20. Yosemite National Park - CA

Yosemite National Park Adventure

After surviving a few close encounters with our rebellious cupboard and cutlery drawer (both of which seemed to have minds of their own), we finally made it to Yosemite National Park. And let me tell you, every tiny mishap along the way was completely worth it. We started off with a short hike to Dog Lake and Lembert Dome (2871m) - just a taste of Yosemite’s vast beauty. By some miracle, we snagged a coveted spot at the legendary Camp 4, a mecca for climbers. Theo, ever the optimist, was secretly on the lookout for Alex Honnold, scanning the crowd as if he’d stumble upon him any moment! Spoiler alert: no Honnold sightings, but we did meet three wide-eyed climbers preparing to conquer El Capitan in six days. Six days! They’d be hauling food, water, and sleeping on the sheer rock face like it was just another Tuesday. Meanwhile, I couldn’t even fathom attempting those "easy" 5.7 Trad climbs they talked about so casually.

Our adventure continued with a three-day backpacking trip. Instead of scaling cliffs, we opted for thrills of a slightly more horizontal nature. The first night, we set up camp in a fairy-tale forest (not an official site, but our creativity was in full force). We even devised an artistic bear deterrent system using pine cones—though I prefer to call it my secret bear alarm, hehehe. Whether it worked or not, I like to think the bears were just too impressed with our decor to bother us. We passed through what I nicknamed the "Follow Me" Meadows (officially Tuolumne Meadows—seriously, who comes up with these names?), followed part of the John Muir Trail, and stood in awe at Glacier Point and Half Dome.

The climb up Half Dome, with its iconic cables, looked insane from a distance. But once we were on it, the fear melted away. At one point, a woman, almost in tears, told me I made it look like a walk in the park as she clung to the cables like her life depended on it. Reaching the top was worth every shaky step—360 degrees of breathtaking views stretched out before us. By the way the North Face logo design was inspired by the 'Half Dome'.
We also saw the Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in the nation and in the national parks (vertical drop measures 2'425 feet). Its waters consists primarily of snowmelt from the mountains: it is a seasonal phenomenon, so unfortunately we didn't see them at their gushing peak but rather slowed to a trickle...

On our second night, we camped in Little Yosemite Valley, where I was entertained by dandelion-tailed squirrels and mule deer casually roaming about, probably critiquing our snack choices. The towering pines, ancient junipers, and proud Douglas firs (maybe even some Sequoias?) filled the forest with a sense of timelessness. After days of subsisting on canned food, beef jerky, chocolate and far too many gummi bears, we celebrated our return to civilization with burgers and heavenly bear claws (similar to almond croissants) at the Loft Café. It felt like a gourmet feast after our wilderness diet.

And to top it off, we finally spotted a cuddly brown bear! We were thrilled to finally show Ingo the real deal. Seeing one of Yosemite’s famous bears was the cherry on top of an incredible journey, especially considering the park is home to around 300-500 of them. Our grand finale? Stocking up at Trader Joe’s with a haul of organic goodies, sweets, and snacks to fuel our upcoming little hikes and streamside dips.

Before leaving Yosemite, we couldn’t resist one last playful adventure—pretending to be mermaids, splashing around in forest streams, and letting our inner children run wild. It was the perfect way to end our time in this breathtaking park.Weiterlesen