The Travels of a Journalistâ€â€ÂÂ20-EXPLORING YOSEMITE AND GETTING JITTERS AT HETCH HETCHY
Posted on April 1st, 2010
By Shelton A. Gunaratne ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚© 2010
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Late afternoon on Friday 12 Aug. 1983, weƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚my wife Yoke-Sim, 3-year-old son Junius and IƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚entered the Yosemite National Park in the Sierra through the northwest ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Big Oak FlatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ gateway designated SR120. From Moccasin, Calif. (which we passed by on 19 July on our way north from Sequoia along the eastern edge of the Central Valley), we drove 54 miles east to reach the Upper Pines Campground of the Yosemite Valley, where we set up our tent.
(Now, we were on the last leg of our second long trip of the West Coast that we began on 30 July. I shall write about what we did in between in a separate article.)
A Climb Like ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Empire StateƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢
Our objectives for visiting Yosemite National Park, which covers an area of 761,266ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ acres (308,073ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ha), included:
- Observing the stunning features of the park, such as waterfalls and granite domes.
- Exploring the beautiful, glacially scoured canyons such as Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite Valley andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (We had already seen Kings Canyon, Kern Canyon, and Tehipite Valley in the KC/S national parks to the south.)
Saturday (13 Aug.) morning, we took the shuttle bus to the visitorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ center to see the orientation slide show and other exhibits. Just behind the center, we visited the Indian Village and the Indian Cultural Museum, which depict Miwok and Paiute history.
The dayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s adventure was defying the challenge of a steep climb along the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, a 3.8-mile (6 km) stretch from the Lower Yosemite Falls trailhead to the top of Yosemite Falls. The slow-and tiring trudge involved climbing 2,600 ft. (790 m)ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚the equivalent of climbing the Empire State Building in New York.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Junius and Yoke-Sim managed to walk about 1.5 miles to get a closer look at the falls while we ate our lunch on the trail. They turned back, while I continued to walk the entire trek and reached the top of the falls about 4 p.m.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚a four-hour climb! I puddled on the Yosemite Creek after crossing a footbridge. On this spot, I felt as if I were the king of all I surveyedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚the entire Yosemite Valley, including the renowned Half Dome.
I resisted the temptation of climbing another 410 ft. (125 m) to reach Yosemite Point (elevation 6,936 ft or 2,114 m) because time was against me. Having thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic view from the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, I started on my return trip at 4.45 p.m. and reached the Sunnyside Campground about 6 p.m.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚a relatively easy descent. Then I walked to see the Lower Yosemite Falls before taking the shuttle bus back to Upper Pines.
After dinner, we attended a campfire program at the Lower Pines Campground Amphitheater.
So Near, Yet So Far
Since Yoke-Sim and Junius missed the view of the valley from the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, the next day we decided to get a panoramic view of the Yosemite Valley and the eastern Sierra from the lofty heights of Glacier Point (7,214 ft/ 2,200 m), only 4.8 miles (7.1 km) on the Four Mile Trail or 8.5 miles (13.6 km) on the Panorama Trail. However, the driving distance to Glacier Point is 30 miles/48 km (going west and south along SR41 to Wawona, and then heading east and north on Glacier Point Road). Because the climb up would be too arduous for many visitors, they have the choice of getting there by the hikersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ bus ($25 one-way in 2010) and climbing down one of the trails; taking the bus both ways; or driving their own vehicle back and forth. We decided to drive.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Described as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the most awesome lookout in the Lower 48,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Glacier Point enables you to view the entire Yosemite Valley 3,200 ft. (980 m) below to the north; Nevada and Vernal falls to the east; Illilouette Fall to the southeast; Half Dome to the northeast; Yosemite Falls to the northwest; El Capitan, Tunnel View and Bridalveil Falls to the west. The Four Mile Trail, which switchbacks down to Yosemite Valley, provides ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-wonderful views of the Valley.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ The Panorama Trail provides a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-close-up view of Illilouette Fall and panoramic views of eastern Yosemite Valley before joining the Mist or John Muir trails down past Vernal and Nevada falls.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
After we examined the main attractions of Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point, we stopped at Washburn Point to the south to look at the surroundings from the Vernal and Nevada fallsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ angle. Rain delayed our next adventure: a 1.1-mile trek to Sentinel Dome (elevation 8,122 ft/2,466 m), a granite rock. We climbed to the top of the dome with a family from Ohio to get a 360-degree view of the valley.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The dead Jeffrey pine that remained on the dome during our visit was removed in 2003. [Picture 1]
Next, we stopped at the Yosemite Pioneer History Center in Wawona, 30 miles south of Glacier Point on SR41. The center exhibits a collection of restored and authentic stagecoaches representing early travel to the Yosemite region. Its several log cabins depict living historyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚with living people depicting historical characters. This was a wonderful experience.
