Skipping in the Rain

This is what happens when you hike in the Sierras through a thunder storm!!

The hike to Sunrise Lakes started out simply enough at the banks of Tenaya Lake, a large lake in the Yosemite High Country!!  The banks are shallow and rocky and it was hard to not jump right in!!  But onward with the hike....stream crossing right off the bat.  Gentle upward meandering trail through pine and flowers.....

We got to a beautiful outcropping of boulders and decided to climb around.....a stream was in the distance so  we decided to do a bit of cross-country (off trail) hiking to it.....setting our pinpoints with distant domes and peaks so we could tell our way back (just in case).....the stream was AMAZING and opened up to a large swimming hole, which of course we ended up swimming in....there was a natural water slide there too...we thought, due to our cross country trek, that we were alone in the middle of everywhere.....that is until 8 people walked by on their way to another water slide!!

We continued our cross country walk in the direction of the trail now...the sun peaking in and out of the clouds...up we went, the Lakes are a 1300 foot elevation gain, the mosquitoes were relentless!!  We stopped to eat lunch more than mid way up when the rain drops started and ominous clouds rolled in...wondering what to do, we decided that if the thunder clapped once more, we would head back down.  It is NOT smart to hike on a mountain top in a thunder (and lightning) storm!!

SO DOWN WE WENT....and the rain came harder and the thunder more often and it was so much fun and so exciting, and I just HAD to skip!!

Well, miles later, soaking wet again, hailed upon and mosquito bitten we made it back to the car....

At the parking lot exit, to the left (towards the Valley) was blue skies....to the right were black clouds and the possibility of more rain and thunder.....

So guess which way we went????