A Darn Funny Story and Some Darn Good Views

Sunset from Donohue Pass along the John Muir Trail.

So a couple weeks ago Clay and I decided to visit Yosemite. Walking distance about 32 miles. Driving distance 60 miles. We opted for the walking option. It was an adventure filled weekend. At one point I really thought the mosquitoes were going to pick me up and carry me out. We waited out a pretty nasty hailstorm in our little 32 ounce tent. It held up amazingly well. We walked back into civilization at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite around 1:30 in the afternoon and realized we had about a five hour wait until the bus came through to take us back to Mammoth. So we decided to try and hitch a ride back home. I'm not going to lie you always feel a little bit like a dirtbag sitting on your backpack on the side of the road with your thumb out. I was glad though that we were under the safety of the "National Park Safety Bubble." This is California after all. We hadn't sat there ten minutes before an oddly familiar gold Lexus pulled over. Before the driver even got out of the car I knew who it was. As the Superintendent of Devils Postpile got out of the driver seat and started moving stuff around in her car for the dirties on the side of the road I was already laughing out loud. That's right our Superintendent picked us up. For those of you who don't have a superintendent it would kind of be like the CEO or President of your company picking you up off the side of the road when you had just hiked for a couple days and are covered in alternating layers of sunscreen and bug spray. Super. I realize the odds of this happening are slim to none. Which is why it is such a darn funny story. As we exited through the fee station at Yosemite we confused the crap out of the ranger in the booth when we all said we work for Devils Postpile National Monument. He responded with, "Oh you work for the Forest Service?" Oh the plight of being a little 800 acre monument. Ehh, we are loving life here. When your Superintendent is picking you up off the side of the road you know you are in a good place :) Previously mentioned hitchhiking.
View from Donohue Pass.
Thousand Island Lake.

Southeast Glacier Mt. Ritter.

Summit of Mt. Ritter.
Ritter Lakes from summit.

Minarets from Iceburg Lake.
Cecile Lake.