From Wawona, we drove to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and walked a mile to see the Grizzly Giant, estimated to be 1,800 years old; and the California Tunnel Tree, cut in 1895 to allow horse-drawn stages to pass through.
We then heard that we couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t get back to Yosemite Valley on SR41 because of a rockslide. The only recourse we had was to exit Yosemite from its South Entrance and re-enter the park from the middle (Arch Rock) entrance. Thus, we were back on SR49 driving north from Oakhurst to Mariposa, a stretch we passed through on 19 July. But every downside has its upside. In this case, the upside was that we earned the distinction of going through all three western gateways to Yosemite. And we had planned to leave Yosemite through its only eastern gateway.
We spent most of Monday (15 Dec.) in Yosemite Valley exploring areas we couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t visit closer to our Upper Pines Campground over the first two days. To start with, we took the shuttle to Happy Isles, 1.2 miles southeast of Upper Pines. From there we walked on the Fall Trail to the 317 ft. Vernal Fall. On the way, we had a distant look at the 370 ft. Illilouette Fall, as well. Back at Happy Isles, we visited the Nature Center, where we watched an interesting film on trees.
Around noon, we took the shuttle to Mirror Lake Junction, from where we walked a mile to Mirror Lake, 1.5 miles northeast of Upper Pines. It was fast changing into a meadow during our visit. Now, it is also called Mirror Meadow. The reflection of Mount Watkins on the lake, fed by Tenaya Creek, was beautiful. We walked quite a ways up the Mirror Lake Trail, along the creek, and ate our lunch.
Then, we returned to Curry Village and drove our car to visit Ahwhanee Hotel, Yosemite Village and Yosemite Lodge. Thereafter, we drove further west for a stop at the El Capitan Picnic Area and the 620 ft. Bridalveil Fall.
From Upper Pines to White Wolf
We left Upper Pines and the Yosemite Valley late afternoon for camping and exploration of northeast Yosemite along Tioga Pass Road (SR120), the only gateway to Yosemite from eastern Sierra. But since it started to rain on our way, we decided to camp overnight at the nearby White Wolf Campground, 33 miles by road from Upper Pines on SR120 but still slightly to the northwest of our former campground. Most of the camping sites were wet, and the one that we first selected turned out to be used by someone else. It was the coldest night we experienced during this tour.
Tuesday (16 Aug.), we started on a six-mile (12-mile roundtrip) long walk on the eastern trail from White Wolf to the lookout of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, starting about 9 a.m., and returning on the western trail about 5.30 p.m. The downpour of the previous evening had made the trail muddy. Having gotten used to walking with wet shoes, we reached the trail junction to Harden Lake close to noon. There we ran into three hikers from Santa Barbara, Calif., including two Iranians, who shared some camping food with us.
We ate lunch at the lookout, which shows the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir on one side and the Tuolumne River Canyon on the other. Leaving Junius and Yoke-Sim at the lookout, I walked down the trail to take a close-up photo of the canyon. When I returned to the lookout, neither Junius nor Yoke-Sim was around. Jitters went through my system. [Picture 2] I trudged back and forth on the trail yet unable to spot them. I talked to a couple of people I had seen on the trail earlier whether they saw a boy and a Chinese woman lost in the vicinity. I was about to give up and cry, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-WolfƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ when I saw the duo roaming at a distance.
The relief that I experienced as I saw them was unforgettable.
Wednesday (17 Aug.) goes down in our family annals as the day the Gunaratne family used all four gateways to the Yosemite National Park when they crossed the Tioga Pass, the highest mountain pass in California, to reach the foothills of the eastern Sierra.
