We started today even earlier than we did the previous day, leaving for the park by 7am. Although it’s recommended to be at Glacier Point by sunrise, I just didn’t see us making it that early after the tiring day we had yesterday. It turned out that we were still early enough to find parking spots quite easily, and enjoy our first few stops while the weather was still cooler.
Our first stop was Bridalveil Falls – a very short hike with such a rewarding view.
We then drove up to Glacier Point, which took about 30-40 minutes driving, but was so worth it for the panoramic views at the top. This was my favorite place to view Half Dome, and we spent about an hour at the top, ending our walk with a trip to the Gift Store for a few treats and souvenirs.
We planned to stop at Washburn Point on our way down, but missed it somehow. If the kids were older, we would have included the hike to Taft Road and Sentinel Dome, but we felt like they were too young for this hike just yet. So our next stop was Tunnel View, which was the most populated of all of our morning stops. We still enjoyed seeing these views and snapping a few pictures.
We then drove down to the valley and returned to Valley Lodge for a bathroom break before heading to the El Capitan picnic area. I could seriously sit and stare at El Capitan all day long. The enormity of it is truly unreal and unlike anything I’ve seen before. I cannot imagine how some people spend days climbing it.
After our picnic, we chose to follow a lesser well known hike, the western end of Valley Floor Loop, beginning right west of the El Capitan bridge. Although I read that the entire loop was 6.5 miles of a stroll, we only went a few miles down and back, following alongside the river and weaving in and out of patches of sunlight in the meadow of the impressive surroundings of Lower, Middle and Higher Cathedral peaks, as well as Sentinel Dome and El Capitan. By the time the meadow grasses on either side of the path grew taller than Carmen, we decided to turn around and return to our car, and make the hour trek back to the RV park.
The boys spend the rest of the evening playing with friends, floating the river in tubes, and we took the girls down to one part of the river, allowing them to swim, wade and splash for a little bit.
Nick grilled steaks for dinner and I made a side of broccoli in our instant pot. Another full, fun day!
jami lee gainey 