I have two announcements- and then a little update.
Announcement #1: I
extended my contract here in Central California. Instead of finishing on November 8th,
I will now be here until December 20th. This not only gives me more time to explore
the area (venturing farther afield to Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc), it will
also allow me more time at home with my family over the holidays.
Announcement #2: I have
been diligently making my payments and was able to pay off the last of my
student loans last month. Considering
that student debt has reached crisis levels in this country, I’m very pleased
to have it behind me!
This past weekend, I made the 4.5 hour drive out to
Yosemite, one of the jewels of our National Park System. I had my sights set on climbing Half Dome,
perhaps the most iconic rock formation in the park. It is such a popular challenge, however, that
they have imposed a limit on the number of hikers allowed up it each day in
order to manage our environmental impact on the landscape. 300 is the magic number. Most of these permits were allocated through
a lottery process back in March. 50
permits are reserved for a last-minute lottery 2 days before. I entered the lottery twice but was unsuccessful
both times. Sad face.
I also managed to slip on a rock during a baby hike that
first day. The resulting banged-up knee had me hobbling around as I set up my
tent that night. Each campsite is
equipped with a bear box- a bear-proof metal container in which to store all of
your food. Well, my neighbors either didn’t get the memo- or they chose to ignore it. Either way, I was awoken in the early morning
hours by a loud crash less than 10 feet from my tent. I lay frozen in place while imagining a black
bear prying off my back bumper. Local law enforcement is not above scare
tactics, you see. They post photographs of bears sitting IN cars with doors
that were ripped off their hinges lying battered and scattered on the ground! I
finally decided that the creature didn’t sound hefty enough to be a bear and I cautiously
opened up my tent flap to take a peak. Lo and behold, it was a family of
possums having a field day in an overturned garbage can filled with my
neighbors’ food scraps. A lot of crunching and rustling sounds later, the party
finally disbanded and I fell back asleep.
By 6:45am, I was back
in the park. I had researched a back-up
hike that promised equally breathtaking views of Yosemite- I even drove to the trail head and gazed
longingly at it. Given the pain involved
in bending my knee to get out of the car, however, I decided that a long hike
in Yosemite was just not in the cards this time around. It was certainly not how I had envisioned my
first trip to this beautiful place, but I spent a few hours cruising around to
various lookout points instead- and still encountered some spectacular scenery!
My knee, by the way, is recovering very nicely.
 |
| First glimpse up the valley from Tunnel View Point. El Capitan is on the left and Half Dome is in the way back. |
 |
| A similar view the at sunrise with the first rays hitting the top of El Capitan |
 |
| El Capitan in all its glory- my other campsite neighbors had their gear all laid out in preparation to go climb this! |
 |
| I actually saw a bear earlier in the day! |
 |
| And one to prove that I was actually there. This is the view of Half Dome from Glacier Point. |
