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It’s warm outside again, so that means more time outdoors. Hooray! My husband and I have been trying to go on a hiking day trip, but any time we get plans made the weather just doesn’t seem to want to cooperate. If we wait any longer, it’ll probably get too hot, and that’ll be no fun for us.

One of my favorite hikes, though, was the summer we went to Yosemite National Park for a family vacation. When I say we, I mean my family; Will wasn’t in the picture yet. My dad’s side of the family lives in Southern California, so we flew in, met some of them, and caravan-ed up north. I learned and saw so much that week we were there. Did you know 95% of the park is unexplored territory?

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I say it was a hike, but it was really a week of hiking. I desperately want to go back. We went in the summer, but it wasn’t too hot then. Ok, that’s a lie, it was very hot. However, there were some places on trails that had cavern openings, and blasts of cold air would come out. Nature’s air conditioning is amazing.

One location, Glacier Point, is particularly breathtaking. My dad and one of my sisters hiked with a couple cousins and our uncle up, but the rest of us didn’t join, because that’s a really strenuous hike. Later in the week, though, we drove up to the top. From there, you can see all of the Yosemite Valley. The Falls, Half Dome, the valley floor camp, even the baseball field from when injured soldiers were in respite care at the park.

While we were there, a thunderstorm broke over the valley. It was easily one of the most amazing things in nature I’ve ever seen. Watching the clouds roll in, the shadow sweeping across the valley floor. The wind rushed up our faces, the smell of the rain on the earth with it. Everyone had to take shelter in the little snack hut on top of the mountain until the storm passed, but it was a wonder to see.

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I want to go back, dearly. It’s one of the few places in the world my head felt screwed on correctly. I was able to disconnect from problems and reconnect with myself. I know it sounds really woo-woo, but it was something that needed to happen. Who knows, maybe I’ll ditch the real world and go live in a fallen redwood in Mariposa Grove. God knows I can fit in one!

Where’s your favorite place to leave reality and reconnect with nature? Let me know!