Reminiscenses - Vernal Falls

There is a trail at Yosemite called the Mist Trail.  It leads from the valley, along the side of the Merced River.  As one approaches the base of Vernal Falls, the mist from the falls is guaranteed to drench you.  It also makes the footing a little uncertain, but that has been minimized by carefully formed and cut steps at key places.

From the base of Vernal Falls, the trail rises up the 300 foot drop on a series of steps, some of which are steel, bolted to the cliff face.

At the top, the view of the gorge below is pretty impressive, but what captured me was the sheer scale of the falls, with tourists in the foreground.

The trail continues up a series of switchbacks to the top of Nevada Falls.  For the very fit and more adventurous, one can continue through the upper Merced valley to the northeast side of Half Dome, then up to the top via steel cables mounted in the granite.  I did not make it that far, much to my regret.