Yosemite

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The drive to Yosemite brought us past the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It made me think about how California really is a land of extremes. One minute we were at Badwater Basin, Death Valley - the lowest place in the Western Hemisphere and a desert with record breaking heat - and the next we were staring at the gigantic snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains and mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the US. The road we were traveling on took us parallel to the mountain range giving us a great view of the mighty peaks. we stayed at a place called Mammoth Lakes that night & before settling in we went to view the said lakes. We stood there & marveled at how decidedly un-mammoth they were, whilst freezing our arses off in our desert attire of shorts & t-shirt surrounded by snow!

the next day we headed to Yosemite National Park determined to hike the trail to the top of the famous Yosemite falls. we messed about a bit in getting there so we didn't start until 2.30pm. the guide book said it would take 5-6 hours meaning we would be back after dark but we pushed ahead regardless, the intrepid pioneers we are! the path was well marked & was in some cases like a rocky staircase, but it just kept going on and on winding upwards like ascending the tower of Babel, but we kept going. after about an hour we finally came in sight of the waterfall for the first time. it was an incredible sight, literally tons of water cascading over the edge. as it fell it seemed to vaporize so that hardly any of the water appeared to reach the bottom. the sight was yet again breathtaking. there seem to be a lot of those moments so far on this trip, & i am worried that i will become immune to all the amazing sights i will see.

My camera decided to pack up on me at this point, it was wet & freezing, but i don't have any photo's from the top. shame. got back down just as the sun was setting.

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Photos

Mount Whitney
Highest mountain in US

Comments

[Phippsy]

Podgey!!
Alright mate, looks like you are having a quality time and getting some exercise in at the same time nice work! Although are you trying to tell me you did a 6hr trek in 1hr? Ive seen you at full pace and you certainly dont break any records... no offence of course! Im loving the the quotes you are including, do you have a book full of them? Or have you been learning them like symbols of the periodic table?! Back here in the glorious motherland plenty has been going on... A trip to Alton towers where we went on all of the big rides, I shocked myself cause I bloody hate rollercosters especially that shit(apologies to any kids reading) scary one that goes straight down! The only thing we didnt do was go on the tea cups which I hear you are a massive fan of?! Just back from Glasto on Monday it was absolutely wicked plenty of drinking was done by all and saw some pretty awesome music Prodigy, Pendulum and Dizzee to name but a few.... Josh disgraced himself but he will have to tell you about that on your return! This Saturday Charlie is doing her sky dive, think there is a few of us heading down to watch think I am crapping myself more than her and all I do is watch... jumping out of planes aint my cup of tea! So where to next Podge mate......