Although I’ve been to Yosemite in the past, I’m confident that no one grows tired of the beauty that lies within the valley. As the pioneer for land preservation in the United States, it’s no wonder why Abraham Lincoln took the first steps to preserve such a special place.
This trip provided the first opportunity to camp in the valley, and now I’m not sure I would do it any other way. The day was clear with a few clouds floating in the sky. We stopped off at the campsite check in to see what options were left. Luckily, given that it was still early in the season, there were several sites available so we nabbed one right on the river. We set up camp and then headed up the valley to what seemed like an easy waterfall hike.
Although, for the most part, the hike was pretty moderate, towards the end we were drenched as we neared the falls and traversed the narrow stone steps up the side of the wall towards the top. Once we reached the top, the water cascaded down below across the slick slabs of granite.
Well worth the hike, it was our small triumph for the day. Feeling the burn and the high that comes with it, we headed back to our campsite and then hopped on the bus over to the general store to pick up some grub. Just about anything and everything sounded good at that point. We made it back in time to start a fire and sat around the campfire enjoying the evening among the massive rock faces. Yet, just a little bit into the night, we had a friendly visitor stopped by. We looked over at the tent and there was a sly raccoon trying to crawl into our tent. Half way in and half way out, just before his bottom had disappeared into the tent, we threw a rock and scared him away. But we were quite close to sharing the tent with a raccoon for the night.
Like many of our national parks, Yosemite is filled with hidden treasures. Ansel Adams, a cherished black and white photographer, recognized the beauty of the place and helped to gain interest in one of nature’s sanctuaries. Whether it’s over a 100 years ago or today, there is undoubtedly a timeless and classic draw to the place, serving as a welcome escape from the outside world.
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