This was my third snowshoe hike and my second time hiking out from Badger Pass. I took a few days off from work to celebrate Valentine's Day with Olma and we decided to spend it in Yosemite National Park, one of our all-time favorite destinations.
We camped at Camp 4, a campsite favored by mountaineers and rock climbers from all over the world. That night we dined on hot dogs and hot chocolate next to a campfire, below a canopy of stars. We ended up cooking a few too many dogs and decided to save them in the bear-proof food locker along with the rest of the food so we could add them to our baked bean supper the following night. As we slumbered, we were awoken at about 3:00AM by a Yosemite black bear who had caught a whiff of our leftovers. After about 15 minutes of earnest attempts at breaking into our locker, the hungry bruin gave up and headed out of camp.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast of fried egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches, we drove out of Yosemite Valley and up to Badger Pass to get our hike on. We rented snowshoes right there at Badger Pass ski resort and headed out to Dewey Point. We weren't sure if we would make it back by the 4 o'clock deadline for rental returns, but I had a feeling that we had a good shot at it. Dewey Point is only a 7-mile round trip from Badger Pass, and we were heading off around 1:00PM.
The Meadow Trail to Dewey Point is a nice, easy hike for about the first mile and a half, and then becomes gradually more strenuous as you near the end of the trail toward the Point. The scenery was fantastic and I marveled at the beauty of the snowy meadow surrounded by evergreens whose boughs were heavily laden with white powder. None of that, however, could compare to the vista that awaited us at the end of the trail. All the way out to Dewey Point, we crossed paths with returning hikers. Just about every one of them made a point of mentioning what a great view was in store for us.
We made good progress, making sure to take breaks for hydration along the way. When we finally arrived at the point, our jaws dropped at the panorama that unfolded before us. This is one of the things I love about Yosemite. Every time you think you've seen all that the park has to offer, Yosemite proves you wrong. Sure, I had seen Half Dome, El Capitan, and the valley before, but NEVER from this angle and height. It was a breathtaking view. I've included a few pictures here, but they really don't do it justice. It's something that has to be experienced and , as you can see, we had great weather for our first experience of Dewey Point.
As a bonus to our Valentine holiday, Olma and I awoke the day after our hike to a campsite and tent covered in fresh falling snow.
