Nov 1, 2018

Wilderness Honeymoon

For our honeymoon, we went to one of the first National Parks in the world, Yosemite.

Day 1: The Mountains are Calling

We left Ohio after a whirlwind, emotional, beautiful, fantabulous wedding weekend. We were a little sad to go, knowing that leaving meant it was really over. But as soon as we boarded the flight to San Diego our sights were set on getting to the wilderness. After landing in San Dog, we drove about seven hours -- and by "we," I had nothing to do with it except for controlling the playlist and ordering pizza -- to a cheap hotel on the outskirts of Yosemite.

Day 2: Sunrise Trail & Cloud's Rest

If you've never been to Yosemite National Park, you will literally ooh and aah at everything in sight. Forested hillside after granite slope after elegant meadow, the amazing views tumbled onto our windshield over and over like waves crashing.

We made our camp at Porcupine Flat, a walk in campground north of Yosemite Valley. Eager to explore, we immediately came across the trailhead to Sunrise Trail leading to Cloud's Rest. We hiked into a tunnel of tall trees and Redwoods. With a cheerful skip in our step, we were breathing more heavily to inhale more of the crisp mountain air...or were we just panting because of the altitude?? At dusk we made our way back to the trailhead, and then to our camp to cook up some warm dinner. Turkey tetrazzini and Mexican rice and chicken warmed up the body and the soul!

Day 3: North Dome

The renowned sight and popular hiking feat of Half Dome closed to hikers several days before we arrived. Reviews of hiking North Dome reported a moderate challenge, elevation changes, and 360 degree views featuring both Half Dome and down the valley to El Capitan. The hike was forest and granite, at the same time incredibly peaceful and exhilarating. Unbelievable views were a given, so we had learned by now. We stopped for snacks overlooking a "small" valley of green before continuing to the summit. A bit sore, hungry, and verrrry cold, we slurped down boiling hot Clam Chowder and Rice & Fajitas along with a bit of the bubbly! Cheers!

Day 4: All the Falls

The day began with hot breakfast and coffee in the cold crisp morning at our camp--multiple layers, hats, and gloves on while we ate. We packed up the car and set off for Yosemite Valley to find more exploring. The scenic drive from Tioga Pass to the valley floor doesn't get old. Except for the driver who is either white knuckling the steering wheel or frustrating an accordion of cars for carefully driving 10 mph under the speed limit. The twists and bends in the road are smoothly paved but you can't see the road under you; you can only see where you didn't turn too wide and careen into the valley to be swallowed up by tree-sized pine needles.

Once in the valley, we got super giddy and got in line for the first ride we saw--uh, I mean, we got out to hike at the first site we drove past, Bridalveil Falls. In the summer, the falls are misting everywhere; the blackened rocks surrounding the falls is where the water touches when it is in full force. That would be amazing to see, but lucky for us without as much water and slickness we were able to climb (no, I didn't say "allowed" to climb) much closer to the falls. David climbed off somewhere I couldn't see him anymore, so I made my way to the base of the waterfall to get a view from the bottom looking up. I clombered (the best way to describe my crawling climbing jumping sliding method--very graceful I assure you) across the impressive granite boulders--each one a jagged Jenga piece just itching for someone to sneeze and commence rock rolling avalanche and people-squishing. We were both in a fantastic mood from clombering about like kids!

Next, we found parking and took the Yosemite Valley Shuttle to the Mist Trail which leads to the John Muir Trail, and our ultimate destinations Vernal and Nevada Falls. The Mist Trail is a nice and a pretty accessible hike, with only a few ups and downs, taking you along Happy Isles, streams centered and dotted with huge rocks, tall trees speckled with sunlight. But the fork in the road appears and you must choose between hiking the never ending staircase to Nevada Falls with a (beautiful) pit stop at Vernal Falls, or taking the slightly longer way around via the John Muir Trail.

We took the stairs. They led us up the side and then to the top of Vernal Falls. What I loved about it was the different perspectives of the falls we were graced with as we continued to climb higher and closer. Once we reached the top of the falls we found a dreamy place under the trees with small boulders that must've been chairs in another life, to sit and snack. We looked out on a perfectly imperfect reflection of Half Dome.

At last we continued on to Nevada Falls. I thought the stairs were over, but alas there were more. A LOT more! This time they were a bit treacherous with the switchbacks switching back so close to the edge of the Nevada Falls ravine you couldn't bring yourself to look down let alone to stop moving lest you lose your balance! Really incredible views at the summit of the falls, but we only had time for a couple of epic pics before coming down on the other side--the John Muir Trail. It was about 5 miles to the Valley but we had a blast walking through the trees, watching fat gray squirrels and pika scampering, trying to spot Stellar's Jays, and deciding whether or not to get pizza for dinner. (We did get pizza, and it was frickin goooood.)

Day 5: Camp Full, Kind of

Have you ever driven five miles down a one-lane, pitch dark, windy and haunted* road in the middle of the Yosemite forest at midnight? Ever finally reach the campground end of said haunted road and find that in order to have a place to sleep, you have to make friends with two random guys who were in the Persian Air Force back in the '60s? No? Just me then? Okay well let me tell you about it....oh I already did. We started down this road because the campground sign did not yet read "CAMP FULL," and at 9pm, we really needed to find a place to sleep. But, turns out it was completely full. So yeah we shared a campsite--and some wine and hookah--with these two retired guys. They also shared their eggs and coffee, and David made us pancakes!! We were graced with story after story from one of the companions. He was a singular man with many stories which make one ask, "This guy can't be for real, can he??" But then the stories are so captivating you've forgotten to care about the truth in it all. They toasted us to live happily and in love for 300 years. (And they revealed that they had taken down the "CAMP FULL" sign!!)

Our bodies needed a rest day, so we spent the day in the visitor's center, lulled around some random walking trails, visited the Happy Isles art center, caught a beautiful film, "Returning to Balance: a Climber's Journey," and even met famous and inspiring rock climber and film maker, Ron Kauk. We ended the day with a glorious, gluttonous dinner at the Yosemite Lodge.

Day 6: Mariposa Grove

A few hours at the museum and the "Indian Village of the Ahwahnee" before we said farewell to the Valley and drove south to Mariposa Grove to be reacquainted with the giant trees--the Sequoias. A super accessible trail system, we took a medium length loop; it was just perfect to be enveloped in the Sequoias' magnificence, and to embrace the actual splendor of getting back to basics--just us together, and the trees. I think we missed it before we even left, but we'll be back because as Muir said himself, "Going to the woods is going home."