Dipalopalo tša maeto Yosemite Valley
Diblogo tša Maeto tše Mpsha & tše di Hlaotšwego Yosemite Valley
13th Day - Day 13
Today was an extremely early wake-up call. We left at 5 am to go to Yosemite to avoid waiting 2-3 hours at the park entrance... While I enjoyed the sunrise, Zoë fell back asleep...
2 hours later, we reached Yosemite and after a coffee, we set off to Verna Falls. Only 5 km but with an elevation gain of 800 meters. As someone who is not really a fan of hiking, we actually enjoyed the early morning walk. Especially the mist from the waterfall was a refreshing way to cool off. Although we could smell the announced fire, the visibility was still crystal clear, but unfortunately, it got significantly worse in the afternoon. We wanted to go to the highly praised Glacier Point, but it was closed due to the fire. Then we wanted to go river rafting, but the rivers did not have enough water. The horse riding and bike rental were also closed due to the fire and smoke. So we had no choice but to relax and swim at a sandy beach by the river. However, as time went on, it became exhausting because the air quality was really bad. We could hardly see the surroundings anymore, which was a shame because we could still see the outlines of the mountains and imagine their beauty. However, on our way back, we saw a female black-tailed deer nursing her fawn... so cute! We settled into our quite fancy tent, took a shower, and went to the Majestic Hotel, which truly lived up to its name. I got my highly praised Margarita and Zoë had the non-alcoholic version. The waitress wanted to see my ID to confirm that I was over 21. Yes, it happens to me all the time 😊
Early morning