If you’ve been following my adventure series than you know I’ve been on some pretty awesome excursions these past few months!
Our latest explorations brought us to Yosemite, CA with our good friends Esther and Jacob of Local Adventurer, who invited us to join them on a snow-shoeing snow-day extravaganza! Before hopping into the car and excitedly making our way from the sun to the snow though, I of course, had a meltdown … WHAT WAS I GOING TO WEAR?!?!?!
We live in L.A. so we’ve become a little lot accustomed to our ‘clear skies, perfect 75 degree, surf and swim’ conditions. So to prepare for what was predicted to be a winter storm with 10+ inches of snow and icy roads, I told myself, “meh, five layers will be fine!”
I searched high and low for good deals on the internet for a few reasons, 1) I had t-minus 4 days to get my butt in gear, literally 2) if you haven’t been in the market for snow gear lately, insider-tip: they’re expensive! 3) I’m not an insider so I have zero clue what I need, where to get it, or what I will actually use verses what I will buy just because it’s CUTE, hashtag Wanderlust.
So this is what I ended up purchasing, and I have to say, I did pretty good! *high fives self* I got most things on sale and on time (hallelu Amazon Prime)! I also got a few things in child sizes because, cheaper. I’m a size 5 1/2 in women’s shoes so that makes me a child size 4! Pro tip: you can apply this kind of calculation for purchasing Uggs and other expensive shoes that you’d like to pay 30-50% less for.
I didn’t know how ‘active’ we’d be on this trip and a lot of the gear was labeled ‘low to moderate’ activity. How does one quantify the level of activity snowshoeing will bring? So I assumed it wouldn’t be THAT strenuous (1st lie I told myself). So I layered up (pictured below), featuring the bottom layer, and I also wore some tights underneath and a huge winter coat over top.
1. weatherproof thermal shirt 2. thermal bottom layer 3. waterproof pants 4. thermal socks 5. lightweight waterproof jacket 6. waterproof gloves 7. winter snow boots 8. snow googles
Emphasis on waterproof for as much of the apparel as possible because when snow melts it becomes cold ice-water. You don’t want that pressed up against your skin when changing isn’t an option (oh you’ll be cute with less layers they said, it’s not that cold they said. Hashtag Wanderlust).
Well here I am, all geared up, layered up, and ready to go! How cute are Esther and I?! This is us attempting to throw a snow ball. Jacob snapped a few photos of us and then we all frolicked in the snow until we were ready to go inside to thaw out.
Snowshoeing with everyone this weekend in this snowy winter wonderland was wonderful! Also, it was a workout! Midway through the hike up a hill (that felt like it was an 80% incline but was probably not steep at all, 2nd lie I told myself!) I removed two of my layers and rolled them up into Joe’s backpack and honestly I was just fine for the rest of the trip. Blame it on sweaty me, huffing and puffing up the hill, but I didn’t need the extra layers at all.
This was the entrance to the short cut that Joe and I took back to the lodge to meet up with the group for lunch. How incredibly beautiful are these trees? Snow makes everything even more magical, but so does Joe’s photography skills.
This is tunnel view, looking out onto half dome when we first arrived into the park on Friday. Just moments before this photo was taken the clouds were dark and we thought we’d missed seeing the sun look over the mountains. Then, wouldn’t ya know it, mother nature peered her beautiful face through the clouds and we all went nuts!
This is from our second trip to tunnel view this weekend and the landscape looked completely different from the 24 hours before. Ominous and moody, I was happy that we could appreciate the contrast in views and see the beauty in both.
I was sad to leave this enchanted forest but I’m excited to come back this summer! It’s pretty remarkable the ways you experience nature just given the change in season.
I hope this post inspired you to visit a snowy scene near you AND informed you of how to properly layer up! To see more photos from this weekend’s trip check out the hashtags #yosemitesnowday #tenayalodge and #yosemite_dn. While you’re at it, catch up on all of my #FindYourPark happenings by typing in the hashtag and scrolling through!
I really had a superb time with all of these marvelous people; I loved meeting new faces and spending quality time with long time friends, so please head over to Esther and Jacob’s blog and check out their adventures! They inspire me so much!
What winter wonderland activity would you most like to do?! P.S. If you haven’t tried snowshoeing than you should because, easier than snow boarding!
