During my trip to Mammoth and Yosemite, I had the opportunity to go to Devils Postpile and hike around the area. It had been a while since I had visited that area, so it was nice to see it again.

When I was really young (about 13 years old), my mother, sister, and I hiked to Rainbow Falls, which is about 2.5 miles past Devils Postpile. I was feeling a little nostalgic and decided to do the hike for the first time in years…and I wasn’t disappointed.

I arrived at the trailhead at 6:30 am and was at the falls by 7:30 am. Being there that early made it so amazing because I was the only one at the falls. I made my way down to the lower falls viewing area and stone hopped to the center of the river where there was a dry patch of gravel to stand on. You may be wondering, “Did he get any pictures down there?” Well, not down at the lower area, because I didn’t realize that the falls were west facing, which put the sun directly in my face as it came up from the east. With all the mist and sunlight coming in my direction, no photos down there would have come out. However, below is a photo of the falls taken from one of the overlook viewing areas.

The other photo I’ve posted is one I took that same morning from Minaret Vista, right before I headed down to the trailhead at Devils Postpile. I almost did want to leave the vista because of the incredible sunrise.

Talk about an amazing day…except when I had to hike back from the falls to my car. For some reason I read the hiking trail signs incorrectly and ended up a good mile off course. Don’t ask me how that happened; it just did. Nothing like a little extra exercise to keep your day going!

Have a great week everyone!