Finally. The big one. You can’t tell people you’re going on a National Parks tour without eventually being asked, “You going to Yosemite?” Getting a campsite was tricky, as I laid out in this article, but we’re so glad we went through the effort. Crowds and all, totally worth it.
El Capitan. Yosemite Falls. Half Dome. The Three Brothers. Bridal Veil Falls. These names are familiar, these places famous, for a reason. Each one stunning, each one worth a visit on their own. We saw a lot of sights, and the pics will cover them. But really, for me, two moments will be what I associate with Yosemite. I'll get to them in a minute. But first, a word about our campsite.
 |
| This doesn't even show the private lawn. Palatial, I tell you. |
From everything we had heard and read, we were fully expecting to be crammed in like sardines in a can, much like Yellowstone. Campsites are at a premium there. So I prepared myself for little privacy and just making do, which was too bad since we were spending more time at this park then any other on the entire trip. So imagine my surprise when we pulled in to one of the most spacious sites I’ve ever been in, and I mean ever, in a lifetime of camping. Wide, flat parking area, huge grassy shared lawn, trees for hammocks, close but not too close to a bathroom, space to spread out and chill out. I couldn’t believe it. We later learned that the site behind us was reserved for Police and Rescue personnel, so it was often empty. And the people next to us slept in their Prius and never strayed from their own hammocks, or even ate at their site, as far as I could tell. Then they left a day early. All to say, everything added up to us having room to spare, and it was a room with a view to boot. North Dome and Sentinel Dome (I think) were on either side of us, and we had swimming access to the Merced River just a short walk away, which would come in handy, because it was hot.
 |
| This deer was definitely eyeing the hammock. |
 |
| The view was Everett-approved. |
Day one was pretty chill. We had been go-go-go for so long that it felt luxurious to know we had a few extra days to explore, so we didn’t have to cram too much stuff in. We spent most of it going to Visitor Centers, looking at displays, watching a really good movie about the park, planning a few hikes and eventually taking a very cold dip in the Merced River. A rare day of no pressure relaxation.
 | |
| Chilling with John Muir. |
Day two was when the first moment occurred. We planned to do the very popular hike up to Vernal Falls. For the more adventurous, you can continue the hike up a steep section to a second, even more spectacular waterfall called Nevada Falls. To my and Anne’s amazement, the kids agreed to do it. This may have something to do with us lying about the total mileage, but they were game anyway. It was tough, hiking up some serious rock staircases to eventually reach 6,000 feet and one of the best waterfalls I have ever seen. A rest at the top for lunch and to soak our tired feet in the cold water, and then back down we went. Total mileage was nine miles or so, and the kids did great. I feel like this was a turning point for them and us, and for them to embrace a long challenging hike felt like a real seismic shift. I am so proud of them for tackling it the way they did, and I’ll never forget it, and I hope they don't either. What a moment.
The second moment was a lucky fluke of timing. A friend had recommended we go into the meadow across from El Capitan and look for the lights of climbers who were doing multi-day ascents and therefore sleeping on the wall. We did so, and while we got skunked on the lights, the night sky was incredible. As Olive and I lay in the field, a gigantic shooting star blasted through the sky, from El Capitan in front of us all the way over our heads. Sadly, Olive was looking down and missed it, but yet again, a rare gift of a moment I’ll never forget. There were a few other shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower, none which I saw, but my camera managed to catch a brief one.
And speaking of great photos, Yosemite provided probably one of my favorites of the entire trip. A hazy morning, filtered sunlight and a pensive boy getting his last look at Yosemite Valley all added up to a lucky shot, perfectly timed:
The rest of our time was spent doing a short hike to Lower Yosemite Falls, driving to some viewpoints, and dipping our feet in Tenaya Lake, which felt pretty nice even though it’s at 8,000 feet. On our way out we stopped at Mariposa Grove to see the sequoias, which was impressive, but in hindsight, we would have passed on this since we were headed to Sequoia/Kings Canyon next. And since this post is already too long, I’m just going to apologize and leave you with a photo dump, because I gotta do something with all of these pictures.
 |
| Lower Yosemite Falls |
 |
| Sequoia bark, incredibly thick for superior fire resistance. |
 |
| Sisyphus in full effect. |
 |
| Sugar Pine cone. |
Comments
Post a Comment