Camping in Yosemite
On our first day, we set out at noon on what turned out to be a 14 mile hike! But we're so glad we made it to Taft Point, where Eric stood out on the outcropping of rock overlooking the whole Yosemite Valley.
We got up-close and personal with a deer, and Laurie spotted a bear (running away from us, thankfully)! We rested at Taft Point (after the first 6 miles of hiking) for some lunch with a breathtaking view!

Eric rests by another amazing view as we hiked along the "southern rim" high above the valley on day one. The first night, we camped at the Bridalveil Creek campsites (where we began & ended this hike). On day two, we packed up camp and drove to the valley floor. We were already sore, but decided to challenge ourselves with the 4-mile round trip vertical hike to the top of Vernal Falls, then back to the valley floor. The falls and Emerald Pool were gorgeous, but we were truly exhausted!
After driving back up to the southern rim, we hiked another 1.5 miles into the backcountry near Mono Meadows and found the perfect camping spot near a creek!

The stars in the sky took my breath away at night. In this pic, Eric rinses off our breakfast dishes in the nearby creek. We LOVED the backcountry- so very quiet and beautiful.

The only downside to backcountry camping is the gear that we had to carry on our backs. Here's Eric with his big pack on our hike back to the car.

Day three we took it easy: returned the bear-proof canister (and bought a stuffed animal bear to add to our collection), looked for the "honeymooners" water pools (but couldn't find them), and took an easy 1.5 mile hike to the "Giant Grizzly," one of the largest Giant Sequoias on our way out of the park. All together, we hiked 23 miles in 3 days, and saw some stunning sights!

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