We left White Wolf at 8 a.m. and headed for Lukens Lake. Having parked our vehicle on the roadside, we walked on the trail to the lake watching the unmelted patches of snow, which Junius and Yoke-Sim had not seen since their brief glacier experience in New Zealand in December 1981. On our way east, we stopped at several such scenic turnouts. The scenery from Olmsted Point was pretty with Half Dome, Glacier Point and Tunnel View clearly visible to the west. Tenaya Lake was along the way.
We visited the Tuolumne Meadows Visitors Center about 11 a.m. Then, we drove to see the adjoining campground. We walked on the Glen Aulin Trail up to ParsonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Lodge, a historical landmark, next to Soda Springs, the water of which we tasted. We were lucky to view all these things on this occasion because normally the surrounding meadows are covered by snow most of the year. After a stop at 800 ft. (240 m) Lembert Dome, we went to see the cottages at Tuolumne Lodge.
Soon, we passed the Tioga Pass Entrance Station, 83 miles east of Moccasin, the northwest entry point to Yosemite on SR120. I drove down this breathtaking mountain pass with utmost trepidation. The grade down the eastern Sierra was so steep. Moreover, a downpour on the hills made the drive hazardous. So, I was much relieved when I reached Lee Vining, Calif., the town next to Mono Lake.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We visited the visitorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ center and the county park.
We decided to stay overnight at the Mill Creek Campground, just east of Lundy Lake. We camped by the roaring creek. Our neighboring campersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚Tim Carmody and his son from Newport Beach, Calif.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚invited us for a campfire chat and tea. Rain fell as we drank tea.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Next: California AdventuresƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚Wild West Beyond Great Divide
(The writer is a professor of mass communications emeritus, Minnesota State University Moorhead.)
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ FIGURE 1: Tioga Pass Road (SR 120) crossing the Yosemite National Park west to east. A=Moccasin; B=Tioga Pass; C=Lee Vining; D=LundyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
Picture 1:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The author and his son Junius climbed to the top of the Sentinel Dome to get a 360-degree view of the valley on 14 Aug. 1983.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The dead Jeffrey pine that featured the dome during their visit was removed in 2003.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Picture 2: Yoke-Sim and Junius at the Tuolumne Grand Canyon Lookout on 16 Aug. 1983 just before their “vanishing act.” When the author returned to the lookout, neither Junius nor Yoke-Sim was around. Jitters went through his system.
April 2nd, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I wish to thank Sita Perera and Priyantha Abeywickrama for their feedback on “The Travels of a Journalist.”
Sita makes specific suggestions to dramatize each episode by adopting the three elements of drama: man v man; man v nature; and man v self. In short, she suggests the GOSS formula–goals-obstacles-solution-start approach. As a journalism professor, I have taught this approach in my feature-writing classes for many years.
I started writing “The Journey” series and “The Travels” series beginning mid-2009 because of initial encouragement by the Sunday Island editor Manik de Silva, who joined Lake House with me in 1962.
I had the GOSS formula in mind when writing many of the articles in the two series. However, constraints of space and the need to present each article as a self-contained entity imposed restrictions on my story-telling skills. Because I had to be accurate and truthful in these autobiographical sketches, I was unable to use fiction to embellish any episode. Accuracy required an immense lot of research.
In a previous comment, Priyantha A. suggested that I write these articles in Sinhala to convey the rustic ethos of a country lad from the South a la Gunadasa Amarasekera or Martin Wickremasinghe. I published a few short stories that I wrote in Sinhala before I left Ceylon in 1966. However, after 45-years of not practicing Sinhala writing, I don’t believe that I can easily regain my facility with the nuances of modern Sinhala prose. But I will be delighted to work with a Sinhala writer who can translate my English writing into Sinhala so I could authenticate the accuracy of the translation.
I am unable to fathom Priyantha A’s comment, “I feel that you are not revealing some details about your American experience.” Of course, life is not a bed of roses for all immigrants in Western countries. I have described the discrimination I experienced in the U. S. and Australia in “The Journey” series.
