Sentinel Dome - Secret Jewel of Yosemite Valley

Any postcard from Yosemite Valley has the Half Dome glowing in the orange light of the sun. I am always lost with the beauty of the valley, that I have never stopped to think from where this beautiful shot was taken. Every hiking guide talks about the adrenalin rush from Half dome hike or the splendor of the Upper Yosemite falls. Travelguides mention Glacier point as one of the best vista point. However, not a single place did I see Taft Point and Sentinel Dome. So much, that at the visitor's information center, the guide was searching for these locations in the map.

Where do I begin to explain the beauty of Sentinel Dome. It's the only one spot in the valley, with a 1.1 mile hike, you get to see the entire Yosemite valley in its full grandeur, an unblocked 360 degree view, Half dome glowing at sunset. You can't but drown in the marvel that the glaciers have craved over the years. Yosmite valley, with its different peaks, the varying heights, the varying architectures, a photographer's dream, a painter's inspiration and nature at its best. All of these visible only from the Sentinel dome.

Now why is this better than Half dome, well, you can watch the splendor of half dome from the peak of half dome can you? As far as Glacier point, well you don't get the 360 degree view.

As far as the hike, if you snooze, you can so easily miss it. Its on Glacier point road, about 5-10 miles before glacier point on hwy 41. Its shares the parking lot with Taft point. We did a circular loop hike, from the parking lot to Taft point and took the route towards Glacier point. This route from Taft to Glacier is a very scenic route with some breathtaking views of the valley. The last mile to Sentinel Dome has some medium grade switch backs, and the last 200 meter is steep. So watchout for those kids. We completed the hike with a 1 mile hike down from Sentinel back to the same parking lot, a total of 5 miles. But if you wish, you can finish the entire hike in 2.2 miles.

I have read about and hiked so many trails in Yosemite but I wonder why no one ever mentions Sentinel Dome, easily the best kept secret and a jewel of Yosemite.

For me, it was the best hike ever, not just because it was my first hike with my 9 month old daughter on a backpack, but we got to see the Yosemite valley as nature intended it to be.

Del Valle Camping Trip

I needed some brave or stupid act to get me back to blogging. This time it was hard to say, if the current act was brave or stupid. We decided to camp with our 8 month old. As part of our travel ritual, we made elaborate plans, to the detail of when, where and how we will have dinner, when we will hike where and so on. A little detail we forgot, some one who can yet walk, or talk, or crawl or even sit up by herself decided to throw a curve ball, or should i say multiple curve balls at our plans.



First with the details, we camped at the beautiful place called Del Valle. This definitely is one of those well kept secrets in bay area for camping. If you like camping, definitely check out this place, its in livermore, in the middle of mountains, and by a beautiful lake. The campsite is not by the lake, but is very comfortable and is between 2 small mountains. The night we camped was 95% full moon night, so the white light in the darkness brought out the beauty of the mountains , the stars made the clear sky glow in the dark, and the quietness in the air made it a spectacular night. The next morning decided to compete with the night, the very light blue morning horizon with a tinge of yellow and orange, slowly crawling behind the mountains, the air filled fragnance of nature, the birds singing the morning alarm and the trees dancing to the these tunes, made us stop in our tracks, forget our plans and instead just sit and watch. So spell bound we forgot our cameras and let ourself sink in this beauty.



Every camping close to nature offers something unique, spectacular that its almost spirtual. For me, it was the location, at the base between 2 mountains, with the quietness that was very relaxing. Ofcourse some of the fringe benefits were the lake, offering a variety of water activities and most important of all, this was just 40 miles from home.



As to the specific act of bravery or stupidity, Neepa actually enjoyed the camping, well either that, or she was happy to get out of the boring home routine. Just as any child would, the nights was an experience for her, the darkness made her more of a mommy's girl. But the bristling sounds of the night, didn't bother her much, we wonder if these were the rattle snake by the bushes, or the yellow bugs, or the dangerous ticks, or maybe just the sprinkler across our camp site, we would never know. As to our grand plans of a boat ride, hike to the falls, walk along the lake, all took a walk, when Neepa wanted to, well, do the ususal things an 8 month old would do. But all in all, it was a great night's experience, sure would recommend this place to folks, either as a camping trip or a day's trip at the least. We sure hope to be back, and the next time do the hike and boat rides, God willing, or should I say in our case, Neepa willing.

