Oh, where to begin. Let's add to the theme of the summer. Adventures.
Almost too much adventure was had on my way to Lake Tahoe last week when I decided to stop and ride my bike. It was a beautiful, awesome, nearly perfect trail.
To make a long story short, I got lost. Very lost. In the absolute middle of nowhere. I found myself climbing up forest roads until they dead ended, descending mountains until they were undescendable, and becoming delirious due to lack of food and water. My 3 hour ride slowly turned into a 6 hour panic attack which left my legs annihilated and my stomach empty. All the while I was thinking of the irony of being lost somewhere near Donner Pass, contemplating eating myself as the sun was setting.
Trying to look panicked...
Tahoe. Oooooh Lake Tahoe. So beautiful and so relaxing.
Besides hiking Mt. Rose, I didn't do much besides stare at the sun and take a couple of dips in the lake. It was awesome.
Caitlyn... loving every second of it.
Nick... being a sherpa.
Me... and the lake.
Is the weather this perfect all summer in Tahoe? Probably.
I left Tahoe very excited for my next stop. It was my first time to Yosemite. Another absolutely amazing national park. I was like a kid in a candy store, along with the thousands of other people enjoying the beauty. I lucked out and found a camping spot within the park and got to bed early. I woke up at 3 AM enjoyed some of the most amazing stars I have seen as I packed up and headed to the trail. It was about 5:30 AM and still quite dark when I got going on the trail, which seemed to be the popular time to start hiking. I assume most were headed to the same destination as I; Half Dome. 4,800 ft and 8 miles of beauty would stand between myself and this prominent rock.
Vernal falls, from the aptly named 'Mist Trail.'
Up and up.
Nevada falls.
I hiked quickly, but no view was left unseen.
Allllllmost there...
She's in sight.
Squirrels up here were pretty smart... and fat.
Ascending the cables was unreal. One lazy step could easily send anyone sliding hundreds of feet down the rock face.
Atop the summit, I was mesmerized by the views. I was pretty proud of my 3 hour ascent.
It was about 8:30 AM when I reached the summit. Many early birds were up there already. Some told me that they had started at 1:00 AM to catch the sunrise... including this guy.
I hustled my way down as well, but was slowed down a bit by human (and bear!) traffic on the trail.
Some of the views were much more amazing with the sun up.
A much needed creek bath.
After a little creek time, I headed westward through Cali. I hit the coast at Monterey and hopped on HWY 1 heading south. I was excited to see this section of Coast, around Big Sur. Another amazing part of the coast that I had not yet seen.
Having been up since 3, I was a bit exhausted after my long day of hiking and driving. Unfortunately, despite an abundance of campgrounds in this region, there was no open space for me to pitch my tent for the night. I kept driving south into the dark night.
I pulled off the road once my eyelids became a bit too heavy to hold up, and slept in the car... surprisingly well. I guess if you're tired enough, you can sleep anywhere.
More costal cruising on this lovely day. Through San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara as I make my way to the city of angels.
It's bitter sweet, but my adventure filled summer seems to be coming down the home stretch as I head into SoCal.
BA - out
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