4:30 am was especially easy to wake up to with the promise of sunrise over Half Dome.
Some friends invited us to join in their family's traditional Yosemite trip, camping in the valley floor in housekeeping. What a pleasant surprise! I was wary of being part of a group of 40, but it turned out to be an incredible time.
We had easy access to everything and no real need to drive if we didn't want to. This morning we chose to drive the hour trip up to Glacier Point. A friend from the group had done it the day before and I was eager to see for myself. At midnight the night before I made the decision. I told my husband, Karl, what I was thinking and he was game. He was looking forward at the prospect of the one way 7 mile hike back down past Vernal Falls ending at Happy Isles. I drove back solo to camp with far too many beautiful things to savor in that early morning glow.
We told the kids about it when we both returned and ended up repeating the trip the very next day. Our younger son was excited to make a time lapse of the sun rising over Half Dome. Truly a spectacular show.