Shared Experiences

Over the past week Sandy and the boys were here with me in the Valley and we managed to pack in a lot in 3 days of being in the park.  I saved a lot of things to see with them for the first time and we couldn’t have had a better week. I think the only thing we missed was the tourist tour of the whole valley.

We went to Glacier Point and figured we would only be there at most an hour but it was so beautiful we ended up spending 3 hours.  The road up was pretty scary in some sections but the view was worth it when we got there.  We could see the whole Valley and even spotted the waterfalls which were actually flowing quite well.  I am sure they are much more raging in the spring but still quite beautiful as they are right now. It is at an elevation of 7214 ft which made for some very distant views of the surrounding area.  I strongly encourage anyone even if you aren’t into climbing rocks to make it a priority to see this magical place.  You will come away with a much deeper appreciation for what the world has to offer.

View of waterfalls from Glacier Point

We also went to Mirror Lake which is a mile hike up a paved road.  There is no longer any water there but it really resembled what I would expect the surface of the moon to look like.  It had large boulders surrounded by sand and lots of interesting trails.  There is also a cairn “field” which is actually illegal in the park because it goes against the leave no trace policy by moving the rocks but it did make for an interesting find and actually was quite amazing to see.  It was also quite accessible and easy to get around. This entire park is very well done as far as accessibility.  It is by far the most accessible outdoor space I have ever been.

We also saw plenty of deer which Sandy and the kids were quite excited about.  One even walked right in front of Tanner as if he wasn’t even there.

Even the time spent just hanging out in the hotel room was fun and enjoyable.  The kids also loved the pools that were there. We took one day off just to enjoy that part of the experience and to see some of the local area where we were staying. We went to Coarsegold, CA and had lunch at a local diner with the nicest owners and really good food. It is called The Miners Grill if you are ever out this way.

I think what I got out of this week was the fact that experiences aren’t as fulfilling if you don’t have people to share them with.  It was so awesome to see the kids and Sandy’s reactions to all the things I have loved seeing since being in the Valley and some of the things I had never experienced before as well.  When they all left yesterday the kids were already talking about coming back.  I am so grateful that I was able to have some part in giving them this experience in life and that I was able to share it with them.

So starting today I am back in full training mode and hopefully will be up on a big wall by the 30^th if the elected officials manage to shut down the government again.  I will have to be on the wall before that happens or I won’t be able to stay here anymore because no one will be getting paid to work here.  I truly hope this doesn’t happen but am preparing for the possibility given what I am seeing in the news.

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