Winter Yosemite I

For us Californians, who don’t get to see snow often, Christmas break is usually the time when everyone makes a pilgrimage to the Sierras to truly witness the winter and experience the snow. We, like everyone else, also left for Yosemite Park during Christmas week to look for our white winter.

As we were climbing up the Sierra mountains, we didn’t see a single drop of snow in the sight. Everyone in the car started to wonder if we would see any snow at all. Although I assured them the weather forecast reported a heavy snow storm a day before our arrival, everyone still had a big question mark in their mind. After another two thousand feet elevation climb with no sight of snow, even I started to have doubts. Gradually, everyone fell asleep with disappointments. However, we didn’t know that endless winter beauties would be waiting for us.

After passing through the park entrance gate, what surprisingly welcomed us were rows of snow covered pine trees and mountains. As we drove through the winding road, the orange-purple sunset, accompanied with snow-covered mountains and mist of fogs created another round of wows from the back seat. As we got closer to our rental cabin at Yosemite West, the moon already rose. The full moon, the moon-reflected Half Dome and the frozen water fall presented another stunning beauty for the night. I have to say no matter how many times you have visited Yosemite Park in the past, seeing it in the winter feels like the very first time. For us grown-ups, seeing Yosemite’s natural beauty in winter is like Ansel Adam’s world-famous photographs being presented in 3D format right in front of us. For Ryan, Shannon and Tony, ranging in age of two to eight, the frosty mountains, endless snow-covered pine trees, the narrow trails leading to nowhere and the occasional appearances of deers and foxes made them feel as if they were in the movie – Narnia. I have to say that my photographs don’t do any justice to Yosemite’s breathtaking winter scenery.

Even though we just came back from the park, we are planning for our next winter visit. Yosemite, we’ll come again soon.