Monday, May 23. I drove up from home and had a half day in the Valley. Cascade Creek below the Big Oak Flat Road.

Bridalveil Falls from the parking lot. Looks like a good day to walk the 1/4 mile to the view at the base of the falls.

Bridalveil Creek below the falls was gushing.

Everybody was coming back from the vista in raincoats ... or wet!

Water was rushing down the sidewalk.

View from the vista, with many water spots on the camera lens.

Ribbon Falls (with El Capitan).

A classic Upper Yosemite Falls picture.

Next: The Vernal Falls trail. This is also the north end of the JMT, but it's hardly a wilderness path here.

The Merced was really roiling below.

Penstemon newberryi. There were just a few Mountain Pride plants in bloom.

Illilouette Falls.

The bridge over the Merced below Vernal Falls. I'll see this style of bridge construction later in the trip...

The Mist Trail.

The Mist Trail.

Heading back: just west of the bridge.

Cornus nuttallii. Pacific dogwood by Happy Isles.

The Happy Isles gaging station.

A view from the other side, taken at the beginning of the hike.

An evening view of Bridalveil falls.

Cornus nuttallii. Pacific dogwood. Dogwood on the drive out of the valley after dinner at the Lodge.

And a late shot from the Bridalveil Falls Overlook.

I spent the night at the Hetch Hetchy Backpacker's Camp (site 14).

Tuesday, May 24. I walked to the dam past Hetch Hetchy Water's housing.