Friday morning in Berkeley

View of Yosemite Falls Tail from the meadow

Remembering winter days in the snow.

Our annual December 24th trip to Yosemite with my boys. Mostly we stayed in a tiny cabin by the Merced River with its door that faced Half Dome to the east. Or else, we stayed at the Lodge with its back door that opened up to a tiny forest by the Merced River.

There were our hikes: From Happy Isles to Mirror Lake and then along the meadow. And one year to the top of Yosemite Falls in deep [deep] snow on a demanding switchback trial. I remember how, at one point, when Brandon and Shanan got ahead of me and I couldn't see where they were, I hollered to them and they threw snow balls up in the air to indicate their whereabouts! And one time [during a drought], to Glacier Point. [Usually the Four-Mile trail was closed in the winter.] The day was sunny and there was quite a bit of black ice on the upper part of the trail because of the long afternoon shade on the [upper] south side of the valley. These conditions brought about lots of slipping and sliding and laughing [on the part of my boys]. And falling down [on my part]. I remember the next day. It was another sunny day. We went snow shoeing [me with my broken arm in a splint] at Badger Pass. Our leader, a beloved ranger, led us to a location that provided a splendid view of the high country of Yosemite. It was a grand sight. The three of us and the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the blue blue sky.

[And,of course, there was skiing at Badger Pass for Brandon and Shanan and cross country for me on the Glacier Point Road.]

We regularly ended up at the Ahwahnee Hotel [sometime twice a day] for warming up by the giant fire place in the Grand Lounge. And, after dinner at the cafeteria, we watched movies about Yosemite at the Lodge and wandered around in the gift shop to pass time before bedtime.

Grand Lounge at the Ahvanhee Hotel

Thinking about things/memories and how they are remembered.