Yosemite in the Spring

Every spring Katie organizes a camping trip to Yosemite. This year was no different. We took a break from the announcement and invitation complications, Lee's packing and every other wedding detail to spend a couple of days in Yosemite Valley. This year there were 13 of us and we had INCREDIBLE weather. Spring time in Yosemite is Katie's favorite -- everything is green and there is so much water! It is definitely the best time of year to visit Yosemite if you want to fully appreciate the waterfalls.

Aside from the 3.5 mile climb straight up from the valley floor to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, it was a very leisurely weekend. We slept in and didn't leave camp until nearly noon each day. It made for some warm hiking on Saturday, but the mist from the falls kept us cool. The hike to Upper Yosemite Falls tends to leave your calves sore for a few days -- but the views from the top are pretty spectacular. It's amazing how far down the valley floor is - we think it's close to a 3,500 foot drop.

Over the years a few traditions have formed... one is Gregory John's dutch oven cooking. You can't beat peach cobbler around the campfire. The other is Church on the Rock. Years ago we started the tradition of holding a brief church service on "The Rock" sometime on Sunday morning. We have all the basics of a standard church meeting (including talks/spiritual thoughts and a musical number) on top of this perfect rock in the valley. It's definitely one of our favorite church services of the year.

Before we left the park on Sunday afternoon a few of us went to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. We didn't get too close -- none of us had a dry set of clothes. But the force of the water was still very impressive. We couldn't believe we hadn't visited that spot before. We highly recommend it!