We took a week off from work without much of a plan, only to unwind and enjoy the spring, sunny weather. Rather spontaneously, as it rarely ever happens, we found a last minute camping reservation in Yosemite. For several days. Over a weekend. I think I was still a little in shock as I booked it.

And so our mini adventure began…

After packing up our gear, meals, and the essential hot cocoa, we hit the road. We researched hikes along the way and dropped by a few stores (including REI) for some essential snacks.

My husband bought me an MSR kettle as an early birthday present. We used this multiple times a day, including tea in the morning and hot cocoa by the bonfire in the evenings. It felt so good to be in nature and actually go somewhere for vacation after over a year at home.

We walked to Mirror Lake from our campsite at Upper Pines for a short evening hike. It was lovely and uncrowded, especially since they’d closed several roads where people could walk. We watched sunset from here, under Half Dome.

On our second day, we did an 8 mile loop up to Upper Yosemite falls, taking breaks to take in the stunning views of the waterfall cascading down in sheets.

Here’s a view of the sheer cliffs as we hiked up to the top:

It was a beautiful, warm day out in the open with 360 degree views of the valley. We got down the trail in time for an early dinner and curled around the bonfire with a clear view of the stars above. For the first time in a while, we slept in the next day and snacked in front of El Capitan before leisurely driving several hours home.