Yosemite 2002
Detail
Friday Dec 13th—Day 1
Lars was to return to his homeland of Sweden and so no longer required
use of his rental car. After loading his camping gear into my car, we
headed to Enterprise rental on Fairview. I gassed up my car while he
dealt with the return, and we started our expedition at 8:10am.
The weather on the road was uncertain and added tension to the upcoming
adventure. Fresno offered a new experience for Lars: a Karls Jr. burger.
Eventually we made it into the Yosemite park. The distance to the
valley as the crow flies is perhaps a third of the distance required
to drive there. There were some nice views along the way, but the
weather tempered my awe.
There were two campsites open in the valley: Upper Pines and Camp 4.
Our original intent was to use Camp 4—a walk-in campsite—since
Upper Pines required reservations, but the weather had us consider the
other site. Fortunately, Upper Pines had a lot of open campsites, so
after paying for two nights, we settled into campsite #37. The cost
was $18 per night which gives the following amenities:
Lars brought a tarp which we strung above the tent using the handy
nearby trees. This gave us a protected doorway.
It rained continuously that first night, but it was nothing we couldn't handle.
Lars made a dinner of corn, potatoes, and bacon which we chased with
yogurt, then hot chocolate.
Crashing early, we slept some ten to twelve hours. It rained pretty
much all night.
Saturday Dec 14th—Day 2
Morning started with oatmeal, coffee, and a few other goodies. The rain
had stopped, although the morning was cold and damp.
We hiked the Yosemite Falls Trail—3.4 miles one way—then continued
to Yosemite Point, then a bit beyond towards North Dome. We saw very few
people on the way up. As we climbed we saw views of waterfalls, Half Dome,
and the valley below. It was warm enough while hiking to shed layers to
a T-shirt and shorts, but only until we reached the upper region. Beyond
Yosemite Falls there was snow and slush and the wind gave quite a chill.
We stopped for lunch with an amazing view of Half Dome. I donned five
layers of clothes, but the wind was relentless, and we departed our
rocky enclave to head back.
The number of people on the trail had increased considerably on the
way down, which was odd because it was getting late. We even saw backpackers
heading up.
Finished with the hike, we had about an hour of daylight left. It was
time to see El Capitan to take some photos.
Lars and I decided to buy firewood for a fire. A box was 0.9 face chords at
$7 each. Ack! Yosemite is by far the most expensive National Park to
which I have been. After a few false starts, the fire began to go.
Dinner consisted of left-over corn/bacon/potatoes combo from the
previous evening and Vons brand ravioli. Hey, you can't beat it.
Then the rain started. It was getting dark, cold, and damp...hey,
this isn't as much fun anymore!
Some J.R.O.T.C. kids dropped by to warm themselves by our fire. By this
time the rain was coming down pretty hard. In fact, there was a point
where the four of us were pummeled with hail.
I am thankful that my sleeping bag is mostly waterproof, because my
tent most certainly is not. Whereas the night before the tent
acquired perhaps 300 ml of water, this night it acquired perhaps two
liters or more.
Sunday Dec 15th—Day 3
After a breakfast of oatmeal and pop-tarts, Lars suggested that we head
back. Our gear was wet, it was cold, and the weather looked doubtful.
I agreed and we were off.
The precipitation of the previous night gave the roads a layer of slush
making them slightly slippery, but nothing requiring the chains that I
brought.
Lars acquired another experience that he was able to take back with
him: going through a drive-thru. We made it back to Santa Barbara
safe and sound. Dealing with the dirty, wet tent and gear sucked,
but that is another story.
See some images of the trip.
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