Wapama Falls-Yosemite National Park

John has been wanting to go to Yosemite for awhile now.  We were going to try to go on his birthday, but it didn't work out.  Today was going to be our only opportunity to go until the end of July (because of swimming).  My grandpa kept telling my mom about Wapama falls.  He had done the hike 4 times and heard that this year was the best yet, because of all the rainfall we had. On Saturday, John, I and the girls went with my grandpa and my mom to hike Wapama Falls.  According to the brochure, this was a 5 mile round trip "moderate" hike.  This hike could be completed in 2-4 hours.   I was really hesitant about being able to make the hike.  I have recently been diagnosed with osteoperosis on top of already having some arthritist issues and the medication I have been on, has had some unpleasant side effects.  I am pretty sore and sometimes sick for a few days after taking it.  I was also worried about the girls being able to make it (or complaining the whole time).  I am glad to say, everyone did just fine.  Other than a couple falls (Mikayla, my Mom and I all fell), and some pretty swollen mosquito bites for Mikayla, we all survived.  We made it the whole way.  I am even happy to say, that I wasn't even really sore.  I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to move the next day. But that wasn't the case at all. 

We parked at Hetch Hetchy Dam and started our hike.  The dam was built in 1915.  It's hard to believe they could build something as enormous as this back then.


Looking over the edge of the dam spill way.  See rhe Rainbow?





Libby, Grandpa Billy, Ashlee, Mom @ the start of the hike.

  Not even 20 minutes into the hike, John decideds to get in front of all of us and discovers this.   Needless to say, I was having some second thoughts and was ready to leave.  I have been discouraged from Yosemtie because of these creatures.

That's right.  A brown bear.  He climbed the tree rather quickly and decided to pose for the camera.

After seeing all the other tourists amused and not afraid of the bear.  I decided that perhaps I could follow through with this.  My mom said my grandpa had a gun on him so we would be ok. Come to find out, he didn't bring his gun.  I had pepper spray though, so I took it out of my backpack and put it in my pocket (it had to be better than nothing RIGHT)?

We continued on the trail.  Here are some things we saw along the way.



Mom (Cathy), Libby, Grandpa Billy, John, Ashlee and Mikayla





Grandpa Billy, Ashlee, Mom, Libby (Mikayla was always way ahead of everyone else.  John had the camera).



Ashlee, Libby, Cathy.  Hetch Hetchy in the background.

Mikayla (our little bear cub, she jumped out and roared at all of us).



Ashlee she was quite the trooper.  She had been sick all week and wasn't feeling well, but she never complained.



 Just as we were about to reach Wapama Falls, my mom and I took one look at the trail (it was narrow, rocky and steep), and decided that maybe we were done.  Everyone was coming back wet and we had to cross through some pretty swift moving water.  Grandpa, John and the girls decided they were going to go for it.

Ashlee and Mikayla.  Pretty wet.  Even with the pancho's.

 John decided that my mom and I couldn't go all that way and not see the falls, so he came back and got us.  There was no avoiding getting wet.  We were pretty much soaked from our feet to our waist.

Cathy, Ashlee, Mikayla, Libby, Grandpa Bill

Grandpa Billy.  This is what we had to walk across to get past the falls.  The water was like a huge wave at the ocean.  If you didn't run you would've been drenched head to toe.

It took us three hours to get to the falls and one hour to get back to our car.  On our way to the falls we saw a snake too.  Mikayla and my Mom had to have walked over the top of it and didn't realize it.  We didn't get a picture of it though.  Here are a couple sites we saw on the way home.

We all made it!  John is ready to go back.  My mom says she's done it and isn't doing it again.  Grandpa Billy is looking for another hike to go on.  He is almost 70 years old has had a knee replacement, and a heart attack and I think he is in better shape than the rest of us!  I think it will be awhile until I am ready again.  I need flat trails.  Not rocky, bumpy, up and down trails!