So, anyhow, there I was, getting up at about 4:30 in the morning, having slept very, very little, and staring at the prospect of taking to the trail for the hike I laid out in my last post. I'm going to be flatly honest - I think had I not come away from my God appointment on the flight out with a sense that God had something for me on this hike, I might have forgotten the whole idea right then and there, climbed back into bed, and then settled in for a relaxing day at the house with my grandpa. The fact of the matter was that there was nothing in me that really wanted to do this (make a note, that will be important as the story progresses). Tim had gotten this wacky idea while looking at the rock from Glacier Point when he and Megan were out a couple years ago, and then Mom had latched onto it and it had become a family event. I wanted to go on this trip with the family, and this was something everyone else was going to do while we were out there, so I agreed to give it a shot. Don't get me wrong, given that I was doing it, I was hoping to make it all the way, but there was nothing internally really driving me to do it, and the lack of sleep made the whole thing seem all the less pleasant. However, I knew what I had felt God telling me, and I also knew it didn't surprise Him that I hadn't slept, so I stayed the course, did my final packing, and hopped into the van for the drive for the trailhead, or rather for the parking lot which was 3/4 of a mile from the trailhead, as I mentioned before.
So, after a quick breakfast at the van, we were off, walking our way towards the trailhead. Thankfully, this part of the trip was at least mostly flat. After you get to the trailhead itself, the first part of the trail is pretty tame. It's paved, and while you are (mostly) going up hill, it's fairly gradual, more of a rolling kind of climb. In fact, there are several segments where you actually dip back down for a while - and trust me, when you are acutely aware of the fact that you have a lot further up to go, there are few things more frustrating than heading downhill.
That part of the trail, while plenty to test the casual hiker such as myself (I'm not even sure that term captures my level of unpreparedness) - it's really just a tune up. The real adventure doesn't start until you reach the bridge that is just about a mile into the hike. A couple things are significant about this point. First of all, just past it is the first restrooms along the trail (also a place to fill up your water). Secondly, this is where you make the choice between continuing your ascent via the Muir trail or the Mist trail.
These trails diverge before coming back together at the top of the 2nd waterfall shown on the picture I posted previously of the entire hike. The Mist trail is shorter by at least a mile and a half, and conversely much steeper, but it's also more scenic, because it takes you up right beside the falls, such that you get hit with their mist when there's enough water coming over them (there was for us), which is where the trail gets its name. Traditionally hikers will ascend via the Mist trail and descend via the Muir trail, which is much longer, but much more comfortable descent. The reason for this is simple - you don't want to come down the Mist trail unless you have a death wish. I'll explain that in a bit more detail later. Anyhow, we were following the traditional path and turned up alongside the river to ascend the Mist trail, at which point the adventure truly began.
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