My 2 Year Old Grandaughter Visits Her Name Sake - May Lake

[Grzldvt]

Call me an overly proud Grandpa.. I took my daughter to May Lake in Yosemite for her first backpacking trip when she was 13 years old(Over 21 years ago). It was an instant hit and an annual if not more, visits to May Lake and the ridge every year.
She was an outdoors lover from that point on. It was what she studied in college and turned into a career working at Seattle's Woodland Zoo and the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.
When her 2nd daughter was born she named her Sierra May, after our favorite location in the world(the Sierra in California, and May after our favorite location within the Sierra, May Lake in Yosemite)
She had some surprise time off and drove down to San Jose with a 2 year old and a 5 year old.

We could not resist taking the kids to Yosemite and showing 2 year old Sierra May her namesake location. My family bonds through physical exercise and being outdoors:thumbs: What a concept.. My daughter and I ran the Seattle RnR Marathon and half at the end of June. She did the half marathon I did the full, but we ran the first 6-7 miles together.

Here are just a few pics from the trip

Yosemite 140 Entrance Rest Area - Sierra May is in the Black Beatles T-Shirt, Cassidy Rose(Grateful Dead Fans might recognize that name) is in the pink and my daughter reading the sign


Cassidy Rose taking a look at the pack train that just arrived - Note how clean she is


May Lake High Sierra Camp 1.2 Miles with a decent climb of about 500 feet at an elevation of 8900 feet. 5 year old Cassidy hiked it all the way up and all the way down.


View from my daughters first backpacking trip from the ridge at May Lake


The crew, Jill, Cassidy Rose, and Sierra May on the ridge


Sierra May and Cassidy Rose at May Lake - The mountain peak is the geographic center of Yosemite and is called Mt. Hoffman.


And who had the most fun - Cassidy Rose. She is an amazing little hiker, going 2.5 miles all total, with a 500 ft climb and was excited to be out there. I never heard a discouraging word or whining from her, just excitement to be out there on the trail. Amazing at 5 years old. Sierra May whined and complained because she wanted to walk, as my daughter had her in a carrier. We got past all the ugly drops and onto the flat to the finish and put her down. She hiked about 1/2 mile on her own and could have easily kept going.

[balzaccom]

Lovely !