Yosemite National Park!

It was a time to slow down inwardly and test our physical limits outdoors. I had never been to California before. The Rockies appeared small through the airplane window but now that we were in the Valley of Yosemite National Park my mind reeled at the size of the looming granite domes!


As we set out on our first day we were at 9,000 feet and the air was thin. Just in packing our bags we found ourselves short of breath. We continued to gasp as we climbed to 11,000 foot high, Vogelsang Pass. It was there that a lightning storm caught up with us hurling marble-sized hail stones as we scrambled to get off the pass and down into the valley. A night hike brought us up to icy Bernice Lake. Wild flowers livened the landscape and a polar bear swim reassured us that we were indeed awake and not dreaming the whole thing. Day two: Sunday, was spent just being still in the midst of this wild beauty.


Our 50 pound packs greeted us on day three as we descended 3,000 feet toward Merced Lake and ultimately Half Dome. Black Bears checked the lids of our food canisters on day five, dejectedly lumbering away only after examining each one. We slept fitfully that night and awakened early on day six to climb Half Dome, the formidable summit of which can only be reached by clambering up cables embedded in the rock.

The following day we ate lunch atop neighboring peak, Cloud's Rest. This mountain was not a dome but rather a 9,800 foot high ridge only six feet wide in sections! Public transportation and bacon cheese burgers awaited us back down in the Valley. Eight days later we returned to civilization as conquerors!

Check out the video of this trip (music by Trace Bundy)!