The De Anza College Outdoor Club went on the 30th annual Yosemite winter trip, the first weekend in February, 2020.
Lots of great scenery during the mostly sunny days, including upper Yosemite Fall whipped by wind:
you can just see the top of El Capitan on the left (to the right of the trees) and Yosemite Fall to the right of center:
and later the same evening,
– – – From the trail to upper Yosemite Fall you can see the fall and Half Dome:
and can pose your group on Columbia Rock:
Saturday hikers on the trail to Upper Yosemite Fall got a bit warm and one woman had many jackets hanging from her pack (photo by Jimmy Pham)
But all the jackets were back on again when the hikers came down after dark, each with a flashlight or headlamp (photo by Jimmy Pham) :
On the left are the last switchbacks of the trail to the top:
After dark, just after sunset some of us in the valley could see flashlight beams as hikers coming down the trail go back and forth on the switchbacks and their flashlights point for a moment in the direction of the valley. (Two beams show in this photo, but we also saw 6- 8 fainter lights not quite pointing in our direction. Were these some of the De Anza people? It was at about the right time.)
Read all about the hike at: Upper Yosemite Fall hike
Some of the group looked good ice skating (photo by Jimmy Pham):
No one camped this year, so no campsite campfire, but the ice rink provides seating at a large fire you can roast marshmallows at (photo by Jimmy Pham) :
Group photo the morning of the hike, with the hike destination in the background:
Most of the group at brunch the last morning of the trip:
Group photo of one of the carpools (left to right: Emmanuel Duran, Jimmy Pham, Stacey Thai, Mollie Boun and Marc Anthony Urbano) at a turnout on new Big Oak Flat road (the extension of Highway 120) on the drive to Yosemite where you can see El Capitan and Half Dome seemingly right next to each other in the distance (photo by Jimmy Pham)
You can find directions to this turnout at Places to take photos of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park (includes maps) or Places to take photos of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
Jan. 29 to 31, 2021, will be the THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL
De Anza College Outdoor Club
Yosemite Valley winter trip.