Pools and Fools The John Muir Trail starts at the footbridge and then goes right where The Mist Trail goes left. The John Muir Trail runs parallel to The Mist Trail once it gets past its switchbacks and travels along the rim of the falls. It is a horse trail, so you never know who will be hiking. The other end of the John Muir Trail is at the portal on Mount Whitney in the Alabama Hills. Once we got to the top, the area opened up and we were surrounded by smooth granite boulders that were made for climbing and sitting. You can catch the John Muir Trail here if you prefer to take his route across Yosemite rather than the next National Park Service leg of the journey to Nevada Falls. Someone was kind enough to put a restroom in at this junction. …show more content…
From there it is to remember to carry a lot of water and keep yourself hydrated. Take along some type of snack with you to eat as you hike. We like the Nature Bars and a good old PB&J sandwich for picnics and hiking. Yes, I know all of those things really make you thirsty, but they are packed with good fuel. We spent some time at the top of Vernal Falls enjoying the cool fall air and watching people coming and going. We wandered around in the rich forest taking in the comforting smells and fresh air. All in all, the hike up took several hours or more, leaning more towards the more side since I like to stop and take a ton of photos. I also chitchat with people on the trail because everyone is there for the same reason as you are, and they are enjoying the same thing you are, so it is a natural conversation starter. People are from everywhere, and that makes it even more fun. The down trip was not much quicker, as we took our time and there seemed to be more people on the trail as we descended than on our way up. We hike early and probably missed the big crowd. Early morning hikes offer you the best time of the day to stay out of crowds, and it is much cooler in the mornings in the mountains. Plus, there is something very satisfying about sitting around in the afternoon with a cold beer and tired