I met up with Larry and Yi on a warm late-June afternoon in Yosemite Valley for their adventure engagement session. With towering granite cliffs surrounding us, including El Capitan, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls, the valley is quite a site to behold! There really is so much to explore there in the valley alone! People in inflatable tubes were floating along the gentle current of the Merced River and with the temperature around 90F there in the valley, I made a mental note to allow time to do a little floating downriver myself next time! 😉 We wandered around the meadows on the valley floor a little to capture Yosemite Falls in the background and stretch our legs after the 3.5 hour drive from the Bay Area.
We brought along our packs and some hiking supplies for a little trekking along the bluffs 3000 feet above the valley floor. It was a good 10 degrees colder up there (which felt so so good) and we hiked along some trails through forests to emerge at some absolutely breathtaking overlooks. I enjoyed the chance to chat with Larry and Yi along the way. One of their first dates was a hike through the mountains, so an excursion in Yosemite National Park was the perfect plan for their adventure engagement! It was so fun to watch these two together, especially when Larry held Yi’s hand as she jumped off of one of the many logs that we found (and made use of)! 🙂 They both looked amazing and Yi’s red dress really popped against our dramatic, sweeping views over Yosemite near sunset!
My only regret is not having more time to spend there. Yosemite is truly breathtaking and it is best experienced when you have time to explore and really take it all in. While hiking to each of our various destinations, there were so many beautiful spots that I wanted to stop at along the way – I wish we would have had several days to explore and stop at all of them. But, having taken couples on so many adventures into the mountains before, I know that the beautiful light for those sweeping mountain views is fleeting, and only lasts for an hour or so each day, so we had to make sure we could maximize our use of that golden hour. And I have to say, reaching our final destination just as the sun was setting was absolutely worth it!
After our hike back to the car and drive back down to the valley where my car was waiting, I had a long 3.5 hour drive back to San Jose that night! But seriously, what a day! I really wish that I could have stayed longer, explored more, and of course, floated on the river! Next time, I’ll plan for a several day stay in Yosemite, and maybe plan to shoot an adventure elopement there as well!
Congratulations Larry and Yi! You both rocked it out there and I had an incredible time with both of you! I can’t wait to photograph your wedding at Hakone Gardens soon!