April 3rd, 2010 at 5:48 am
Thank you for your response. I WISH LANKA WEB PIONEERS INTERACTIVE JOURNALISM. Ref American experience, I meant that your writing lacks the depth of detail provided for your Australian experience. I know a few who were in Australia and then moved to US. According to them it is the same system, but bigger. In fact Australia is more closer to US than to UK now.
I find your text very interesting to use as learning material beyond journalistic travel. I never had the chance to get into journalism. But I spent a lot of time typing English letters for more specific purposes. Some of my text is in fact widely copied by many people involved in studies and industry. One of the problems I find is plagiarism. Sadly, even my text is copied and twisted without having a good understanding of what I have told. You may be in a better position to tell about the reason. Since I mentioned something, I suggest you to google the word “feedforward” and appreciate telling me something about it as an expert in communication. This is a silly word combination that came out of my mouth while struggling to explain something to a prominent English academic. It was like telling the colour of milk to a visually impaired person. Sadly, my spell checker does not recognise this funny word even now and nobody knows the true meaning of this letter combination though there are many claiming to be so.
Having seen the confusion among native English speakers to get the message across, and being praised/paid for my abilities, I spent a lot of time browsing other languages and came to realise Sinhala as the only language that has the unique capability to transfer one’s conception to another. When I read some of your text, I feel like exclusive and ability to fully comprehend is limited to people grown up in the south. Being from the same area, I can feel it as I had experienced this situation when communicating with people in both languages. Sadly, most of the people I had to communicate were native English during recent times and most of my work is locked up in secured places, some with armed state protective services. By the way I am not an academic, but a Research Industrialist relishing outside the modern system who had to deal a lot with academics.
If we go back to your Travel details, did you pre-plan your trips? Certainly, you were not adventurous with your family. While in the Pera Uni, I joined the Explorers’ Club and took a few adventures. When I read yours, I get flash backs that also had unforgettable experiences. In one instance, we lost the direction while climbing Hantane (what a tiny place compared to yours) in an unorthodox fashion and had to carry some people. Did you go to Yellow Stone Park? I wish I could. Are you holding back the moments that kept you on the edge and others that raise the hairs/eyebrows of the readers? I wish you go to your original birth place and tell about how you felt about the desire to travel while being there. This is an interesting research matter.
April 5th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Scintillating stuff. You are taking the reader with you in the Journeys – only a master writer can do this.
April 6th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Priyantha A. asked me whether I visited Yellowstrone National Park.
Yes, I did. We spent 6-8 July 1996 at Yellowstone Park. By th is time, another person had become an integral part of our tour tea
April 6th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Sita Perera’s praise of my writing is very flattering. However, has she given a rating for any of my essays in the Lankaweb?
The third member I was about to mention in the previous response [when I accidentally clicked the “Submit Comment” button] was my daughter Carmel (b. 1984)
April 7th, 2010 at 3:18 am
Please post photos of Carmel. I cannot remember seeing her photo in your writings. it’s mostly of your wife and Junius, but not Careml. Another question – why that name for her?
April 7th, 2010 at 3:20 am
Also, did you write about your career in the 60s and 70s in Sri Lanka. I missed them. Which episode and how to find them?
April 7th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
All the articles in “The Journey of a Journalist” (21 installments) are available if you know how to use the Lankaweb Archives. Simply clique on my name in the list of contributors and you will get a list of my articles arranged sequentially.
In one of these, I describe the thoughts that reverberated my mind when I paid a nostalgic visit to my birthplace in Pathegama (an interior village between Ahangama and Weligama) in 1991. Priyantha A. should read it because he suggests that I pay such a visit now.
These articles are also available through the Sri Lanka Guardian. The first 10 installments were published in the Sunday Island as well.
Carmel has not featured in the “Travels” series yet because she did not accompany me in my 1990 tours of Britain and Ireland, or because she was not born during our tours of Australia, New Zealand and California. I will reveal why she got the name Carmel in a future article.
The newest addition to the Gunaratne family is a 2-year-old fox terrior, whom Carmel named Cosmo although I suggested naming him “Belma” in memory of the dog we had in our ancestral home in Pathegama.
April 7th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Dear Shelton, thank you for your responses. I am short on time at the moment. I will find it from the archives soon.