Posted by Karen on 09-Nov-2008
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The morning is foggy and it lends a quiet feel to the valley. As we head out, we stop again at the beautiful Valley View scenic spot and enjoy the river and the mountains once again. We then choose to leave Yosemite National Park via Highway 120 even though we see a sign cautioning that snow chains are required 5 miles ahead. Time to test our luck and the 4 wheel drive if need be. We head out this direction because we want to stop by the gorgeous Cascade Falls on the way out and see how they are flowing. The waterfall was flowing nicely, those storms really do wonders for the waterfalls. As we continue on, we enter a winter wonderland and find snow on the ground and in the trees–very pretty and calm. We stop for some pictures and a coyote pops up on the other side of the road. Luckily the snow didn’t get bad and we didn’t have to turn around for lack of tire chains. We take a side trip to Hetch Hetchy to view the O’Shaughnessy Dam and the reservoir. The water is still low in the reservoir, but it’s still pretty. And we’re all happy that I leave today better off then when I broke my ankle here last year… YAY!
Posted by Karen on 22-Jun-2007
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I joined Maria, Duane and Heidi on a backpack trip to Rancheria Falls at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, a part of Yosemite National Park. Maria and I drove up the night before and slept in the truck so that we could be there early enough to get our permits. Our timing was good as Duane joined us just as we were talking with the rangers at the gate. The trail starts after you cross the O’Shaughnessy Dam and go through the Canyon Power Tunnel. The Dam is quite impressive, with a powerful stream of water shooting out the backside. The lake is very beautiful and quite reflective; it’s not open to recreational boaters, so it’s very peaceful. This turned out to be an extremely hot weekend and the sun kept at us all day. But that’s okay, after a couple of miles you encounter Tueeulala Falls and Wapama Falls. Tueeulala Falls was dry, but Wapama Falls was going nicely and there are ice cool pools of water that you can get to enjoy a cool soak–which I did. After photographing the falls for a while and just enjoying the area, I picked up my pack to headed on down the trail and I somehow tripped, twisted my ankle and went down to the ground… ouch. After an hour or so of resting and soaking, my ankle was swollen, but didn’t hurt and I was able to stand on it and walk. So, I continued on slowly down the trail. I sent a note ahead with some other hikers, telling Maria and Duane that I was moving slowly, but was okay. It was a long slow hike into camp, but it was actually quite enjoyable. The twisted ankle forced me to take it slowly and rest often and that allowed me to really enjoy things and since I was pretty much the last person left on the trail, it was very quiet and peaceful. Most day hikers only go to the waterfalls and then head back. I make camp before dark–my goal–and got to soak in the river for a bit, which felt like heaven. Heidi joined us bright and early Saturday morning and regaled us with her bear sighting story. Well, my ankle and foot are still swollen Saturday morning and it’s turning a lovely purple color and getting more painful instead of less. I end up staying at camp all day, just resting and relaxing, and the rest of the group goes and explore Rancheria Falls and more of the area. You’ll have to view Maria’s pictures (here) to see what I didn’t see that day. Sunday morning my ankle hurts a lot less and even though it’s still quite swollen, I’m able to walk on it and we pack up camp and start the long, slow walk back out. After many hours Maria and I get back to the Dam and she was kind enough to run ahead and get the SUV and save me the last half mile back. And since life has a way of coming at you in multiples… the transmission on the SUV went out on the way home! We made it home with only one minor incident and the tow truck driver was able to get us straightened out and going forward again after we discovered that reverse was not working either now.
After story: On Monday I have the doctor x-ray and look at my ankle and foot and yep, it’s broken. He shows me the break and even I can see it. The break is where the fibula bone connects in with the ankle. He explained that was why I was able to walk and not be in too much pain, that bone isn’t the main one used for walking, but is used for stabilizing. On Tuesday I get the word that the SUV transmission is in bad shape and needs to be pretty much rebuilt (read that as expensive). On Wednesday, the Podiatrist looks at my ankle and decides that I need to be in a cast!! And so, I have been grounded the whole month of July. 
But, life can only get better from here! ;D LOL
Posted by Karen on 31-Mar-2007
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Theresa called up and said “I need to sleep outside, let’s go camping” and I said “sure”. So off to Scotts Flat Reservoir we went for a bit of hiking and camping. We set camp up and then headed out for a hike around the lake towards a geocache at the end of neighboring Deer Creek Reservoir. Both lakes are a gorgeous greenish-blue color and very peaceful at this time of year, as it’s not high season. I hid my very first geocache out by the dam (and several people have logged a find already… yay!). We enjoyed a lovely sunset after dinner and just had a fun time as Fire Goddess Theresa built us a blaze. After packing up camp the next morning, we went hiking and geocaching along the Pioneer Trail and I hid another cache at “Lone Grave”, which isn’t as spooky as it sounds… LOL! We enjoyed a delicious late lunch at the Five Mile House and then headed home. A very nice spur-of-the-moment trip.
