I drove into Yosemite park to take in the crown jewel of the High Sierras once more. It does not take much to get away from the hoards of people and by hiking out to Mirror Lake, I was pretty much alone.

Named Mirror Lake for a reason.

The following day, I met up with J and A and together we hiked out to Tuolumne Meadows to see the giant Sequoias.

The upended root system of one Sequoia.

This does not adequately show the girth of these mammoth trees. They are from of an age of giants.

Soon it was time to get on the water. Jeff sitting by a quiet section of the Merced.

Into the breach once more! For the next two days, J and I paddled an 11 mile stretch of the Merced, shuttling back to our campsite in the afternoons.

Meanwhile, Airyele wrote, explored and made some amazing meals.

Before leaving, we hiked a few miles along the south fork of the Merced. The wildflowers are out this time of year in all variants of color and are quite spectacular. The last moments spent with such great friends were, of course, bitter sweet.