to climb,[7] El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing.[8] "El Cap" has two main faces, the Southwest (on the left when looking directly at the wall) and the Southeast. Between the two faces juts a prow. While today there are numerous established routes on both faces, the most popular and historically famous route is The Nose, which follows the south buttress.
The Nose was first climbed in 1958 by Warren Harding,[9] Wayne Merry and George Whitmore in 47 days using "siege" tactics: climbing in an expedition style using fixed ropes along the length of the route, linking established camps along the way. The fixed manila ropes allowed the climbers to ascend and descend from the ground up throughout the 18-month project, although they presented unique levels of danger as well, sometimes breaking due to the long exposure to cold temperatures.[10] The climbing team relied heavily on aid climbing, using rope, pitons and expansion bolts to make it to the summit. The second ascent of The Nose was in 1960 by Royal Robbins, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt and Tom Frost, who took seven days in the first continuous climb of the route without siege tactics.[9] The first solo climb of The Nosewas done by Tom Bauman in 1969.[11] The first ascent of The Nose in one day was accomplished in 1975 by John Long, Jim Bridwell and Billy Westbay. Today, The Nose typically takes fit climbers 4–5 days of full climbing, and has a success rate of around 60%.
(Wikipedia) |
| Lunch! |
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| Watching the climbers |
Avidly watching the amazing climbers on
El Capitan.
From El Cap we drove away from Yosemite National Park toward Oakhurst. There was an insane amount of traffic heading in and out of the Park, which we learned was now common in this particular area.
While passing through Oakhurst we stopped at Reimer's for Ice Cream and before long we were off to our drop off at the hotel in Fresno. We said an emotional farewell to Wilson and Sierra and resigned ourselves to the idea that this was the end of our journey. At the hotel we enjoyed hot showers, clean clothes, drinks and a hearty meal.
Before long we travelled home, via San Francisco, to Toronto.
With us we brought more than just souvenirs: courage; pride; unrivalled success; determination; strength, both inner and outer; wellbeing; stories; friendship; lessons of all sorts, some academic, some humorous; 800+ photographs; dirt; dusty boots; foot trauma, and much more!
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| The YGT |
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| These are some tired bags @ Pearson Int'l |
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