yosemite: part 2 of 2

As I said in the previous Yosemite post, Papa Dash and I were born and raised in Hawai'i, so naturally we'd both grown up accustomed to the warm waters of our local beaches and rivers.  Going to Yosemite National Park with Dash was the first time we had actually experienced "mainland" swimming.  Before then we'd only stuck our fingers in the frigid Bay Area waters and gawked at how other people could brave the cold to take a dip.

At the Wowona campgrounds there was a beautiful, lazy river lined with the most beautiful river rocks I've ever seen.  The water was crystal clear and the perfect chilly temperature to swim in on such a hot summer day.  One spot was even deep enough to jump in from the bank!  How much more idyllic could it get?  Geez, Yosemite National Park was just gorgeous.  Even more than gorgeous.  There aren't even words.

Dash was clearly overheating under the baking summer sun, so we decided to bring him into the water to cool down a little.  He was a very brave mini Aussie as he was tossed into the water then paddled back to shore.  In an act of serendipity, a random floating mattress came down stream for us to play with too!  I think aside from cooling down aspect, Dash totally preferred floating like a king to swimming through the river.

It wasn't long before our puppy was all tuckered out.  He curled up in my lap to take a nap... except when he stretched out, he didn't quite fit any more.  Rather than wake him or move him I just held my hand out to support him.  Our friends thought I was crazy as I sat there patiently with my hand under Dash's head, but to me it was one of those special puppyhood moments I will never forget.  In retrospect, I'm very grateful someone thought to take a photo of it!

What a perfect day.  Our baby mini Aussie learned to dog paddle, Papa Dash and I had our first "mainland" swimming experience, and we all enjoyed the awesome beauty of the river.  I can't wait to go back again next summer!!

yosemite: part 1 of 2

Ever since Day One we'd been counting down the time until Dash could truly begin to share our love of nature!  To celebrate Papa Dash's birthday and to make Dash's first outdoor adventure a grand one, we took a long weekend off with our friends and drove all the way to Yosemite National Park.  I remember my Grandpa telling me long ago that Yosemite was one of the most beautiful places he'd ever seen (and he was far more well traveled than I will ever be) so I thought about this the whole way there. 

Once we finally stopped at a lookout... HOLY BANANAS!!!  It was the most incredible display of natural beauty I'd ever seen!!! (Even more breathtaking than anything in our home state of Hawai'i.)   Just staring into the infinite distance, blanketed in endless trees, surrounded by mammoth cliffs and waterfalls...  Words can't describe how moving the experience was.  I was even grateful there was no cell phone reception, since this way we were all completely immersed in nature.

 

Our friends had booked a campsite at the Wowona campgrounds, so after wiping our jaws off the floor we headed over there.  Being from Hawai'i, where there are no bears, Papa Dash and I paid very close attention to the ranger as he explained all the rules.  Would I be able to see a bear?  The possibility of glimpsing such a majestic wild animal was electrifying!

On the other hand, little Dash couldn't care less about bears and wasted no time getting thoroughly dirty as we set up camp.  As we settled in we were definitely glad we chose to stay out of the crowded, main village area of the park.  It was so warm and beautiful out that our roommate didn't even set up his tent.  He simply hooked up his hammock and slept under the stars.

I guess we should have researched Yosemite more before we got there, because the rangers quickly pointed out that although leashed dogs were allowed in the campgrounds, there weren't really any dog friendly hiking trails or activities.  No problem, we thought.  We'll just go check out the giant Sequoia trees for now (especially the one with the hole through the bottom).

Yosemite was ridiculously big, so we all had to drive over to the Mariposa Grove to see the giant Sequoia trees.  Unfortunately it was only once we got there and saw the signs that we realized there were no dogs allowed on the trail.  We were heartbroken!  What to do, what to do...

Hey!  Let's just carry Dash!  Our logic was that if we carried him, he wouldn't be making any impact on the natural surroundings and it would almost be like he was never there.  I'm a stickler for following the rules of the trail, so this was a very difficult choice for me to live with.  To make it even harder, we got quite a few stares as we walked the busy trail holding a puppy in our arms.  But, it was worth it.  Being in the presence of so many ancient, towering trees was again, just moving.

Okay.  You caught us.  We did let Dash walk on this one log when no one was looking.  I love seeing him experience new things.  He took to balancing along the round surface with ease, and soaked in all the smells for the few moments he was allowed to touch the log.

I think everyone should see Yosemite once in their life, and I am so happy to have shared this first with young Dash and some of the closest people in my life!