Day10

“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.” John Muir. The Yosemite Valley is everything Jon Muir promised. After a morning at the campsite in which we were awoken by the sounds of running water and birds chirping, we made our way into the park. The Yosemite Valley is only 30 miles via park roads from the campsite, but due to the twisting winding nature of the roads, it takes about an hour to get there. Once you descend into the valley, it is like nothing you have ever seen. Sheer granite walls extend around you and you feel enveloped in nature’s beauty. A quick glance around revealed multiple waterfalls pouring forth from the picturesque backdrop, like honey pouring from God’s own jar. We took the site in for a while and began our hike. We had stopped at the visitor center nearest our campsite and the Ranger recommended some good day hikes in the valley. We began with a popular hike up to a waterfall. The trail is wide and crowded but actually becomes fairly strenuous as you ascend a series of 600 stone steps that can be wet and slippery to get to the top of the waterfall. Much of the trail to get there was uphill, and the kids became fairly tired. We stopped a little early for lunch of sandwiches and Grant met a little kid and they ran and played hide and go seek among the granite boulders. The stone step portion of the hike was fairly treacherous to do with the kids. We held there hands tightly and pressed on. We actually did not go to the top as the steps got narrower and the kids were having some difficulty. We began the long downhill journey back, and my Dad, who has some bad knees, and I with that sprained ankle had some difficulty. We stopped at an ice cream shop and enjoyed some ice cream for our troubles. We then spent some time just relaxing. Yosemite Valley is very crowded and that does detract from its solitude somewhat, but is possible to find a spot to take in the smell of redwoods, combined with the fresh air and the sounds of nature. There is something about the way you feel enveloped in all of that that makes one feel at peace. We stopped in a meadow at the foot of El Capitan Mountain and watched rock climbers scale the immense sheer cliff. I am not sure how those folks do that sort of thing for fun, but it’s amazing to watch nonetheless. We then enjoyed a picturesque, scenic drive home in near perfect weather. We got back and Amy and my Mom whipped up some delicious supper and got some