Yosemite on Fire!!

At the end of august we had our last hurrah for the summer and went to Yosemite. We knew the fire was going on down there, but researched it and decided to go anyway. Our trip was different than we had planned, but we still had a lot of fun and we were glad we went!

 We ended up spending two night in Tuolumne Meadows.  We spent Tuesday hiking in the area and didn't even drive anywhere! We hiked Lembert dome (on top above, from the bottom below).

 We also hiked to Elizabeth Lake in the afternoon. Dan and the kids all waded in the water and walked over to a rock island (Dan carried Gideon and Gabi).

After dinner we went on a hike to Soda Springs where Emma, Ben, Eliza and Gideon all tried the naturally carbonated water.  Emma said, "Soda Spring water is even more carbonated than soda. When you feel the sizzling of the carbonated soda on your tongue, you know that it was worth the risk." Eliza said, "I didn't feel it." They didn't get sick or die, so I guess it was okay.

 This was a picture we took on the hike of the sunset.  The smoke made for a pretty picture.

 Wednesday we moved to Bridal Creek Campground.  They were closing the 120 and we wanted to get over to Yosemite Valley before we were cut off. We got a picture of the fire on our way.

 After getting settled in our new campsite, we drove to the Mariposa Grove of Sequoia.  We enjoyed seeing the massive trees. I think we liked the Redwoods better, but it was still fun to see them.

On Thursday we did our biggest hike of all.  Dan dropped us off at Glacier Point and then drove down to the base of the Four Mile Trail.  He then ran/hiked up the trail.  The kids and I waited around Glacier Point for about an hour and a half and then started our hike along the Panoramic Trail. Dan joined us and we did the 8 and a half mile trail down into the valley.

 Half Dome near the start of the trail. A little smoky, but not too bad.

 Half dome from the Panoramic Point on the trail.

Here are the kids in front of Nevada Falls.

 

Overall we hiked about 26 miles across four days and we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves. Gabi did all of those but about 2 where Dan carried her. She was a trooper. All of our conditioning paid off and we'll see how far we can go next year!