Grand Canyon Trip

Grand Canyon... There is a reason why this is one of the Wonders of the World. This was round 2 for me, repeating the rim to rim hike. It was a 3 day backpacking trip. The first time I came out saying it was an experience of a lifetime, and this time I say, Grand Canyon is life. Read on to see why...

Lets do this the formal way..

The crew, Rampi, Sandhiya and your's truly...,
The plan, Day 1: Hike down to base of North Rim, Day 2: Cross the Canyon, Day 3: Go up SouthRim
The roles: Me: The Sweeper, Sandhiya: The sandwiched, Rampi: The Navigator

Day 1: The North Kaibab Trail: .....The Beginning...

Here are the stats, in 6.8 miles we drop an elevation of 4000 feet (starting from 8400 feet to reach 4000 feet). The hike in itself was a teaser to what is in store. The hike begins by some very gentle slope. As we went down, we saw some folks inching their way to the top. Their question to us sounded like men running after a mirage in a desert. Soon Rampi and Sandhiya were about to find out why. As we descended and got used to our backpacks carrying 30 lbs, we hit our first water stop. After some nice (!!!) energy bars and getting the 30 lbs of our backs, we saw the bridge that the folks we ran into mentioned. Here were a set of guys who were doing a rim-to-rim-to-rim in 48 hours. No its not a typo. They were going to come down 6000 feet of elevation and go up 6000 feet of elevation in the span of 24 miles and repeat the same in a total span of 48 hours. Insanity is nothing but a perception, as some of my friends would consider what we were doing as insane.

In any case, we saw the first bridge and thought to ourselves, "we are actually going to get down that far..." There is a reason why I decided to go down the North Kaibab trail as opposed to leave it for Day 3. The gradual slope disappeared and became steep. The humble beginnings became serious stuff. The empty chatter became munching of trail mixes and sipping gatorade. The shoes started working, the hiking poles were put to use. We descended at an incredible pace, the poor guy we crossed was deep in concentration and working his way slowly upwards as we crossed the supai tunnel and the Grand Canyon slowly started to show herself. Like a beautiful woman, she never fully revealed herself. Every bend we took, we saw a little more of her grandeur, a different view. Her cameraman, Sun, made her glow in different colors, red, brown, black and colors I do not know the name. Sandhiya started rattling away geological facts, that went above my head in a second, what remained in every living cell of my body was the beauty of the Grand Canyon. The second time and still she had me startled.

And to wrap the first day, it got dark and at a distance we saw the pump house, which seemed so near but yet so far and we were the men in the desert going after the mirage. Lucky for us it was not a mirage, we got to our campground by 7:15PM. It had taken us almost 5 hours.

Day 2: Completing the North Kaibab Trail.. A walk in the park...

Spending a night truly in wilderness is the best way to be part of nature. To give you a feel for it, at 3 AM I was woken up because someone was hitting a flashlight into our tents. It was none other than the night rider, the Moon. The whole canyon was lit in the light of the moon. And it was only half moon that night. And it would be far from justice to talk about the stars that you can see. Its an astronomists' dream come true. I was never a person who appreciated the mountains in the dark, but the moon light seemed to bring out the better side of the mountains.

As the day dawned, we had a slow start leaving at 8:30 in the morning. It was supposed to be a flat walk, but we were losing an elevation of approximately 2000 feet in the span of 7.2 miles. The 14 miles marked the end of the North Kaibab trail.

The hike itself was my favorite, we walked along side the Bright Angel creek going from one canyon to the other. The sheer size of the Canyon made us look like the minutest of specks, to think the that the sea and the colorado river created this perfect harmonious, symmetrical, breath taking beauty. It makes me feel even the most haughtiest person would be transformed by this hike. During my previous hike, my friend just stopped at one of the points where 2 canyons met and she cried. It was the heightened emotion. The emotion I felt, that made me feel non-existent yet filled with ecstasy. Just breathing the air brought a sense of life to my body.

