Staying outside the valley provides the views, the hikes and the adventure — but few other people.
The summit of Lembert Dome, which one guidebook described as a “huge, lopsided, smoothly polished mound of granite,” at Yosemite National Park in California. By Tracy Grant Tracy Grant Managing editor Email Bio April 26 Yosemite. Labor Day Weekend. After the park had been closed for almost three weeks because of wildfire danger.
So off we set on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, leaving before dawn from our adorable Airbnb, located 45 minutes from the park. We took a southern approach, avoiding the Yosemite Valley entrance — remember, that’s the theme of this journey — and made our way to the brand-spanking-new Visitor Center at Mariposa Grove.
And so Mariposa Grove, off the beaten path and unlike any other part of Yosemite in its lushness, was an auspicious start to our journey. By the time we returned to the visitor center, it was clear that our early start decision had been the right one. Queues formed for shuttles; the parking lot was nearing capacity.
Uncertain — and made a little giddy by the uncertainty, we set off. The path was flat, crossing a now-dry creek, and while we passed a pair of hikers on our way and greeted a pack on their way back, Sentinel Dome — less than three miles from Glacier Point, seemed as if it were on the opposite end of the world.
Leaving became an existential challenge — if we chose to leave behind such bliss, would we ever again rediscover it? But we set off on Sunday morning prepared for a long drive, a hearty breakfast and Lembert Dome. That is, until we saw Lembert Dome, which the guide book described as a “huge, lopsided, smoothly polished mound of granite.” Andrew, still high on the adrenaline from Sentinel, was game. I, still toting the guidebook and noting that it called summiting Lembert “far too challenging to be considered for inclusion in easy day hikes” was skeptical.
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