Day 41 - Yosemite National Park - Hike to Upper Yosemite Falls

If you ever want to feel old, try hiking with your teenage sons and watch them speed ahead of you because your legs simply can't go another step or your lungs can't move enough oxygen. That's what I felt like today. I was a little unsure about a 7 mile hike going up and down 2,700 feet, but Levi and Seth really wanted to tackle it and I didn't want to have to tell them that Dad was too frail. It's probably the hardest hike I have ever done, but well worth it. If you want to simulate it, just simply find a stair master (exercise equipment) and climb stairs for 3 hours. Take a break after an hour when your leg muscles burn and then keep going for another two hours. It's okay to take a 2 minute break about every 10 minutes, that is what I had to do. Don't forget to breathe through a straw to simulate the reduced oxygen at higher elevations.
We started on the floor of the valley at 10:00 and made it up to the top of Yosemite Falls by 1:00. Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America so the view at the top of the falls is incredible. We spent one hour at the top and then hiked down for two hours. While the hike up was physically exhausting, the hike down was dangerous. The rocks are uneven and coated with sand. I did fall once, but with no real injuries.

While the older boys and I were tackling the mountain, Sheri, Brandon, Bailey, and Bria went to several ranger talks including one about bears. They used to feed the bears from the early 1900s up to the 1960s. This has some unintended consequences. Bears learned that humans were the best source of food. Bears became aggressive and were really problematic in the park in the late 90s. In 1998, they were averaging 10 bear break-ins per night. Bears were literally pulling car doors off their hinges to get to food inside the vehicle. This year they have had none, a remarkable reduction.