We reached our camground by 1:15, just as we had expected. The hike itself was fairly simple, the day was not too hot and we got cover from the canyon walls. The weight started to take its toll on our energy levels. But we were good as we reached our campground in just under 5 hours.

After pitching the tent and some nice food, we sat in the river to relax our sore feet and took a small hike to see the spectacular Colorado river during day light. The river that I would bow to, the river that has given us such a great gift, continues to gift 7 states by providing drinking water.

Day 3: Bright Angel Trail.. The Marriage...

You are who you are based on your experiences. The final day of the Grand Canyon hike, an ascend from the base of the South rim to the top, a 6000 feet elevation gain in 9.6 miles. The experiences that you undergo become a part of you that you are no longer the same anymore, the memories of Day 3 remain with me until death do us apart.

We started the day at 4 AM, filled up our pockets with energy bars. This was going to be the toughest hike as our bodies were already tired after 2 days of strenuous hiking and not to mention the weights on our back. All my lessons of pacing oneself will be put to a test. With a little nervousness about Sandhiya we walked and talked as we slowly walked by the side of the Colorado river. As we ascended, we heard the rushing water move and the occassional rumble of some animal. The moon light made the Colorado river look like the beautiful flowing hair, smooth, long and lustrous. There is something to be mentioned about the smell of the morning air. We slowly moved into the interior of other Canyons. As we moved away from the Colorado river we crossed a number of small tributaries. To think that man built this trail in the 1920s, there were no bridges to cross the tributaries. We were truly a part of nature as she intended it to be. As the day dawned, the kodak moment hit Sandhiya. The light of the moon and the light of Sun at the same time. It was her moment to just abruptly stop and stare. To be lost in the spectacularness of nature's lighting, to be immersed in the colors of the rocks and to forget oneself. I don't think I have ever seen her face glow with such excitement and calmness at the same time. Ofcourse she was not the emotional one to cry, but I could sense herself blending within the moment.

As we hiked towards Indian Garden, the Sun showed his full face, we crossed path with a snake. After a really long break at Indian Gardens, of almost 2 hours (don't ask me why it took us so long), we started moving upwards. Indian Gardens was the half point in terms of distance but we had only ascended 1/3 of the elevation.

Followed us was the Jacob's ladder, of gruelling switchbacks. I think the rest of climb can be simply characterized by non-stop climb with every step our legs worked hard but the eyes were rewarded with beautiful views that made every step worth its effort in gold.

We reached the top by 2 PM. We were very lucky, blessed with some amazing weather. It never got above 100F in all the three days.

As we bid good bye to Grand Canyon, I wonder is this nothing but a symbolism of life, staring at this beauty, taking a part of her for the second time with myself and like life she stood there filled with billions of years of mystery, joy to those who wanted, cruelty to those who failed to respect her conditions and ofcourse as the rangers say, you take no physical belongings from the Canyon as you leave...

Singara Chennai or Pizza Chennai

There used to be the cliched statement about culture shock when folks visited US from India. But the last couple of trips in 2 years has made me realize that we are facing a reverse culture shock, atleast it was the case for this tayir sadham (yogurt rice) boy who grew up in singara (beautiful) chennai.. Here is the ramblings about singara chennai or pizza chennai....

If we wanted to have fun it used to be besant nagar beach basking in the fresh air,
now its the coffee house, sipping some random tasteless coffee

Shopping used to be Pondi bazaar and ranganathan streets
now its nothing but the malls

Playing cricket in the evenings in every small street corner with the rubber ball,
now its playing online cricket on the computer

Diwali days used to begin at 3 AM, bursting the oosi vaedi, bijili, 1000 waala,
now its checking the clock and celebration happens in silence

We used to sing baratiar songs about "namadhu naadu" (our country),
now we have the US flag in our movies and in the attire

It used to be, sitting in the tea stall with 5 ppl sharing one soda and a puff,
now its the internet cafe chatting with a guy posing as a girl

And finally, If you wanted to take a girl for a date, it used to be in a nice restaurant
now its subway ??? (This is one thing i can never understand)

I can go on and on.. How the dosa and has become a pizza, the filter coffee has become a starbucks coffee, the ambassador has become a hyundai, the sweet has become a cookie, the friendly smiling faces have become yahoo avtars, the hands on the shoulders among friends have become SMS messages, the smiles have become emoticons, the innocence has become style, the singara chennai has become a pizza chennai...

