Yosemite, Day 4

Stace bought a fishing license, so he went out nice and early Wednesday to take advantage. He didn't catch a fish, but he did catch sight of a couple of bears.

When he came back, we got ready for a big hike, up to the top of Vernal Falls. We rode our bikes to the foot of the trail, and then joined the throngs on their way up. And up, and up.

We took quite a few breaks to rest, breathe, and take in our surroundings.

Doesn't Wylie look like a perfect Boy Scout?

Eventually, we made it up to the bridge, where you get a great view of the river.

I promise, no Coras were in danger during the taking of this photograph.

We stopped on the other side of the bridge for lunch, where some crazy squirrels eagerly tried to charm us into giving up our leftovers.

And then, we carried on, up, and up and up. The weather was warm, but we soon came along the Mist Trail, where the waterfall cast off enough droplets to cool us off and soak the rocky path.

The views were worth it!

Violet amazed us all - she did it all, cheerfully.

And this is why you come to Yosemite and complete the hardest hike you've ever done. (#NotAHiker.)

Just beyond the top of Vernal Falls is the Emerald Pool. The water was pure snow melt - gorgeous and freezing. Pam loved it.

You can see how my feet were going into shock.

Crazy kids!

On the positive side, they got thoroughly cooled off for our warm hike down.

Violet took some artsy photos while we enjoyed our mountaintop experience.

The long hike back down was painful on my out-of-shape thighs! But we all made it.

We rested when we got back, and then went back to the river for a bit more fishing and some archery. Pam is an amazing mom and coach - she know so much about so many things, and she helped all four kids with their archery technique.

Both Cora and Wylie ended up in the river to rescue their lines and lures. Eventually, they moved to the other side of the bridge, where Stace got out the fly rod he borrowed from his boss.

Eventually, we ended up back in the village, where we got a very late pizza dinner. And, because it was Birthday Eve for Stace, Wylie and Cooper, we celebrated with ice cream.

It was our last full day in Yosemite, and we lived it to the fullest!