Yosemite

As we hiked to Bridalviel Falls in Yosemite both Nate and Savannah were screaming "Wet, wet! Cold! COLD!" in our ears. The baby backpacks do tend to put their mouths right at ear level. The waterfalls at Yosemite are amazing and the hikes right to the bottom tended to get us wet. But the falls were wonderful and we stood the screaming as long as we could to just stand still as the water poured all around. The ranger programs here are fantastic! Joe and Louisa had "Morning Coffee" with Ranger Sarah and then had a one hour hike with Ranger Karen. They are becoming very savy at asking questions and their background of knowledge is building and growing as they go through each Jr. Ranger program at each of the national and state parks we visit. "Don't Bust the Crust! It's ALIVE!" they sing as we hike. They each carry a small plastic bag and wear a plastic glove to collect bits of trash, toilet paper (ick) and cigarette buttes along the trails. It is all very cool to watch their excitement about and growing concern for creation.
Our campground down in Wawona, the southern part of the park was spacious and bordered with boulders and large-ish rocks. All four kids made a game of going around and around the site by only jumping from rock to rock. Of course, there were a few spills but no blood so it became a favorite game the whole time we were there. It is against federal law to have any food out more than 2 arm lengths away from you while in the national park. They are serious about bear protection. So we treated our bear box like a frig, although it was a bit smaller than we had hoped, so only the car seat covers stayed in this one. The water was frigid, about as cold as the snow that melts to make it flow so quickly here. The kids had a fun time trying to see who could stay in the longest. I clearly lost.