Yosemite: From Peaks To Sunsets

Day 2! This was my first full day and we decided to do one of my favorite hikes to Cathedral Peak. The trail is not maintained by the rangers, although it is in good condition due to frequent hikers. It is mainly used by climbers to reach the summit. Since I am not a climber, I scrambled up the side to about as high as you can get without ropes. The view is fantastic at about 10,500 feet, giving you a 300 degree view of the meadow and surrounding mountains. The trail is about 6 miles round trip with a 2000 foot elevation change. Check out my route at http://bit.ly/EFi9S. Thanks runkeeper!

I decided to take some pictures in the morning around the campsite as well as some sunset shots (my favorite time to shoot!) so enjoy!



















This is part of the Tuolumne River which runs right by the campground. There were a few guys polar bearing every morning, which will definitely wake you up more than Starbucks ever could.


















I'm not much of a flower photographer but I do appreciate beauty! That's Lembert Dome in the background.


















Some of the many rocks near the river





















Final scramble to the top!















Looking back to the meadow halfway up the peak
















Tuolumne River


















Lembert Dome


















A view of Bud Lake and the surrounding mountains
















Bud Lake



















Must climb higher!






















Almost there!






















The very top

















You can barely see Half Dome in the distance from the top
















Cathedral Lake down below














Rain headed our way. Time to go!

















Nothing like a good lunch after a long hike






















Lembert Dome in the fading light






















Setting up for the sunset. You can check out my time lapse at
http://tinyurl.com/q2mbdp




















Doing what I love best








Panoramic of the surrounding mountains





















From the meadow to the moon





















There goes the sun...















The last rays of light















Stay tuned...

Yosemite National Park: Escape From the Mundane

I'm back! Took a little longer than I expected but life has a way of doing that. I recently went on vacation to Tuolumne (Too-ALL-uh-me) Meadows, which is a part of Yosemite National Park. I've been there many times before as a kid but it's been a few years since I've been back. The great part is, NOTHING HAS CHANGED!!! I love that each hill and mountain is exactly the way I remember it. There aren't many things in everyday life like that so it was a very refreshing getaway. I love to unplug and climb mountains, hike through forests and just sit in silence. There's nothing like it in the world. These next few posts are gonna focus on some of the things I saw while I was there and hopefully give you a taste of the beauty that I witnessed. Enjoy!

The view from the gas station we stopped at while enroute. I'm guessing those smaller buildings are supposed to be vintage but they look a little too small.

The seemingly ENDLESS highway 395!

It's just beyond those mountains!!
















My dad and me in front of our tent cabin.
















The view from the door of our cabin. Fantastic!














Lembert Dome, which towers 800 feet above the meadow floor. It's one of my favorites because it gives you a great 360 degree view of the entire meadow.














An old bridge, several decades in fact, that crosses the Tuolumne River to Parson's Lodge. This lodge contains a brief history of the Meadow along with relics from the past.














My brother braving the icy waters with his new Chakos.














Looking for birds.




















Not exactly sure what kind of bird this was, but there was a nest inside the tree.




















Male bird keeping lookout.














A wooden structure built around the natural springs located in the meadow.














The water used to be clean enough to drink but due to human influences, you now have to boil it. The surrounding dirt is red because of the high iron content.














One of the many deer we saw.




















A nice view of Cathedral Peak. I'll have some pictures from the top in one of the following sets.
















Can't end the day without a good fire!



Well, that was day 1! More to come, so keep watching...