Sentinel Raven

Oh!...an after Breakfast walk to looksee for Critter tracks behind Sunnyside led to a hike up to the Falls view just beyond Omigosh!!...I'm very timid about doing up hikes in the Winter...in fact...I just dont do them!....but when I got to the Upper Falls trail start, I saw all these footprints going up...and the fresh snow was squeaky...good traction...so up I went...loaded up with the gear...which is to say, the ten pounds of tripod and minidigi over my shoulder!...and it was easy going, until nearing Columbia Point, where the trail was so smoothed out and slippery, and a little steeper, that I dreaded coming back down it!...and the owners of all the footprints were at the Point...the YIs...and one bivouacked backpacker, who I suspect got wore out the the day before..and camped there...bit envious of that!...one can't camp on the Walls...and camps have to be some distance back from the Rims...there were more YIs at Omigosh overview of the whole Falls...no..I didnt go there...been there and seen it...I passed and set up around the turn that brings the Falls into full view...or would have if not for the clouds!!...see clip....picked up and headed back...content that I'd finally done a Winter up hike!...and tippytoed down trying not to tip over...nearly all the trail was just fine...in fact...squeaky snow is the best condition to walk on the trails...especially after it's been smoothed a bit by foot traffic...see old report of going up to Vernal last winter...it's like the trail is groomed...but the trail today in places was ungroomed...because of so many feet!...the trail middle in the steeper part was a slip and slide...the kids were negotiating fine, they think sliding the thing to do!!...but their half my size!...I'm about two hundred pounds with the gear...oh...I was grumbly with my thoughts the whole time coming down, as I really envy those with good balance!...back at Columbia Point I did tippytoe to the railing...pics..and the Ravens were flying by...pics....on way up I saw Juncos...pics...Blue Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, and heard the Kinglets?....and heard one brief Hawk call...report from the Yahoo groups of 32! Redtail Hawks, and a lot of other raptors in the vicinity of Mariposa...I'll put link to this group on the blogs link page...broken clouds day...cool (overdressed warm on the up part!)....evening dinner in Siberia...special event with good company and talkabouts!!