On top of the world on Clouds RestTo anyone that has spent time perusing our website, it is quite obvious that we absolutely love Yosemite National Park. In fact, we have been there so many times that I really don’t have much new information to add for our readers. However, it does provide a place for Herb and me to store our photos and remember where the heck we have been. Oh, and there were two new spectacular hikes this time, which make the write-up worthwhile.

In August it gets too hot to climb in the Valley, so we usually head to higher elevations and spend a week in the significantly cooler and less crowded Tuolumne Meadows. We’ve been doing that for 4 years in a row now.

As anyone who has tried to get a camping site in Yosemite knows, it is not for the faint of heart. It requires quick fingers on the keyboard at exactly 7:00 am (PST), four months ahead of your planned trip, ready to grab a campsite before they all disappear within 2 minutes. April 15 was a good day for Herb and me, as with hearts pounding, we managed to nab not just one, but two campsites in Tuolumne Meadows.

The gang hiking down Pothole DomeUnfortunately, we grabbed dates that didn’t work out for Andrew and Celeste, but Tommy and Erin were on board, as well as her parents, all of whom would be joining us for the weekend. The concept of “family” has grown over the years, as girlfriends have been added, and even the parents of girlfriends. Fortunately for Herb and me, not only did the boys choose great girlfriends, but the potential in-laws are pretty cool as well.

In fact, this was the one year anniversary of our first meeting Erin’s parents, which also took place in Tuolumne Meadows. I remember how nervous we were about meeting them, because Tommy and Erin made the brave choice of allowing her parents to arrive 8 hours ahead of them, meaning we would have to entertain them for that entire time without their help. Well, needless to say, we hit it off right from the start and that’s why we were excited about being back for another gathering in lovely Tuolumne Meadows.