Day 42, Wednesday July 27

After failing to find a site in the park last night, I decided I’d better get into the park and over to Camp ground 4 super early to ensure I have a site for the rest of the week. What a good decision. The ranger told me that Camp 4 is actually one of the most in-demand campsites in the bark because it’s one of the only walk-in campsites with parking in the Yosemite Valley. Unfortunately Camp 4 doesn’t have showers, but those are available at another of the ‘reservations required’ sites. What really pleasantly surprised me was the cost…only $5 per night! It offsets the amazingly high price of food at the Yosemite Village store. The prices were roughly 3X what you’d pay outside of the park. After reserving the site for 4 nights, I set up my tent, assembled my mountain bike and made an effort to relax a bit. Problem is that I’m AWFUL at relaxing. I just don’t know how to do it. So at 3:30 I decided I’d go for a hike and since the trail head for the Upper Yosemite Falls was right there at Camp 4 it seemed like the obvious choice. I set out at a pace fitting the length of the hike (3.2 miles one way), basically something just short of a jog. What I didn’t count on was 3.2 miles went straight up the wall of the valley, a climb of 2700 vertical feet. Because of the pace I set, it was without doubt the most taxing hike I’ve ever taken in my life. I got to the top in just over an hour, taking time along the way for a few pictures and a sandwich break. On the way down, I wanted to make sure I got off the trail before dark so I ran large sections of the trail. After about half an hour at the top, I made it back down to the valley floor by 6pm. I was out of breath, sweating, and generally feeling great for getting some serious exercise. I think if I had a place like this to run daily, then trail running might equal mountain biking as my favorite outdoor activity.