First and foremost, Maddie was an amazing guide and a perfect match for our family throughout our 4 day Yosemite Icon backpacking adventure. She was close in age to both of our adult children and was a pleasure to have around. Maddie also prepared some great meals for us - Chicken sausage with peppers, zucchini and onions over couscous, mild curry dish with tofu over rice, and a chicken pesto pasta dish. A yummy breakfast got us on our way each day and she managed to put together some tasty lunches while on the trail or resting at lookouts with purely spectacular views -- like the hummus wraps on the top of El Capitan. Scott was also easy to work with planning our vacation and helping to select the best trip for the time we had (last half of May) and the experience we were hoping to have. Late May turned out to be a great time as the temperatures were still on the cool side during the day - mid to high 60's - and not unbearably cold at night - mid 40's. Also we rarely had any bug issues - never had to use our mesh headgear. Only downside was the high water that prohibited swimming in the river near our campsite - "embrace the dirt' and bring a pack of body wipes. But that made for lovely views or river rapids and provided a nice rumble to help sleep at night - no white noise needed. Our favorite animal sitings were loads of deer especially at the Snow Creek campsite on the bluff, a couple of marmots, and one mild mannered black bear -- actually a Cinnamon colored bear. The day hikes from our first campsite were fun and filled with their own adventures - walking over logs and wet areas off streams, spotting rare flowers and sniffing trees that smelled like butterscotch -- Maddie's botanist background helped and made that all the more interesting and informative. The views along the way and at our various destinations were beyond amazing and made all of the trekking worthwhile. Our favorites were Eagle Peak and lunch at the top of El Capitan but the top of Yosemite Falls and the Snow Creek campsite overlooking Half Dome were certainly honorable mentions. Now for the cautionary tale and advice as you review the trip options and pick your adventure --- this 4 day backpacking was very challenging and much, much harder than we expected. Granted we had not backpacked or even camped as a family, so the itinerary and elevations didn't mean as much to us as it may to others. Particularly challenging was the day 1 hike on the Upper Yosemite Falls trail with full backpacks as we took on the switchbacks and large rock steps to gain a few thousand feet of elevation over roughly 3.5 miles with the total trek to camp being closer to 5 or 6 miles over 5 and a half hours. Hikes day 2 with just light day packs seemed like a breeze after leaving behind the bulk of the backpacks. While we never weighed the packs, our guesstimates ranged from 30 - 50 lbs for most with lighter weight toward the end of the trip and maybe one even heavier pack (with the larger 2 person tent and some bad choices on my part with over packing - like having 2 sets of dinnerware and a tea pot -- no doubt stories will be told about that one). So, if you aren't a backpacker and are considering a similar trip, I would strongly recommend beefing up the training regimen well in advance both with additional weights in packs for hiking (min 20 lb routine walks) and a more intensive routine on the stairmaster at the gym. Thank you Lasting Adventures for a truly amazing trip and thank you Maddie for making it so special. I am so proud of my family for what they accomplished and thrilled that I could check off this bucket list experience as part of my 60th bday celebration. We will cherish the memories and beautiful photos from this adventure for the rest of our lives.