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Oh boy, what a day! We both didn't get much sleep - Bridal Veil has a weird microclimate, I guess because of the altitude and surrounding areas, and experiences bitterly cold evenings and frost-covered, misty mornings (there's probably a very good reason it's got that name!). Last night, for example, the temperature plummeted to below freezing - in August! I was so cold that I spent most of the night alternating between shivering and trying to rub some feeling into my arms and legs. Eventually, I managed to get some sleep in the early hours of the morning, but that was through sheer exhaustion. Was frozen as a popsicle when I woke up!
From the frozen heights of Glacier Point, we descended to the hot depths of the Valley Floor. I'd like to say that we went hiking through spectacular landscapes and saw amazing animals (although, we did see a baby bear crossing the road) but, to be honest, we spent most of the morning warming up in the sun, doing our laundry and having hot showers! We managed to get a campsite in the valley floor via the infamous Yosemite Camping Lottery system. We were lucky number 14! Well, everyone who signed up to the daily waiting list got a campsite which, we were told by the park ranger on duty, is very unusual - especially for this time of year.
Due to the recent media hype about the Hanta Virus, many people had cancelled their bookings. The Hanta Virus is an airborne disease transmitted from mouse droppings which recently caused 2 deaths and 1 seriously ill person in hospital. But, as the ranger mentioned to us in the queue for campsites, there are at least half a dozen deaths in the park every year from people falling off rocks or being swept away by rivers. The media doesn't go on about these risks as much because it's not a strange, debilitating disease!
The Lower Pines campground is stunning! Covered by tall pine trees reaching for the sky and bordered by the ice-cold Merced river, on one side, the Tenaya Creek on the other, it really is a beautiful location to relax. Proper bearproof storage is strictly enforced by the park in the valley campgrounds as black bears have become a "nuisance" to visitors, causing almost $40000 worth of damage to cars this year alone, when they break into people's cars searching for food which should have been stored in the bear proof lockers. My bearanoia has somewhat diminished after a ranger told us that there has never been a fatality caused by a bear at Yosemite NP. I don't know how true this is, but I don't feel as terrified of them now.
We had enough time in the afternoon to go for a leisurely walk to Mirror Lake. Unfortunately, the lake has dried up and there was no water to be seen anywhere! And yet, the forest scenery was exquisite and one could just imagine how beautiful it must be to see the reflections of the granite boulders towering above the emerald green trees and the turquoise sky filling in everything inbetween.
We decided to "glamp" it up and head out to the fancy restaurant at the Ahwahnee Lodge. Whilst sitting on the shuttle bus, minding my own business, I felt something walking on my leg and, without looking, I simply brushed it off. Felt a sharp stinging sensation and realised that I'd just been stung by a bee or something as I found a stinger and removed it. It hurt a lot more than the previous sting I'd had on this trip so I asked for some ice at the restaurant (p.s. the food was fabulous!). Swelling didn't seem to be going down - in fact, quite the opposite. Perhaps if I went to sleep, lying horizontally might reduce the swelling and pain, or so I thought...
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