Day 2: Hiking through the High Country
Driving to Tuolomne
Yosemite Park is over 1000 square miles, which is around the size of Rhode Island! Our campground is in the south of the park and our hike today is towards the north, so we'll have a good opporunity to drive and enjoy the scenery.
A small lake on the way to our hike.
The forests often open up into natural meadows full of lush grass and wildflowers.
Art walks on a fallen log in the meadow.
Valley Views
Here's a rainbow we caught on the side of the road.
Another deep valley with a river running through it.
Tuolomne Meadows
Tuolomne Meadows towards the north of the park.
Cathedral Lakes Hike
Yesterday we conserved our energy so that today we could do a moderately difficult hike called 'Cathedral Lakes'. The guidebook says it will take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours and is mainly uphill.
A great view along the Cathedral Lakes trail.
Art and I are in good shape but the high altitude made the air thin and our legs started burning early into our hike. We had to stop and rest every 15 or 20 minutes to catch our breath.
Several of the mountains along the way had snow on them, even though it was a warm and pleasant day!
Art and I played in the snow like kids, throwing snowballs at each other and sliding around on our feet and butts.
As we approached Cathedral Lake, the forest opened up into this meadow with a stream running through it. It looked like a magical place from out of a movie.
After an arduous hike that took several hours, we finally got our reward: Cathedral Lake. The water was cold and clear and the lake was surrounded by mountains.
The shore of Cathedral Lake was the perfect place to relax and lose my self in the gentle sounds of nature: the water, the breeze, the birds. I drifted in and out of sleep and was grateful to be alive.
Natural Spring
On our way back from the hike, Art and I found the source of a natural spring bubbling up from the ground. We filled our bottles and the water was the best I've ever had: cold, crisp, clear and totally refreshing.
My legs were sore that night and I slept like a baby. This time, I put on 5 t-shirts and 3 pairs of pants and I still got cold! If you ever plan to camp in Yosemite, make sure you bring a thermal sleeping bag or some really warm clothing.
I was amazed at how much of the park we saw that day. We probably drove around 100 miles round trip from our campground to the hike. All along the way, we saw dozens and dozens of lakes, valleys, meadows, mountains and other interesting things to see. You could easily spend a month in this park and not see all of it. There are over 800 miles of hiking trails here and we just did 5 of them today!
Tomorrow, we're planning to see the giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove before leaving the park and getting back to the hustle and bustle of modern civilization.
Yosemite Park is over 1000 square miles, which is around the size of Rhode Island! Our campground is in the south of the park and our hike today is towards the north, so we'll have a good opporunity to drive and enjoy the scenery.
A small lake on the way to our hike.
The forests often open up into natural meadows full of lush grass and wildflowers.
Art walks on a fallen log in the meadow.
Valley Views
Here's a rainbow we caught on the side of the road.
Another deep valley with a river running through it.
Tuolomne Meadows
Tuolomne Meadows towards the north of the park.
Cathedral Lakes Hike
Yesterday we conserved our energy so that today we could do a moderately difficult hike called 'Cathedral Lakes'. The guidebook says it will take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours and is mainly uphill.
A great view along the Cathedral Lakes trail.
Art and I are in good shape but the high altitude made the air thin and our legs started burning early into our hike. We had to stop and rest every 15 or 20 minutes to catch our breath.
Several of the mountains along the way had snow on them, even though it was a warm and pleasant day!
Art and I played in the snow like kids, throwing snowballs at each other and sliding around on our feet and butts.
As we approached Cathedral Lake, the forest opened up into this meadow with a stream running through it. It looked like a magical place from out of a movie.
After an arduous hike that took several hours, we finally got our reward: Cathedral Lake. The water was cold and clear and the lake was surrounded by mountains.
The shore of Cathedral Lake was the perfect place to relax and lose my self in the gentle sounds of nature: the water, the breeze, the birds. I drifted in and out of sleep and was grateful to be alive.
Natural Spring
On our way back from the hike, Art and I found the source of a natural spring bubbling up from the ground. We filled our bottles and the water was the best I've ever had: cold, crisp, clear and totally refreshing.
My legs were sore that night and I slept like a baby. This time, I put on 5 t-shirts and 3 pairs of pants and I still got cold! If you ever plan to camp in Yosemite, make sure you bring a thermal sleeping bag or some really warm clothing.
I was amazed at how much of the park we saw that day. We probably drove around 100 miles round trip from our campground to the hike. All along the way, we saw dozens and dozens of lakes, valleys, meadows, mountains and other interesting things to see. You could easily spend a month in this park and not see all of it. There are over 800 miles of hiking trails here and we just did 5 of them today!
Tomorrow, we're planning to see the giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove before leaving the park and getting back to the hustle and bustle of modern civilization.
posted by Navin at 7:57 PM
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