After a kind of downer of a day yesterday and a rough start to the morning this morning, hiking the Four-Mile Trail today was just what the doctor ordered for Jarrett and myself. It was not our plan for our child to acquire a medical record here at Yosemite. Yesterday evening Jarrett and I were pretty down in the dumps after I nearly drowned poor Elsa in trying to give her the antibiotic and Motrin. Besides our daughter being ill, we also just began to realize how much the Valley kind of seems like the Disneyland of Wilderness. The drive in on Monday took our breath away, but once in the Valley for a couple of days, the crowds, the poorly scheduled and jam-packed shuttles, and cramped campgrounds were starting to take their toll. I commented last night that we just needed to get UP, away from the valley floor. And it turns out I was right.
I ended up having to sleep down with Elsa yet again last night, and she woke up around 5:00 a.m. asking for juice, which I was actually okay with, seeing as she really needs to consume liquids right now. So I got her the juice and also some more antibiotic and Motrin, as she was still burning up this morning. After reading her a couple of books, she actually said she wanted to go back to sleep, so I laid her back down and, sure enough, she was asleep soon after. Determined to get this hike in today, I proceeded to start gathering supplies, and Jarrett soon followed, although I could tell he was skeptical. To his credit, though, he just really did not want to risk Elsa's health. Elsa slept the entire time we ate breakfast and readied, and we went ahead and drove over to the trailhead with her still in her sleeping bag. She woke up on the drive, and was happy. It was clear her fever had broken, and I checked it again just to make sure. A miracle, indeed.
Elsa did really well on the hike. We tend to go through a sequence of tricks to keep her happy, including saying the alphabet, counting to ten, and singing songs, such as "the train song" ("I've Been Working on the Railroad"). One of her favorite things to do is go through a list of about six or seven animals, asking what they say. It goes something like this:
Elsa: What does a sheep say?
Us: What DOES a sheep say?
Elsa: Baa, baa, baa
Us: Baaaa...
And it has to go pretty much like that or she gets a little miffed. Go figure. So we did this off and on for probably half of the hike up. That was okay, though, because it kept her happy and meant that it was easier for me to keep my secret goal. I had told Jarrett that I would start out carrying Elsa to give him a break and because I know I do not want to carry her up the Mist Trail on Friday, and said that I would do it until I was tired, probably one or two miles. What he didn't know is that I made a goal for myself to carry her the entire way up. He kindly offered to take her on several occasions, but I kept on. And I made it. And, yes, I was actually proud of myself.
The hike up was arduous. The switchbacks were steep and in numerous quantity. It was tough, but the views around each corner were more than enough to make up for the work (and provided wonderful excuses for many breaks). Once I saw that sign indicating we were approaching the summit, I literally started tearing up. I think it was a combination of a release of some stress; the immediate wowing, massive vista; and the fact that I simply (but not so simply) made it.
If you ever visit Yosemite, you MUST go to Glacier Point. I don't care if you drive up there or take the shuttle up there (many people choose to do so for obvious reasons) or hike like we did. Obviously, the hike makes it even more rewarding, but any way you do it, you will be blessed with views beyond measure.
This evening, Elsa's fever seemed to return, unfortunately (hence, the question mark in the post's title), but she still seems to be in much better spirits than she has been the past couple of days, so we are hoping for good things tomorrow after the dose of drugs she received before bed this evening.
In any case, this day was miraculous in so many ways. Every depth of my soul is so thankful for this experience.
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