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Thu, Jul 7 2011 - San Francisco - Yosemite (View Original Event Details)

Trip Leader(s): Kristi, Grant Brown
Participants:Kristi, Grant Brown, David Van Wert, Nikita, Marc J., Terry, Ann, Ralph Howard, David M


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Write Up:

If a picture says a thousand words, then combined we all probably have hundred of thousands of words to say about this trip.  As we originally named the trip, "Meet John Muir", well, we almost did.  


I appreciate each individual who came on this trip bringing their personal and unique sense of adventure and enthusiasm.  Thank you!

 

To all of our surprise the snow in Yosemite Nat'l Park that fell in the late spring/early summer, had still not melted in the higher elevations.  The rangers advised us and all other backpackers to stay in the lower elevations if not equipped with crampons and ice axes.  So we did stay lower and we altered the backpacking route for an in/out to Lake Merced.  All of the waterfalls were flowing at record highs, and so were the visitors to the main valley (causing some hefty traffic back ups in the main valley).  


Some of my memories of each trip member are and will be--
-Niki, brightly bandana-ed with large camera, stalking hundreds of subjects and scenes; Grant dubbed her "Ansel"
-Marc and his multi-course creative yummy backpacking dinners; Dave acknowledging what a strong fast hiker Marc is; Marc weighing our packs for us (did I really want to know?!)
-Ralph speeding back from Mariposa to Yosemite with Ann going 'green' in the back of the suv; having to change from his nice shorts to borrowed slacks at the Ahwahnee restaurant
-Ann showing emotion at the beauty of Vernal Fall.  Me too.  
-Dave's swollen Achilles after racing Ann back to Little Yo' camp site; it was a close competition
-Terry running from the taxi in San Fran, barely making it to the Amtrak bus at 6:30 in the morning!  But she did!
-Grant tirelessly navigating Niki and I through the streets of San Francisco using his iPhone - thank you!; and a scene in my mind of him leaning on boulders near the top of Liberty Cap ("it's too technical!" yep,  lol!)
-David's conversation about rocks with Terry at the top of Yosemite Falls; geology buffs!; and in general his overall sense of positive enthusiasm; thank you!
-Me, loving it to be on top of Cloud's Rest


John Muir

--Well, we almost met him as mentioned. Serendipitously we had a backpacker - Donna - set up camp near our tents at Little Yosemite Valley campsite.  She teaches and gives presentations about John Muir; she and her husband have hiked the route that is supposedly the route that John Muir took on his historic route from San Francisco to Yosemite.  They are both accomplished artists; she was backpacking alone for three nights, and had produced about 12 watercolors along the way.  It was a bit of the icing on the cake to have met her on our trip.
 
--Additionally as Grant and I were walking through the valley one afternoon, asked a ranger who happened near by, about the rangers home; she turned out to be a superindent and gave us a personal tour of the rangers home, which is not open to the public, and she brought us into the rangers administrative offices where we met the park superintendent and the infamous Shelton Johnson.  You can google him if you don't know him.

 

Yosemite National Park is amazing and beyond comparison.  It's beauty stands on its own.  Once more I am so thankful that we have such treasures set aside in our country to be preserved and enjoyed.

 

I will return and hike the higher elevations, hopefully some of you will join me and others to do the same!   --Kristi