Panorama Point
You know the scene in
Charade where Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are staring right at the missing
fortune and don't recognize it?
Hikers who walk past the trail to Panorama Point are making the same mistake. There's no sign identifying the trail,
but curious hikers who take this detour of a mere hundred meters or so will get to see one of the most memorable spots
on the entire Panorama Trail. The view opens up across the canyon to
Half Dome,
North and Basket Domes, and the Royal Arches,
with Mt. Hoffman (still encased in snow here) off in the distance. You can also spot hikers making their way up
the Mist Trail just before they get to the Vernal Fall footbridge.
The dropoff here is Taft-Point sheer, but unlike Taft Point, there are no guardrails at all. There are holes drilled in the rock
where guardrails used to be, though, and the poles supporting the rails appear to have been cut on purpose - one wonders
about the unfortunate soul who was the last person to ever lean against them, and what they did to inspire such an imaginative and
dramatic dispatching. Could Elmore Leonard have been paying Panorama Point homage when he dreamed up Bear's railing sabotage in
Get Shorty?