Parking was much easier than we expected, and this was the view from our parking space. Yosemite Valley is breathtaking!
Our first stop was Vernal Falls. We loaded up on the shuttle bus and headed to the trailhead.
We've learned our lesson... We never go anywhere without a map!
This trail was ridiculously crowded. It felt like a Disneyland line without the cool themed queue! It was insane.
About a mile in, we reached the Vernal Falls footbridge. It had already been a crazy steep climb, but we still had .7 miles straight up to go.
We were shooting for the top of those falls. This was our biggest hike yet, and the one Tatum had been dreading all trip. There were 600 steep steps to the top of the falls!
As you climb the steps, the mist from Vernal Falls soaks you. It was actually quite a relief because this was such a hard hike.
Connor and Rylee were cruising. I had such a hard time keeping up with them. The steps were slick and the mist clouded your eyes, but the view was amazing.
And after a very hard hike, we actually made it to the top. That is the edge of the falls behind us. See Rylee squinting? Shortly after, Rylee ripped her contact lens, and we had to take it out.
We had packed lunches, so we stopped at the top to eat and regroup. Since Rylee only had one contact lens, and my knees were killing me, we opted to take a different trail down. This trail involved more uphill hiking. Guess who was less than thrilled?
But from our upper vantage point, we got a beautiful view of Vernal Falls. See the people behind the guard rail on the right? That's where we took our family picture!
We also got an incredible view of Nevada Falls.
And before long, our trail headed back downhill, and all were happy. Once we finished this epic hike, we headed back to Yosemite Village for ice cream, because they really had earned it.
No comments:
Post a Comment