We drove down to the main valley of Yosemite to see what was happening. We had a friend climbing a hard route on El Capitan, swimming in the Merced river, and the illustrious draw of the big walls lured us down there. We should have known better. We were breaking our own rules. It was too much to be so close and not check it out.
The way to do the Valley is to arrive, get on a wall as soon as possible, and once you’re down with your wall, grab a bite to eat and either get on another wall or leave.
The Valley is an absolute disaster in terms of the National Park Service maintaining a wilderness area. Going to the Valley is much the same experience as visiting the Circus Circus Casino in Vegas. It’s absolutely overwhelming. One of the first things you encounter entering the Valley is the traffic. The traffic sucks, but in some cases it can be overlooked as it gives you a chance to rubberneck at the walls.
The one way streets are confusing and they lead you right into either Yosemite Village or Curry Village. I’m not sure which one is worse. At either place, you are confronted with hordes of people. It’s not just hikers and climbers though. It’s everyone you could possible imagine. The Shriners are there with their little cars, OK, so I didn’t exactly see them. The Jesus Camp kids in their hot pink T shirts overwhelm the sound of the traffic. The Indian couple sits on the bench in traditional garb. The groups of Japanese with their cameras and tour busses are there. I spin around dissily as so many people pass me by in every direction. It’s a completely international experience. These people aren’t dressed for the woods though. What are they all doing here?
Our National Parks have been designed to be driven through. Roads weave all over the place so that you can get a view of almost every peak.
Back to complaining about the Valley… so on top of all the people in the Valley, black bears run rampant breaking into cars in search of food. There is up to a $5,000 fine if a bear breaks into your car on top of the damage you have to pay for. There are hundreds of car break ins each year. You’re car is likely safer in downtown Mexico City.
There are several campgrounds in Yosemite Valley, but they are usually full, as was the case this trip. Rather than deal with bears and rangers we drove down valley to El Portal, the closest town to the valley. We had heard there was some “legal†camping in El Portal, but it proved to be elusive. Instead we encountered a town run by the National Park Service to house it’s employees. Every pullout was marked with “No Camping†and “No Overnight Parking†signs. After some searching, we gave up and parked in a bus parking lot. We were exhausted and needed to sleep. Since we were sleeping in our car illegally, we had to keep the doors and windows all blocked up. It must have been over one hundred degrees that night and we cooked in the van. The night was spent tossing and turning waiting for the cool air of the early morning. Little sleep was had. It was the worst night of the trip. The following morning we were a tired wreck. We got to get out of the Valley, can’t take it anymore.
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