Cloud's Rest Yosemite--The Ultimate Hike

First of all, the Cloud's Rest was amazing breathtaking exhausting indescribable.

We began at Tenaya Lake (an elevation of 8,150 feet) and hiked up seven miles. The terrain was rough in spots, but not quite so bad as Upper Yosemite Falls last year. By 12:15 my group had arrived at the top. We hung out for an hour or so, exploring, taking pictures, eating lunch, sleeping, and just admiring the view. Ten of us decided to take the long way back, which would take us straight to the valley floor.

All in all, we hiked about nineteen miles and by the time we reached the village we were tripping-over-our-shoelaces-tired. But it was worth it. So worth it. If you ever get the chance to hike Cloud's Rest or any hike in Yosemite, pounce on it! Just be ready for the pain. (Oh, and make sure to bring food and water. We had a couple people forget those rather essential items this trip.)

The rest of the weekend dances all around in my brain. Sleeping under the stars. Telling scary stories. Testing out judo moves on each other. Jumping from thirty feet into Rainbow Pools. Long car rides. Music. Sore muscles. Goofy games. Yep, 2012 Yosemite Trip will go down in history.

Psalm 121

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore."

Have you been to Yosemite? What's the longest hike you've ever taken?