Yosemite Part 3: Day 2, Rafting on the Merced River

The highlight of our trip was rafting down the Merced River. I had read about rafting in Yosemite but assumed it would be too rough or intense for our family. Fortunately, when we saw the calm waters, and found out Sam met the minimum height requirement, we were ready to go. With Steve's crew background, and constantly having two paddlers (Steve the whole route, and me and Anna switching off) we were able to direct our raft down the river for a leisurely 2 1/2 hours. We even stopped and "docked" our raft a couple of times to have a splash, or swim, in the water.

We had wonderful views of Yosemite Valley the whole time through. There were rafters and inner-tubers here and there but very serene, tranquil moments when it seemed like we had the river to ourselves. There were a few mild "rapids" that added to the excitement, but overall the raft was easy to navigate (since Steve was there). When it was time to return our raft, Steve impressed everyone with lifting the raft on his own, everyone else had 2 - 4 adults carrying the craft with breaks in between. :)