First trip to Yosemite

I've been looking forward to hiking in Yosemite since I moved down to San Francisco. I've been exploring Northern California, in slowly expanding concentric circles from San Francisco. And in late October I made it to Yosemite.

For my first scouting trip I wanted to go to the valley. And since it was nearly November I figured it wouldn't be too crowded. Which turned out to be true. What I did not count on was how beautiful it would be in late autumn. It was breathtaking. I just felt better and better as I hiked up the valley and soaked in the views of Half Dome.

And the granite on the river bottom of the Merced River made the river just sparkle in the afternoon sunshine. I was enchanted.

I look forward to going back and doing longer hikes.

Here are a few photos from that weekend:

Yosemite October 2011