Yosemite…in the moment, 2015.

But for today, I am learning to be in the moment.  BLOG…I will catch you up on the adventure stories from these past years.  But for today, I am with Paul. And we are scaling a trail that takes us up the granite walls and to the top of Yosemite Falls.   It’s a mini section of Kilimanjaro type intense hike up out of the valley floor. Though nothing of the intensity of hiking high elevation, this is as wicked steep as any hike could be.   That’s 1000 feet per mile and a 3,000 foot climb just to the top of the rim of Yosemite Falls. Do gym stair masters or squats and lunges get you ready for the pounding that much vertical up and down will be? The roads are still closed for the winter season up to Tuolumne Meadows, so we hiked there. These few days were epic, and the hikes were memorial. We have to admit. Man, the quads and the soles of our feet are sore, but can you beat the views!!! Yeah, California has an incredible backyard I had almost forgotten about.  Today.  I am thankful to spend time in Yosemite with a  man that balances a business and a love for the outdoors.  He said we could ditch Los Angeles and get to Yosemite Valley in less than 6 hours.  I didn’t believe him so he proved me wrong.

Yosemite is in full SPRING and is stunning, as it IS one of the world’s wonders. The Yosemite Valley was benefitting from this past trickle of a storm. It at least gave it a dusting of snow to feed the falls. The dogwood trees were doing their best spring display. I am so thankful to be the ‘fit’ type that would blast up there just to hike and enjoy. You don’t have to be an uber athlete.  You just have to enjoy being outdoors!  Oh, the replenishing joy of sweating, carrying a day pack, eating cheese and crackers while the Sierra Mountains fan a crisp breeze through your hair.  Granite rock.  Sky scape almost too unimaginable. It was an epic day and a stunt well worth sneaking out of busy Orange County for.  I loved the opportunity.

But I need to share the drought in California is blatantly real. We ventured through Bass Lake to peak at the summer camp I worked at. The docks were laying on dirt. And in Yosemite , the Merced River that is snow run off feed and flows through the valley floor… is a meandering mill pond. California…every one of us NEEDS to start doing our part to CONSERVE. We are in  one of those  real kinds of times.