Back to Evergreen Lodge. Back to the Muir house where we cook together and watch movies and make s'mores. Second December in a row. Our annual pilgrimage becoming real.
Hetch Hetchy stunned us—our first time there together, and half of us didn't even know it existed. Breathtaking doesn't cover it. Then Lower Yosemite Falls where kids scrambled boulders while we hiked together, everyone at their own pace but nobody alone. So accessible and yet so grand. Perfect for all of us.
The woods behind the Muir house called to our kids constantly. They'd disappear into the trees—that perfect distance where they felt wild and free but we could still hear them laughing. The playground's zipline became the gathering spot. We'd find them there every time, taking turns, cheering each other on.
Last morning brought buffet breakfast at the lodge. Kids ordered hot cocoa and nobody wanted it to end. We sat as long as we could, stretching the goodbye, making the trip last just a little bit longer. Because leaving is always the hardest part. Second December, second time coming home to Yosemite. This place, these people—our annual pilgrimage. Nobody solos.