High Sierra Topix

As usual, I scribbled extensive notes on this trip. In transcribing them, I found that they were not particularly interesting or positive in relating what was mainly a wonderful two day excursion to Dewey Point for the lunar eclipse along with an afternoon at Taft Point and an evening and night at Bridalveil Creek.

Since the Glacier Point Road was open, there were many, many day hikers, most of whom seemed to be there to enjoy and appreciate the views and incomparable beauty of Yosemite’s south rim. Sadly, with that many people there was the human nature percentage of negative encounters. To write this up and share it as a blow-by-blow trip report would necessarily include and possibly highlight the actions of those relatively few people. I decided to focus on the wonderfully positive aspects of this trip through the photos and limited captions. I hope it’s enjoyable for you.

I reached the McGurk Meadow Trailhead at about 9:00 am on May 25.


A trail crew was clearing the McGurk and Pohono trails of all the blown down trees, which made my hiking simple and easy compared to previous hikers earlier in the season.


I arrived at Dewey Point in time for lunch and set up my tent above the point itself with its obviously previously used campsites. Since there were so many day hikers, I thought it best to be apart from the main traffic.


I walked the 0.6 miles down to Crocker Point to take in the view of Bridalveil Falls. Since it was windy, rainbows sometimes appeared in the cascading falls.


I returned to Dewey Point. By this time of day, I had the magnificent view to myself.


Sunset in solitude was magnificent and made more magical when the full moon rose.


As darkness fell, I crawled into my tent and set the alarm on my phone to 3:45 am. The eclipse would be total at around 4:15. The alarm went off and I observed the total eclipse from Dewey Point before climbing the ridge for a better view as the light of the moon began emerging.


I moved around the ridge for better views as dawn began.


As the dawn light became brighter, the moon got lower until it sat with the bright half above the branch while the lower half resided below.


I returned to my campsite as the sun rose. Dewey Point receives some of the first light of the day.

(continued next post)

After sunrise, I took a brief nap, ate breakfast, and sat leaning against a tree writing and appreciating the view until the first day hikers began arriving after 9:30 am. Since I was almost out of water, I decided to go to Bridalveil Creek and dayhike up to Taft Point. I arrived a little after noon and found a campsite along the creek as far from the trail as possible. I crossed the Bridalveil Creek bridge and headed up to Taft Point.

While I only saw two people on the trail up to Taft Point, there were lots of day hikers from the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point parking area on Glacier Point Road. The light was lousy for photos, but I still spent an hour appreciating the view of Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Falls.


I returned to Bridalveil Creek, made dinner, and enjoyed the light on Bridalveil Creek until a large group arrived and set up camp in the campsite by the trail. I appreciated the day’s final light on the trees.

I crawled into the tent as darkness fell, woke up the next morning, and hiked the two plus miles to McGurk Meadow. I drove to Glacier Point. I considered it serendipity when I pulled into the parking lot and I saw backup lights on the fifth car. I let them pull out and took the parking place. I walked up to Glacier Point along with the many other people to appreciate the hazy, but one-of-a-kind view of Half Dome, Nevada Falls, Vernsal Falls, Yosemite Falls, and Yosemite Valley.

After an hour or so, I drove back down Glacier Point Road to the mad traffic of Yosemite Valley, sat for over thirty minutes due to construction before Pohono Bridge, then drove the familiar route up to Big Oak Flat, down highway 120 and the Priest Grade, through Oakdale, and back home.

Was there a water sources on Dewey Point? Or did you haul water with you? I was there once when there still was some snow and there was a small creek close by. This year I could not find any water, except quite a ways down the trail on way to Bridalveil Creek.

You are lucky the trail crew cleared the trail. It was pretty bad earlier.

There was no water at Dewey Point and so I carried mine in, which is why I was down to half a pint when I hiked to Bridalveil Creek (yes, my pack was rather heavy thanks to all that water). The only water I came across was also way down the trail at the creek that runs beside the trail that you cross between the Pohono Junction and Dewey Point.

The trail crew went from McGurk Trailhead to somewhere below Crocker Point that day. They did a great job of clearing all the downed trees.