“No way.”

That’s what my wife, Eve, replied when I revealed my latest idea: a 24-mile backcountry hike through Yosemite National Park. The plan was to trek from Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley, passing through the stunning Cathedral Lakes along the way.

I was eager to find new points of view for my latest timelapse project. Taking the road less traveled… or, in this case, the trail.

It’s true that, for the most part, you don’t have to venture far from your car to enjoy breathtaking views while traveling across the U.S. The Forest Service alone manages over 380,000 miles of roads — roughly eight times the length of the Interstate Highway System (source).

Americans love to build a good road.

Somehow, I managed to convince my wife and snag a last-minute backcountry wilderness permit for Yosemite National Park.

We stepped onto the trail mid-day, just in time to reach Cathedral Lakes around sunset. After a bit of scrambling to the top of a nearby cliff, we were rewarded with an incredible viewpoint of Upper Cathedral Lake, with Cathedral Peak rising in the background. Mission accomplished.

However, we were not prepared for how cold the night was going to be. The dream is always to camp near a lake and enjoy the view when you wake up in the morning. I kind of wish we hadn’t.

We barely slept that night and woke up to ice covering our tent - in the middle of summer, no less.

Still 3 days and 16 miles to go…

Read Part II ↗