Yosemite National Park

Continuing on through California, Tom and I spent 3 nights and 2 days camping and hiking in Yosemite National Park. I know that climbing mountains by day and sleeping outside by night may not seem like an ideal vacation to some people, but for us it was perfect.

Our first day was well spent as we literally climbed a mountain. 

15 hours and 18 miles after we began, we had completed the Half Dome Hike 

This was pretty much the best and worst thing that I've ever done, so it deserves it's own post, but for now you can see just how amazing this hike really was...

on the left is me scaling the mountain top and hoping that I don't fall 

on the right is Husband at the peak 

As you might imagine, we were a bit sore the next day, but also feeling pretty proud of ourselves. We decided to take it easy during our second day in Yosemite. This meant sleeping in for the first time during our entire trip....that being said we slept until 8AM. 

Once we finally awoke, we decided to hike because the best way to get over sore muscles is to keep moving. 

After hiking a few miles here and there, we decided to do the Mirror Lake Trail. It's only a 2 mile loop and it's waters reflect Mt Watkins and the Half Dome. Since we had hiked the Half Dome the day before, we thought that it was worth seeing. Except that California has been in a drought for several years....which is why the people in this photo are actually standing in the riverbed 

Yep completely dry....so this little trek was poor planning on our part

but we did appreciate the amazing mountain views here 

Plus, when we decided to head back, we skipped the shuttle service and walked the mile back to our campground. Along the way, we discovered this great swimming spot along the Merced River that runs all through Yosemite National Park. If we hadn't done Mirror Lake, we never would have found this spot, which turned out to be the perfect place to spend the afternoon. 

At this point, we were perfectly content with the 5 miles that we had already hiked (+18 miles the day before) so we returned to our campsite site, changed into swimsuits, grabbed a few cold beers, and settled in here for the afternoon. 

California Mountain Views + Cold Brews with my Husband 

The cold waters of the Merced River were the perfect remedy 

for sore muscles and sunburned skin. The only reason that 

I could be coaxed out of the water was because I had booked a massage 

at the local lodge 

My massage was impromptu, but it was the best I've ever had, mostly because it was outdoors. We were surrounded by trees and I could hear the Merced River and birds calling in the distance. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was definitely up my alley. And after, we settled in for dinner on the lodge patio...a meal that was much very much appreciated after having spent the week living off of trail-food

Our last evening in Yosemite was spent driving all through the park, checking out Vista Points. We were trying to soak up as much as possible because we probably won't be back here again until we bring our own children hiking and camping. Yosemite National Park had been on my bucket list for years (especially hiking the Half Dome), so I'm glad that I finally got to experience it with my Husband by my side and we made the most of our time here. Our next stop was San Francisco!