Yosemite Glacier Point Snow Camping - California, United States

Driving up on the day after Valentine's Day was moderately calm due to the lower volume of drivers during the winter. We took the road up to the Badger Pass Skiing Area and got out of the car to a brisk sunny day. Sunglasses were a must, and it felt like the start to any summer trip, but we knew that the nights would be much colder.

Starting off the trek, we had the snowshoes strapped to our packs because the snow cats had groomed the snow covered Glacier Point road to a crisp corduroy the previous night. Panting in the first tenth of a mile, my body was sure letting me know that we had gained 6000 ft. We made quite good time without snowshoes on, in fact, we were passing the cross-country skiers! The road was awfully populated for the first 2.5 miles, but after passing the large meadow, (a pleasant and fun destination for the day trippers with children) the crowd thinned out.

We decided to make camp near the Ostrander trail fork and we were lucky enough to find the beginnings of a dug out campsite. We worked long and hard to widen a 3x6 space into a 12x10 ft space with a 3 ft wall surrounding the sleeping area (the SNOW FORTRESS!), and in addition, we made a kitchen area with seating room for 10-12 (even though we only had 4).

The sun set and the temperature dropped rapidly, but we came prepared and cooked some fantastic chicken quesadillas while bundled up in our insulation layers. We went to sleep, and unfortunately, I kept waking up with the need to go to the bathroom, but with the very present knowledge that it was very cold outside my sleeping bag. Eventually I caved fearing a midnight mishap, and fortunately the stars were out in splendor and the trees stood around our camp like silhouetted spears into the night, something I would have normally photographed, but this time it was just a wee bit too chilly. Once back inside the tent, I slept right up till dawn.

The next morning we had breakfast burritos with eggs, peppers, onions - the works! Ashley and Jeremy really eat well on their trips, which was quite different from my usual instant oatmeal and ramen.

We set off around noon with just essentials, intending to do a 'day-hike' style trip to Glacier Point. We took a couple breaks a long the way which ended up getting us a little behind schedule. As the road started to descend, we saw the blue sky poking through the trees. The first overlook point, Watson Point, was breathtaking! Half dome stood strikingly with the face almost perpendicular to our vantage point, and this point alone would have been worth the hike, but Jeremy, having been on the road in the summer, urged us to continue on our way in order to spend more time at Glacier Point. Less than a mile later, the point revealed more of the previous spectacular skyline with all of the Valley's landmarks in sight!

We sat in awe of the landscape and ate the last of our snacks and played around a little taking photographs and videos as the sun set in the valley. The light started fading, and we picked up and left, knowing that our camp was back at least 6 miles. We witnessed a spectacular gradient of color over Sentinel dome while the last of the light faded and the stars started emerging. Even without headlamps, and with only a small thumbnail moon, the light in the sky was enough to illuminate our snow covered path. The temperature was dropping quickly, and inversely, our pace quickened in order to return to camp as promptly as possible. We got back, made chili, and some interesting cornbread from a mix that ended up only half baking, so we ate the baked parts and cooked it again. I went to sleep promptly due to wet cold feet hoping that I would not have to wake up during the night to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, we had done quite a bit of mileage, and I slept well. 

The final day we had French Toast on Texas Toast bread, a great jump start of energy! We packed up our bags and reluctantly left our snow fortress, but not before a couple group shots. The return trip was moderately short and easy, and we were back in the sun on asphalt in no time!