Monday, December 28, 2009

Yosemite December 26, 2009

Who can resist the crisp cool air of winter in the mountains? That distinct tang or pure oxygen, pine trees and fresh snow. I know I can’t, so when my roommate mentioned that he was taking his parents to Yosemite on Saturday I pretty much begged to go with them.
The four of us piled into my dad’s SUV and drove up the windy mountain roads to the winter wonderland of Yosemite National Park. I have not been up there in the winter in at least 8 years, maybe longer.
It was beautiful, the contrasting white with the gray granite and green pine trees. Neither Jeremy or his parents had ever been to Yosemite before so I got to give them the grand tour. We started at Bridal Vail, because where else do you start in the park. There was a little bit of water still flowing from the falls but no mist.
The paved path had large patches of ice from all the foot traffic but it was an adventure slipping and sliding along the path. From there we headed to Curry Village, stopping briefly to check out the skating rink. We passed that up for some lunch over in the Curry Village. It was different seeing everything covered in snow, only the indoors eating was open. The other thing I have not gotten used to is the cabins being closed. I looked over there and spied the stone crushed wood of the cabin we stayed in when I did Half Dome.
After lunch we hitched a ride on the bus to Mirror Lake. We walked the mile to the lake, which is more of a large river basin. It was a easy hike other than trying to traverse the icy patches on the path. But the view was new, even for me. The trail brings you directly under Half Dome. It made the face look oddly obtuse, and added to the grandeur and mystic of the mountain.
I look forward to taking the trail further in the summer when it opens up and you can view Half Dome from the left side. After the stroll we made our way back to the car via the bike path instead of the bus. Then we drove to the Ahwahnee to see it all decked out in snow and Christmas decorations. It was super crowded in there, probably because everyone was trying to stay warm. After that we headed home. It was getting late in the day and we did not want to get stuck driving after dark.
The entire trip was a blast. We laughed most of the time as the Cole family recounted family anecdotes and crazy relative stories. And the most fun was just to get out of Fresno, even if it was just for a few hours.

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