Once we conquered Vernal Falls we churned our way up to the top of Nevada Falls losing most of the crowd on the way. What felt like forever was just a couple of miles (if that!) but it was all one big uphill switchback in hot, hot sun. The memory of that shower at Vernal was just that - a memory! Glad we picked June, though, as I'm seeing now in mid-July that the temps are topping in the 90's.
We spent some time at the top of Nevada Falls, where I realized I'd lost my sunglasses. Drew wandered around, and as I was watching him wander my eyes landed on a gentleman meandering close to the (unguarded) fast moving water. Something about him made me nervous, and though I really didn't want to see what I imagined in my head happening next, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He looked like he was scoping out the scene - you know, a JUMPER! I was so nervous, I almost wanted to yell something - but that could have been dangerous, too! Thankfully he moved away after a few minutes and Drew wandered back towards me.
On our way back through to meet the John Muir Trail headed for Little Yosemite Valley I struck up a conversation with a young girl and her mother. The girl was maybe six, and her mom smiled at me as she told her daughter that Drew and I were backpacking and that we had everything we needed on our backs. I giggled to myself as the little girl turned to me and said, "You have your tent?" I said that yes, we did. "You have your sleeping bag?" Yup. "You have your pajamas?" Uh-huh. This went on until we'd exhausted everything in my bag and Drew's. Cute! Future backpacker, perhaps!?
A mile later we landed in Little Yosemite Valley at the backpacker's campground - tired but happy. We headed to the river to fill up our water bottles and I managed to drop the cap to mine in the river. Perhaps because I was tired, I just looked at it for a second before realizing it was floating in the current AWAY from me. I shook the cobwebs off enough to look at Drew and say "My cap." That's it. My cap. He sprung into action, saved it from the Merced River without getting too much of himself soaked, and deemed it my turn to Steri Pen both waters. Fair enough...
We even had a little energy after a quick nap to scope things out. Found ourselves climbing hand over foot up a small, no-name dome with great views. We spent some time there all by ourselves and watched the pretty light come over the valley. Then we had to climb down the steep slope - I chose the "planned butt scoot" method as opposed to landing there inadvertently. :) All the sudden we realized we weren't all that "alone". A young doe had made her way up behind us enjoying rarely munched vegetation and we ended up face to face to everyone's surprise. She didn't seem to mind, though, which we discovered was pretty much status quo for all the deer in Yosemite. Move slowly in the opposite direction and we can all get along in the same space...
I can completely picture the water bottle cap scene. I am still giggling to myself. I am very glad that Drew was able to retrieve it for you! I KNEW you took handstand pictures! Loved them.
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