Hot Tip for Yosemite Travelers

Amy and Paul and James have discovered the secret to a successful Yosemite experience: backcountry camping. By obtaining a wilderness permit, we could camp anywhere we deemed worthy, as long as we were a certain distance from developed areas. (In contrast, car camping requires reservations six months in advance.) Of course, that meant we had to pack in all our stuff, which was pretty heavy considering that James doesn't yet carry his own weight--rather, he made Paul carry his own weight. But advantages to backcountry camping abound: we didn't see any other people, we didn't need a reservation, and we found a pristine little clearing to call home for the night. The next day's adventures, although undocumented due to a sad camera battery, included a scenic hike through an unusual landscape of burnt forest, a picturesque lunch in a meadow reminiscent of the place where Bambi's mother got shot, and a sudden snow storm that dumped several inches on us during our trek back to camp.