spectacular yosemite

After several summers of roughing it in Algonquin Park, I’ve become somewhat of a camping enthusiast.  And how enthusiastic I was when O.T. gave me news that he managed to book a campsite in Yosemite National Park in California for two nights this July.

Yosemite is breathtaking.  What surprised me most is its scenic variety.  It is so vast, there is simply so much to see, and camping became a mere function for rest.   We set up camp at the west entrance at Hodgdon Meadow.  We drove towards the east along Tioga Pass Road, one of the most picturesque stretches of scenery I’ve seen, stopping at the very serene Tuolumne Meadow and ending with views of snow-capped mountains at Tioga Pass.  We drove south of Yosemite Valley through Badger Pass up to Glacier Point.

In our three days and two nights, we managed to complete 8 hiking trails and have vowed to return a few times more to complete as many trails as we can in our lifetime.

Yosemite Valley with Half Dome and Yosemite Falls in the distance.

Along the Mist Trail, in front of Vernal Fall.

Hiking the Mist Trail. A scenic moment at Vernal Fall.

Tuolomne Meadow

Hiking up the granite rocks of Sentinel Dome and a view of the entire Yosemite Park from the top of Sentinel Dome.

Camping at Hodgdon Meadow.