Mist Trail - Yosemite

How to Hike Without Looking

The sign at the bottom of the Mist Trail tells you it’s 1.5 miles to the top of Vernal Fall, 2.7 miles to the top of Nevada Fall, and 211 miles to Mount Whitney in Southern California on the John Muir Trail. Hikers start up the trail excited with a goal in mind, a place that they want to reach.

Some hikers go up the steep granite steps of the Mist Trail and stop at the top of Vernal Fall. Others go further up the canyon to Nevada Fall, eat lunch there, and come back down. Some continue on, taking the trail left for Half Dome, or go straight and follow the river into Little Yosemite Valley, or head to the right and pick up the Panorama Trail that leads to Glacier Point.

No goals are assured in the wilderness. I may run out of energy or twist an ankle before I reach my destination. Maybe the bridge above Vernal is under repair, or a storm sweeps in over the mountains, leaving me with no option but to turn around and run. Perhaps a mother bear will be hanging out by the trail with her cubs, blocking my way.

If I focus only on reaching my destination up ahead, and on not tripping on the steep and often uneven trail below my feet in order to get to get there, I will miss everything that is going on to the sides. There are sights, sounds, and scents all around. People sometimes see a bobcat here. There’s also a spring that the settlers put stones around to create a pool. At the top of Nevada there is a small dam that keeps the river from flowing down the steps I just hiked up. Illilouette Fall is only visible along one section of the trail. Did I see everything?

When I’m hiking, I see more if I don’t look for something specific.