Back in April 2017, Nick & I moved from San Diego, CA to my hometown of Asheville, NC -- naturally we took several detours along the way through Northern California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. We took a full six weeks and camped most places (we only had Nick's VW Jetta back then, stuffed to the brim with ALL of our possessions) and it was glorious. And occasionally cramped and constantly caffeinated. But hey, that's what the best memories are made of, amiright?

We could absolutely go on and onandonandon about the beautiful spots we visited. But, in an effort to save you (and ourselves) from miniature novels, we're just going to share our favorite memories (The Highs), our most memorable challenges (The Lows), and the best tips, tricks, & lessons we picked up along the way (What We Learned). And then we'll spam you with our photos because they're can never be too many pictures of beautiful places (and because we didn't take 27 of photos of El Cap for nothing...right...?). We'll structure the rest of our travel posts this way so that they're easy to read without taking up too much time. We know you're very busy and important.

(Also high five to Via the Van for this efficient-yet-fabulous method of trip documentation. You guys are clutch.)

So without further ado...

The Highs

Renee: Drinking wine by our campfire in Camp 4 every night and meeting some amazing people we’re still friends with! (Also, finding a spot at all in Camp 4 so that I could live out my Valley Uprising dreams.)

Nick: Jumping in Mirror Lake (which was cold af) and the Merced River. The weather was warm almost every day we were there, except for the last day when I hiked the Yosemite Falls Trail in shorts and arrived at the top where we were almost knee deep in snow.

The Lows

Renee: Thinking Nick was going to die when he jumped into the Merced River. Also, on our last night in the middle of the night, I woke up to what sounded like a vicious raccoon fight. I have never heard an animal make such terrifying screeching noises! We were obviously safely zipped into our tent, but I was awake for at least an hour expecting them to come ripping through the side door somehow (also, can I note that Nick slept through THE WHOLE THING).

Nick: Figuring out how to efficiently pack (and un-pack and re-pack) the Jetta, especially because Camp 4 was partially flooded when we arrived, and — since it's a walk-in-only site — we had to walk all of our gear through & around some massive puddles.

What We Learned

Renee: Steeper hikes have fewer tourists, and Camp 4 only takes cash [insert our story about frantically trying to find an ATM in the park before all of the spots filled up. FYI there’s one in the resort across the street].

Nick: Camp 4 is only $6 per person, per night, which is a hell of a deal compared to the riverside cabins which ran about $100 per night.