(first two photos procured from Google images)
Os's mom and dad rented a house near Bass Lake which proved to be a great launching point for Yosemite, especially in Spring.
We made our way up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls. It was just the right degree of difficulty for our band of hikers.
Lunch stop by the foot bridge. BiggiE is feeling good.
Happy hikers
BiggiE and Moose leading the way. We got an early start on the hike and we are so glad we did. There were plenty of people on the trail while we hiked up, but about double the number on the way back down.
The river was raging. Do you see Vernal Falls in the distance?
Right after this photo Os decided it was good time to head back down with Jelly Bean and BiggiE. We had nary a trash bag, let alone proper rain gear and Moose was the only kid interested in getting drenched.
Moose was still all smiles despite being wet and cold, but right after this photo he and I headed back down. Grandmere and Grandpere were the only ones to make it to the very top. The hump on my back is my jacket. When we got back down from the waterfall Moose took off all his wet clothes and wore my still dry jacket as a dress. I felt very maternal sacrificing my warmth for his. Plus, I knew Os would give me his jacket when we got down. Trickle down warmth.
Back at the house the boys tried a little fishing with Grandpere.
The next day we were especially glad we were staying in a house instead of camping on the valley floor as we awoke to snow. We scraped our hiking plans and decided to just visit the sequoia grove.
The kids were chilly as we walked through the giant trees. They were very ready for hot chocolate and...
a warm bath.
This last photo is just documentation that Jelly Bean has Grandpere wrapped around her littlest digit. At the grocery store he bought his 2-year-old granddaughter this jar of pear baby food because, "she was looking at it. I think she wanted it." She looks pretty please with herself.
