Yosemite, or: How we slept through sunrise

We had planned everything. Tripod set up the night before, route to Tunnel View memorized, alarm set for 4:45 AM. What we hadn't planned for: that two tired people in a warm sleeping bag have a remarkable ability to turn off alarms half-asleep.

When Alexandra opened her eyes, it was 7:20. The golden hour we'd driven two days for was over. First reflex: panic. Second: coffee. Third, much better one: go out anyway.

What we learned: Yosemite forgives slept-through alarms. The valley lay in that soft, diffuse light you get when the sun is high enough for the walls but the haze in the valley hasn't quite lifted. David sent up the drone, Alexandra stayed on the long telephoto and caught a coyote trotting across the meadow, utterly unbothered.

We stayed three days. We actually got up at 4:45 the next morning — and honestly? The slept-through day had the better shots.