A Tale of Two (or three) BIG Trees and a Snowstorm

Thursday night, Bob and I decided to spend our upcoming Saturday at Yosemite National Park.

I wanted to see the Mariposa Grove. Our last trip to Yosemite was cut short due to Bob's work schedule, and we missed seeing the giant sequoia redwood trees. I've wanted to see those trees for years, so much so that I added it to my life list of goals. We live only a few hours drive from those growing giants, and it would be a waste not to seize the opportunity. Besides, I'm not one for the concrete jungle. The urban experience of Sacramento has proven to me over and over that I'm made for a garden, not an office building.

So, Saturday morning we hopped in our car around 8 AM and drove four hours to Yosemite National Park. Back once again to the mountains and the beautiful river foraging through the valley. Back to a place we could now call familiar. We saw Yosemite Falls once again, and lamented the fact that we were only there for the day. Camping was out of the question, all the sites were full. There were twice the number of people milling around the visitor's center as our trip prior, and I can only imagine what it will look like next weekend. Memorial's Day weekend is a big money-maker for the National Park.

We stopped in Yosemite Valley for lunch, and is was then that I noticed something - a chill in the air. Actually, more than a chill. It was cold. All around me, people were wearing their winter coats and columbia jackets, hats and gloves. I was in an outfit appropriate for hiking in 60-ish degree weather - a tank top and a thin sports jacket, the kind you wear for running. Very non-insulated. We ate a quick lunch outside, and I shivered. "Surely when the sun comes out later on our hike through the Sequoias, it will be warmer" I surmised.

I'm not very good at surmising.

We drove another hour to Wawona, climbing thousands of feet in elevation, and as we did, the sky became darker, and cloudier, and all of a sudden...

"Bob...is that snow?"

Pause.

"Looks like it."

Something was falling from the sky, but it didn't look like rain. It was lighter, softer, white. Oh yes, it was snow. Just a few flurries, but snow non-the-less. NOTE: I haven't seen snow fall from the sky in ages. It's sad, but true. I hardly recognized it. It eventually stopped.

We arrived at Wawona, parked the car and waited for the shuttle to pick us up and drive us to the grove. It was freezing, literally, and I was wholly unprepared for this trip. I opened up the trunk of our car and found a fleece blanket. I decided I could take it with me to the grove, just in case the cold was unbearable. I could wear it like a shawl. I could pretend I was a pioneer. And if I ended up being warmer than I thought, I could carry it easily enough.

Am I ever glad I did. Bob and I jumped on the shuttle and continued up the mountain. Higher and higher we climbed, the shuttle easing it's way up the mountain, when the driver announced, "Hey folks, it's snowing!"

Yes, it was. We arrived at the Mariposa Grove, and it continued to snow. Big flakes, snow pellets, dropping at a steady rate, then increasing to snowstorm speeds. I wrapped that blanket around me, and Bob and I trekked through the grove, a place that looked more and more like a scene out of Narnia. I was finally able to stand next to those ginormous trees, trees that were estimated to be 1,800 years old.

I have wanted to see the sequoias for years. I couldn't have planned how I saw them if I tried, in the midst of a late-spring snowstorm. It was truly amazing. If you ever want to feel small, stand next to a sequoia. No ego can withstand it.

Here are a few pictures from our experience:

My camera caught a few of those flakes in action

Looks like Christmas...

It was snowing pretty hard by the time we found the tunnel tree...

Bob, communing with the tree...

Actually, the bark felt spongy.

Looking for Mr. Tumnus in Narnia...

We did a lot of looking up. 

In fact, the sequoias are generally taller than the Statue of Liberty. 

The tiny man to the left is Bob.

We ended our hike covered in snow and happy as clams. There was only one more thing to see - Inspiration Point.

On our drive to the Mariposa Grove, we passed a spot covered in photographers, tourists and the like. Here's why:

No, that's not a backdrop or a photoshopped picture. That was the view. That's inspiration point. You can see El Capitan to the left of the picture, and Bridalveil Falls to the right. Stunning, huh?

So, check that life goal off the list! It was pretty amazing.