We did this trip because we wanted to see firefall from the rim. Truth be told, it may have been better to view firefall from the valley below, but no regrets for me!! I loved the beautiful sunsets up on the rim and I especially enjoy how much less crowded it is in the winter.
We hiked on the groomed trail (aka Glacier Pt Rd) for about 8 or 9 miles and then put on our snowshoes and went off the road towards Taft Point for 1 mile. We stayed here for two nights. Only one other solo hiker camped at Taft Point the first night, and a couple the second night. We did a casual start on our full day there and hiked to Sentinel Dome. We waited at the top for a few hours for sunset because, why not? It was a beautiful sunset for sure! One of us stayed back and held down the basecamp. He is 20+ years our senior, so he understandably wanted to have a relaxed day after trudging through the snow the day before.
One of my favorite winter hikes for sure! I did this hike a few years ago, but there was absolutely no snow, so I am glad we got to see snow this time. I will say that I brought my winter tent just because I wanted to use it, but I was very close to regretting it the entire hike in because it was super tiring. I am used to being UL with my gear, so the 10 lbs for just the tent was quite a difference. :P
Here is a video of the trip:
Our little village of tents:
Sunset from Taft Point:
A few moments later at Taft Point:
View of El Capitan from Sentinel Dome (can barely tell the firefall is there):
