The Mills at Yosemite

On Memorial Day we all woke up early and headed out to Yosemite for a great day of hiking. After applying sunscreen, filling backpacks with food and water and climbing on the bus that took us to the trail head we were ready to embark on a 6 hour adventure. As you can see, everyone looks fresh and happy. It was a beautiful day; sunny but not too hot.

Here we are at the trail head of Vernal Falls, which is a steep climb to the bottom of the falls. Keith and I can remember how it was in the early years with a toddler on your back, water bottles rolling down the hills, kids running ahead and those dragging behind. I can remember how the boys would disappear up the trail and neither Keith nor I could catch up with them with the others in tow. I was in a constant panic that they would decide to go cross country and fall into the raging river that runs right beside the trail. We met a Chinese mother in the same predicament. We assured her that her son was only a dozen yards ahead of her, but I couldn't help but feel her pain. We all wondered how many times we had walked this trail together and though it has been many, I think that this hike was the most enjoyable of all.
Here we are on the bridge at the base of Vernal Falls, we made it in record time. Even Connor still has a smile on his face. Now we are off to the "Mist Trail" that should have been called the "Full Shower Trail." The Falls were so full, the roar was almost deafening but we pressed on.







Here we are modeling our ponchos that saved us from being 100% drenched in the spray from the water fall. We were so happy to have these and felt a little smug as we traveled past the other hikers who were soaked to the bone and freezing.




This part of the hike was amazing! We had to climb over 600 granite steps up the steep side of the mountain right next to the raging waterfall. There was so much mist, the steps had turned in to a waterfall themselves. It was a little tricky not to slip and at first we tried our best to avoid stepping in puddles and avoiding the water that flowed over them. In the end we gave up and just sloshed through. That was a lot more fun!

I had to put away my camera after these shots. At times we all felt like we were in Lord of the Rings country. There were multiple rainbows and the terrain was so rugged yet man made. When we got to the dark and dripping ledge, it seemed a perfect place for Gollum to be lurking.



Here we are having lunch at the top of Vernal Falls. The river is so heavy that it nearly runs into the viewing area. The squirrels were out in full force begging for food, and we enjoyed their company. My Rice Krispies were a hit and everyone but Connor looked forward to the next leg of our hike to the top of Nevada Falls.

After going uphill for another 1.5 miles which took us over an hour we arrived at the top of Nevada Falls. I felt as if our family had reached "New Heights!" The view was amazing and the power and beauty of the falls were thrilling. The hike took us through some beautiful country.Here Shaun, Haley and Jenna are taking a much needed rest at the edge of the falls. As you can see, Haley is thrilled to find four bars on her cell phone. We all called friends and family to let them know we had made it to the top and wished that they were there with us. Here we are on our way back down with Nevada Falls in the back ground. We found out quickly that hiking downhill is more difficult that climbing up. The rock stairs and paths were so steep and uneven. I begain wondering how we would ever get off the mountian if someone slipped and fell. Needless to say we all concentrated on each step and our kness complained the entire way down.Connor and Jarrett beat us all down the mountain. When I asked Connor was his favorite part of the hike was he said "seeing the van." I questioned him again saying that I wanted him to tell me something out in nature that he enjoyed, and his response was, "When we got on the bus?" I guess the bus did drive us through the park, but is wasn't the answer I was looking for.
After our 6 hour hike, we headed to our favorite pizza place in Curry Village where we enjoyed two very large pizza's. It was fun to sit outside, talk, eat and listen to all the different languages being spoken around us, not to mention rest our feet and legs.

Before heading home we climbed in the van and headed to Yosemite Falls. The last time we we visited, the falls were dry. I felt so bad for the hundreds of tourist that were taking pictures of a famous waterfall with no water falling. Today the falls were in full force and we enjoyed walking that same path we had walked so many times. Haley insisted on climbing up the Indian grinding rock and sliding down on her bottom like she would always do when she was little. The holes, where they would grind nuts and corn are still there on the top of this huge rock. Haley and I commented on how the Indian women had chosen the most beautiful spot in the valley to do their grinding, not to mention the natural air conditioning that comes off the falls.On our way we spotted a bear walking the trail with us. He didn't seem to mind that we were there and we were excited to see him. After a few minutes he ran off into the rocks where we usually play hide and seek. Keith thought that it might be a good idea to pass on that game.As we left the park hand in hand we couldn't help but think, "It can't get any better than this!"