Yosemite: Bridalveil Fall (in "RockAmocs")

At the end of our drive to Yosemite National Park on the eve of our planned Sentinel Dome adventure, my son and I pulled over to fulfill what has become a family tradition of sorts upon entering Yosemite Valley. No matter what area of the park we’re staying in, the first stop we make is always right here:

The Tunnel View is world-famous, and always a perfect photo op. However, aside from the stunning vista, there’s really not a whole lot to it: we get out of the car, take in the sights for a few minutes, and shortly thereafter we’re on our way. We drive back down to the valley, and take a quick turn towards the spot that’s the first place that we really interact with the park:


Bridalveil Fall, more than 600 feet high, whose white water and cascading mists in the springtime give it the distinctive appearance of … well, a bridal veil. During its peak runoff months, you can’t stand anywhere near the designated viewing area without wearing a poncho, unless you want your clothes to get drenched in a matter of seconds.



In late summer, however, the fall slows to a very thin semblance of its former self, and if you’re eager to do a bit of bouldering, you can do a nifty little approach to the very base of the fall.


Of course, at certain times of year it’s not exactly the safest thing to do, as more than a couple of signs will advise you. Even during the dry months, there’s a very thin slimy layer on most of the rocks that makes footing a bit treacherous in spots – but generally, it’s not as dangerous as the signs make it sound …


… although I thought it might be fun to take this picture. In the unlikely event that I fell and broke my neck, I figured this would make me a shoe-in for next year’s Darwin Awards.


Truthfully, the leader of this little expedition was my 12-year-old son, who took off up the rocks with hardly a moment’s hesitation. A responsible parent might have warned him away from it … but fortunately for the kid, his responsible parent was still at home with his sisters.


We climbed to the base of the fall without much difficulty – and as you can see, I was wearing my chocolate RunAmocs. I’ve already described how they’ve become my “everywhere but work and church” footwear over the spring and summer, and they didn’t have any problem with the smooth granite surfaces below Bridalveil. Who knows? Maybe at this time next year I’ll be raving about the new Soft Star RockAmoc.


Like any serious mountain expedition, the trip back down was nearly as difficult as the climb, but my moccasins (with street outsoles on this pair) held up just fine to provide a controlled descent on the intermittently slick rock faces. We made our way to the viewing area with all limbs firmly attached, and headed further into the valley to grab some dinner and check into our tent cabin for some rest in preparation for the following day’s long hike.


It was a great way to start the trip, and depending on the time of year, just might become a regular addition to our routine upon entering Yosemite in the future.

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