My First Backpacking Trip, Day 1: Happy Isles To Little Yosemite Valley

Day 0

“There’s a 40% chance of rain tomorrow,” the Ranger told me when I picked up my wilderness permit, “but it shouldn't be any worse than a refreshing sprinkle.” With weather worries somewhat alleviated, I left Yosemite Village and made the short trek to a completely vacant Backpacker’s Camp near North Pines to rest up for the journey ahead. 

Tomorrow would signal a series of firsts: my first solo backpacking trip (and my first backpacking trip period), my first steps onto the iconic John Muir Trail, and my first time spending more than one night alone in the wilderness (without a car or an easy escape plan). 

Having already walked about 4 miles around the valley with 37 pounds strapped to my back, I was definitely ready to set up camp and have a relaxing “Day 0” evening. The highlight here was sipping some Throat Coat tea, reading John Muir’s memoir about exploring “The Yosemite,” and falling asleep before 8pm! 

Day 1

As I walked to the Happy Isles trailhead, I felt these little annoyances in my knee, as if it knew what lied ahead and was already protesting against it. Two weeks prior I had hiked the entire Valley loop — about 15 miles — without any pain registering, but that was with a normal, light backpack on mostly flat ground. Now I had my entire life for the next 4 or 5 days strapped to my back, and I honestly had no idea how my knee would react. 

Seeing the invitation, all the doubts and anxieties crept in. I felt completely devoid of faith in myself. But then I saw this: 

I took my first steps onto the John Muir Trail — which I’m planning to thru-hike in its 221-mile entirety next year — and instantly felt a surge of confidence. After all, I reminded myself, the trail is like a personality amplifier: better to be stocked up with optimism than negativity. 

Then I climbed. And climbed. And climbed some more. 

After every few switchbacks I was pausing for a short break to both admire the stunning scenery and catch my breath. The valley floor was melting away, and the striking granite mountain vistas gradually started revealing their intoxicating — and formidable — beauty. 

I stopped for a quick lunch (mozzarella sticks and pepperoni wrapped up in a tortilla) at Clark’s Point, soaking in the panoramic view of Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Falls in the distance. Sadly, I wasn’t able to capture any photos that properly reflect how breathtaking this vista is, so I’ll borrow this one from travel blogger Nina Ragusa: 

At this point I had a choice to make: continue on the John Muir Trail toward Nevada Falls, or trim about 1.5 miles by taking the Mist Trail up to Vernal Falls (which was wide open despite signs to the contrary). Yea, there’s a reason it’s a shorter route. While it’s considered by many people to be Yosemite’s signature hike, it’s also a grueling climb, and I was NOT ready. 

The rain started as I fought my way up the mist trail with its steep, uneven terrain. So far, the Ranger’s interpretation of the forecast was accurate: it was a light sprinkle. But all it takes is a light sprinkle to make these granite steps slippery and dangerous, especially because they’ve been worn smooth by so many years of human foot traffic. 

I’m not ashamed to admit that I broke down and cried about where I took the above photo. It was just a rush of all kinds of emotion, equal parts beauty and misery. With my inexperience carrying so much weight, fear of heights (at times there is some nasty exposure that could present a real problem if you slip the wrong way), and the rain making every step dangerous, this suddenly felt like the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. 

I was overwhelmed. I started to genuinely believe I was making a mistake. Noticing that I still had signal, I called my best friend who gave me quite possibly the world’s best pep talks and single best motivational line I’ve ever heard. The details are between us, but I’m forever grateful. It propelled me forward. 

About 30 minutes later, I finally reached the top and ran into a Ranger who was heading down. I told him how I was feeling, and that my wilderness permit required me to hike well beyond Little Yosemite Valley before making camp for the night. I explained that I wasn’t sure I could make it that far on Day 1. He smiled and said “go ahead and stay at Little Yosemite Backpacker’s Camp tonight if you need to. There’s probably almost no one up there anyway.” 

I was relieved to see I’d be picking up the John Muir Trail again, and that Little Yosemite Valley was “only" 1 mile away. Granted, it would be yet another mile of ascending, but this climb would be far gentler than the Mist Trail. The rain was getting a bit heavier, and I definitely wanted to set up camp before it started getting dark. 

Just before reaching the backpacker’s campground, I had a hilarious moment with a bird... As I passed a sugar pine on the right, I noticed this little tuft of red feathers emerge from behind the base of the tree. I stopped about 6 feet in front of it and turned around. But I didn’t see anything. Then a little red head, tilted sideways, popped into view. As quickly as it appeared it tucked itself behind the tree again. This little game of hide-and-seek continued for a few minutes, and I was smiling the entire time! 

I stopped here to top up on water and appreciate the scenery, despite the dark clouds and gloomy weather. 

When I arrived at the mostly empty backpacker’s campground, I hastily pitched my tent because the rain showed no sign of letting up. The “refreshing sprinkle” was threatening to stick around and escalate into a proper storm. (It ended up raining steadily until about 3 or 4am.)

I tossed all my gear into the tent, and quickly cooked up some dehydrated Chicken Pho while the rain shifted from a soft, rhythmic pattering to a heavy downpour. 

(Sidenote: the Chicken Pho from Good To Go was filling but saturated with salt – which to be fair, the body desperately needs after that much hiking. Still, that $14 bag of sodium totally justified my decision to home-prep all my other meals.) 

Tomorrow: The aftermath of the rain, coyote alarm clocks, panic attacks, the dead forest, and the most stunning scenery of the journey.

Thanks for letting me share my adventure with ya! 

~Jason

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All photos by Jason Evangelho unless indicated otherwise. Shot on iPhone 15.