Hot to Cold in a Hurry

We arrived to Joshua Tree National Park at sundown and were shocked to find the place so empty. After fighting the crowds at some of the country’s most popular parks, we simply couldn't believe that there was only one other group in the entire campground. To give you an idea how few people were there, when Brooks got up to take his 4am leak, he didn’t even bother putting clothes on. Standing outside, stark naked, he proceeded to wake Nathalie up just so she knew that he was naked inside a national park and there wasn’t anything that anyone could do about it.

The following morning the crowds were still absent and we took advantage of it by giving Sierra the green light to come and hike the trails with us. We're pretty sure he wasn't aloud, but it was better than coming back to a baked dog. Either way, we all got to enjoy trolling the teddy bear cholla garden and walking under the parks famed giant yuccas. As quickly as we arrived, we departed and made way up the eastern side of the Sierras, over Tioga Pass, and down into the Yosemite Valley.

Our time in Yosemite started off with a bang (literally) as a 6:40am rockfall rumbled the valley and squashed a handful of cabins in Curry Village. The ground shook Eeyore's wheels and the sound waves caused the tent walls to flutter. It was an incredible thunder that lasted for two minutes and guaranteed everyone was awake. As a result, Curry Village closed for the day and sent many hikers out in their pajamas.

We hiked the entire valley floor from Bridal Veil falls to Mirror Lake, a 15-mile loop that we decided, for some reason, to do without water. We couldn't help but lick our lips as Sierra slurped gallon after gallon out of the Merced River. We peaked over Glacier Point and then watched many climbers scramble up the face of El Capitan as we relaxed in the meadow below. Spending three cold nights in the park proved to be the perfect remedy to bring the dog back to life after panting in the dry desert heat.