We got up early on Sunday morning to get a head start on the crowd we were sure we would encounter on our hike to Little Yosemite Valley. The valley itself isn't a popular destination, but it has the distinction of being between two of the park's major attractions: Vernal Fall and Half Dome.

We left Curry just before seven and reached the Happy Isles trailhead (a mile away) just as the first shuttle bus released its payload of Vernal Fall/Half Dome pilgrims.

It was a trial slogging our way through the pack of people climbing the John Muir Trail. Past strollers and children and grandmothers we went. The folks we passed in the first few hundred yards seemed in cheerful spirits. Those we passed as we got closer to the Vernal Fall Bridge seemed to have had the cheer sucked right out of them.

Beyond the bridge, we opted to avoid the Mist Trail and continue up the less-traveled John Muir Trail. We climbed the switchbacks at a steady pace and Nevada Fall soon came into in sight. It was still flowing, but not with the same exuberance it typically displays in the spring.

Usually, at this point, the trail resembles a small stream. On previous journeys, we had to dodge water dripping from overhanging rocks and jump over puddles, but this time around, the trail was nearly bone-dry.

When we reached the top Nevada Fall, we took a moment to look over the edge before finding a quiet spot by the water to snack and soak up the sun. There were surprisingly few people around. I chalked it up to the fact that most people who seek to summit Half Dome get a later start.

When we reached the second restroom on the John Muir Trail (the first is by the Vernal Fall Bridge), M turned back (she had only wanted to go as far as Nevada Fall).

Beyond the restroom, the trail becomes another set of rocky switchbacks. These lead to the entrance of Little Yosemite Valley. At the top, I continued for a short distance until I found an opening to the Merced River along the trail.

I hopped across a series of large rocks until I was standing in the middle of the river.

I stood there for several minutes, reveling in the beauty around me before reluctantly returning to the trail. I wanted to stay longer, but I had promised M I would catch up with her, so I couldn't afford to linger.

The return journey was uneventful. I stopped several times to take the same photo of the valley.

I also stopped several times to let people climbing the trail pass. During these encounters, the typical exchange was a smile or a simple greeting, but on more than one occasion, the exchange went like this:

Hiker: Are you coming back from Half Dome? How was it up top?
Me: I couldn't say. Today, I only hiked as far as Little Yosemite Valley.
Hiker: (with undisguised disappointment) Oh.

Slowed by growing sense of inferiority, I never caught up with M. Thankfully, she was at the trailhead waiting for me and hadn't had to wait long (ten minutes).

All told, it was a 9.5-mile hike with just under 2,000 feet of climbing, which was not as strenuous as hiking to Half Dome, but still enough of an effort to make me hungry. Once we were back at Curry, we grabbed pizza and beer from the Pizza Patio and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the valley.