National Park Stop #3: Yosemite NP Day 2

Today was a kick in the pants, in every meaning of the word. The mountains humbled us today and reminded us why we're here. We're so grateful for this place. 

We made it to the Yosemite Valley Lodge around 8:00 this morning after driving through 20 miles of this beautiful park. 

We had to wait for the shuttle to pick us up. Our bus driver's name was Bill and he was hilarious! He definitely worked for those tips. 

There are so many waterfalls in Yosemite that Bill said it just depends on what time of year you're there, but it's somewhere around 50 waterfalls! 

We spent some time at the top of Glacier Point before starting our hike. 

First glance at Half Dome and Tanaya Falls. Simply beautiful. I know I keep using the same words to describe these mountains, but there just aren't. enough. words. to explain just how incredible this place is. 

Bry posing in front of the famous Half Dome rock. 

After spending some time at the top of the mountain, we bought some ice cream (obviously) and then we started the 5 mile hike down. Ironically, the name of the hike is the Four Mile Trail, but it's actually closer to five miles. 

There were so many insanely beautiful views of the valley around every switchback. 

Wish you could see how far down this was. We started our decent at 7,250 feet at Glacier Point and we descended 3,100 feet by the time we made it back to the valley! 

It was so interesting to see how the rocks, trees, and foliage changed as we changed elevation. 

After hiking down the mountain for 5.5 hours, our knees, ankles, and shoulders were on fire. I was really hoping the shuttle and/or parking lot would be right at the bottom. My knees were filled with fluid and I couldn't bend them more than about 75 degrees. My shoulders and arms were clearly sunburnt and I was just DONE. 

Much to my dismay, when we reached the valley, we realized we still had at least another mile until we got to our car. 

It was at this point that I wanted to surrender to the pain and roll up in the fetal position and just die. (I know....dramatic, much?) But seriously?? Another mile?!?!?!? 

And then, just to make things worse, the first trail we took to the car had high water, so after walking that whole way, we had to turn around and find another trail. 

I was tired, HANGRY, and in a lot of pain. Bry was very patient with me, probably more than he needed to be. 

As I sat against a fence trying to catch my breath and regain the strength to go on living (I told you, super dramatic, I know), I saw a lady sitting in the middle of the field on a camp chair watching the sunset around these huge mountains. 

Were we really about to miss this moment because we were busy rushing back to the car??

This lady in the middle of the field had it figured out...just stop and watch. Listen. Stop moving. Focus on what God has created here. These beautiful, towering structures weren't in a hurry to go anywhere. They were exactly where they needed to be. 

So we decided to wait. And listen. The rest of the photos we took are extra special to us because they wouldn't have happened if we'd been in a hurry to rush back to the car to sit in traffic behind everyone else who was in a hurry to leave the park. (What were we thinking??)

New lesson in life: when in Yosemite, soak up every minute possible before the sun escapes behind the mountains and calls it a day. 

After soaking up the valley's goodness, we finally made it back to our Subaru. I'd never been so happy to see that little car! 

Bry was pretty sad that we didn't see any black bears on the trail, especially since Bill had told us it's fairly common to see one. So, this is the closest he got to a bear today. 

Celebrating our accomplishments today with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Cause, why wouldn't you when you're in the Sierra Nevada?