Irony of Sivaji

For the next few minutes as I write this, I am trying my best to compartmentalize my brain and not think like a talaivar fan.

Couple of days back I saw Sivaji, which was about Black Money. Shankar like his previous movies tries a very good and relevant topic. I have always wondered do these movies have any effect on the way of life. The cliched statement goes, we got to start some where. So as it is said in the end of Sivaji movie, "let the dream come true". But here is a very interesting observation about the movie, the movie is about Black Money. The tickets for the movie are being sold in black. I have always wondered when directors talk about social causes, are they doing it from a commercial perspective or do they really believe in it. The test is in the pudding. So if someone is really serious about the cause, I would imagine they would first lead by example and second ensure that their service is not subjected to such attrocities.

Lets analyze the next piece of information, within 15 minutes of opening of sales, the tix for the first 2 weeks were sold out. Now realistically speaking it is not possible for a human being to issue so many tickets in 15 minutes. This obviously means, tix are being held for being sold in black later or for special groups, which is exactly what the movie opposes.

This reminds of a mythological story, where Lord Brahma grants special powers to a person that the head he touches with his hands will burst to 100 pieces. You guessed it right, the first person he wanted to test it on was the provider himself :) Along the same lines, the tix for the first ever show of this movie is being sold in black.

Has movies become so commercialized?
Have we become so insensitive to what we see?
Do we lack the ability to do the right thing?
Has the Indian society degenerated to such low levels?

Whatever may be the answer its an irony to enter the theatre screening Sivaji.

Sivaji

I got 5 emails before I even returned from the theatre enquiring about the movie, the short answer to that question is

"Pera keatta udane chumma adhirudhu illa"

For the longer version. The movie is about Black Money. How the hero tries to be honest and then reaches rags and then fights back. Normal Shankar story, but the variable in the equation is One and Only Thalaivar. Its a mixture of Indian and Anniyan but only difference is ofcourse you know who. Thats the long version of the story, besides who cares about the story in a Talaivar movie.

You can imagine, Thalaivar reaching the streets and then decides to fight back, the look that thalaivar gives at those times, the dialogues and must I even talk about the style. From stylu style dhaan, thalaivar has a full song about his style, nadapadum style song...

Entry scene of talaivar is class apart and the dialogue about seeing talaivar's face, scene begining as usual w/ talaivar's walk... wow wow wow...

Talaivar's comedy as usual rocks, "Enna yaema karupa paeta" joke delivered by talaivar will make ppl roll in the chairs. Talaivar trying to make himself fair and eating red chillies, got to watch it.

Punch dialogues are coola, unfortunately we could not listen to every second dialogue, bcos I along with countless others would scream at the first punch dialogue.

Costumes of talaivar was great that we decided to mimic them, few of us were in blonde wigs with others in Talaivar T-shirt.

Music on screen and in theatre was great. There was variety of music, the nadapadum stle was beyond imagination. The theatre giving chorus music to the songs and to the movie was a worthy mention. The 20+ crores that was spent on this movie was probably on the songs, so you can imagine the sets for the songs.

Screen presence of talaivar was exceptional. We got to see talaivar in multiple get ups and doing all kinds of stunts. We had something similar to James Bond running action, just done much better bcos it was talaivar. We got to see some Matrix shots, and done in Talaivar style. So should I even say more, it was The BEST.

A side treat was the celebration before the movie. For those who are from chennai and have watched his movie in Albert the first day, it was similar, we had a pooja for thalaivar, special permission was got for breaking the coconut, we had arathi and prasadam.

On the whole a great treat for Talaivar fans. I screamed so much in the music I probably have lost my voice for atleast the next few days and I am sure I am not the only one.

We had other characters and I am not even going to talk about them, because the movie Sivaji is about "Sivaji" Rao.

Smell the coffee

India barely managed to pull of a victory over the Bangladesh team. Now lets see who scored, it was 100+ partnership between Karthik and Dhoni. Karthik would have made way for Sachin, had he been around. Sachin would have scored his customary 20 runs and we would have lost.

BCCI wake up and smell the coffee..