Yosemite National Park
Every Labor Day my husband and I go on a “Get Outside,” vacation. In September 2020, mid COVID we decided to go on a Northern California road trip. This was my husband’s first trip to California, my third.
Why Yosemite?: We loved the Free Solo documentary on Alex Arnold, and it inspired us to visit Yosemite along the way. Yosemite was the second stop on our road trip. (Big Sur and Sonoma posts coming soon!)
Where We Stayed: We stayed at Camp Curry in a canvas tent. The tent was cute, but basic. It had two twin bed / cots, towel hooks, and a bench. It was a bit chilly, but we packed our sleeping bags and warm socks. The shower / restroom building was clean and well maintained.
What We Did: Yosemite is huge! There were wildfires along the southern edge of the park, so we weren’t able to visit the Mariposa grove. The first day we drove through the valley, the view coming out of the tunnel is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The pictures don’t do it justice. Then being on the valley floor is mind bending, there is no horizon, just vertical cliff face. On the first day we also make the drive to Glacier Point, which has a great view of Half Dome. There are viewpoints along to drive to pull over and take in the sights. On the second day we hiked to the top of Nevada Falls (2000’ gain over 5.5mi.) It was a strenuous, but beautiful hike. We ate lunch at the top of the falls (cold meat sandwhich and trail mix) then hiked back down. On our last day we explore the Valley, visited the old inn, had a picnic along the river and saw a bear!
What We Packed: For our typical “Get Outside,” trips we try to 50/50 tent camp / hotels, airbnbs. Since Camp Curry had the canvas tents, we didn’t need to pack the majority of our gear we typcially do. We brought sleeping bags, a small packable cooler, headlamps, and standard hiking gear. We usually travel with a 65L duffle, a 35L pack and a small daypack. I’ve found over the years that the lighter you pack, the more enjoyable the trip is.
Moment of Joy: I found the biggest pinecone I’ve ever seen. I wanted to bring it home, but we subscribe to “leave to trace,” so I put it back. :(
Moment of Gratitude: One night before heading back to our canvas tent, we laid in the bed of our rental truck and stared up at the stars. And I was reminded of how lucky we are to exist at the same time, on a spec of dust, floating through the same space.
Steph
