We are in that crown jewel of the national parks, Yosemite. I feel like a Golden Retriever that has just been escorted to a room filled with friendly people, a pile of socks and a sack of dead squirrels. I might piddle in the meadow, I am that excited.
As we drove in to the west entrance we could hardly sit still. Having been here about six years ago we knew exactly what we were in for and could not wait for that first glimpse of it. Then we came around a bend and there was Half Dome looming larger than we even remembered it seeming from this point and Kevin and I let out a half whoop-half shriek sound in unison. The kids thought we had hit a chipmunk. We pulled over and hopped out of the truck and I almost cried.
And this is not even the best view.
As much as I love and connect with the desert, Yosemite is one of those places where I am certain I could die in bliss. I don’t even know how to describe it in words and I definitely can’t do it justice in photos. My best hope is to come close enough to inspire you to come see it for yourself. Seriously, you don’t have to be a nature-lover to be floored by this and it is well worth the cross-country airfare.
Rock climbers come here in droves to scale El Capitan. One of our favorite things to do is to flop out in the meadow with binoculars and watch them. It takes the average climber about three days to summit, and yes, that means pitching a portaledge and roping yourself in to sleep on the rock face. We came back two more days to check the progress of the climbers we’d spotted on our first day. There are at least 100 official routes up the face, but one of the most popular is known as the Nose so it’s the best place to look for climbers. As Joel pointed out, most people pick the Nose.
(The nuts don't fall far from the tree, my friends.)
(The nuts don't fall far from the tree, my friends.)
We have a whole week here for me to try to capture the wonder of Yosemite. Stay tuned and enjoy!
-Jenni
-Jenni