TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document without a fee, provided that the person conspicuously and appropriately publishes on each copy the appropriate copyright notice and these terms and conditions for copying, distribution, and modifications. Changing this document or charging a fee for distribution or using this document for a financial profit is not allowed. Including this document in a publication that is for sale is not permitted.

This document solely expresses the author's current opinions. It in no way expresses the opinion of any other legal entity. This document does not claim to be correct, complete, or factual. Reading it is at your own risk.

Copyright © 1993 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

Oct. 25, 1993

A Six Course Camping Dinner

Yosemite National Park

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: U.S.A., USA, California, Yosemite National Park, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

The idea for another trip to Yosemite and in particular to Halfdome started a long time ago, sometime during summer when I told a friend about the beauty of the scenery from the top of Halfdome. His reaction was "Damn, I wish I was there with you" to which I replied "Mmmh, what the heck, it was beautiful the first time around, why not do it again". From then on, we delayed the plan from week to week because either he or I was busy. Then a while ago I met some more people showing interest in doing this trip and since the cold winter is approaching the decision became obvious: We either do it this weekend or never.

With a weeks notice we started planning: getting a rental van, talking to friends to convince them to join us, getting a camp site, getting all the necessary equipment, obtaining road and weather conditions, and lots more. In a shared effort we pulled it all off. Pamela, Michael, and I were the core team, and Pam invited Richard and BW along. Pam became the official program manager, putting together a three page outline of all the planned activities and all the goodies we had to bring to make the weekend the success it turned out to become. I wasn't too lazy myself either. I was working the phone until the buttons fell off. Ok, so I am exaggerating a bit, the buttons didn't really fall off, but it took about 50 phone calls until I hit the jackpot and was able to grab a camp site in the center of Yosemite Valley which had been canceled by someone just minutes before I placed my call.

Just preparing for the trip was a lot of excitement and fun. Believe me, when Pam started describing all the food we were planning to have my saliva started gathering like in the dog in Pavlov's bell experiments. Shopping for all the stuff was an adventure; being in a good mood we were cracking each other up while walking through the aisles. We even had to celebrate the end of shopping trip with two cups of shaved ice with pineapple, special kind of grass flavor, and two other exotic flavors that I can't even remember.

After having all the equipment and food spread all over Pam's living room I wasn't even sure if we would be able to fit it into the van. An 18-wheeler might have been better. But by strategically placing boxes and bags all over the van we could store everything and might have even had room for some more.

In the wee hours of the morning on Saturday the actual trip to Yosemite started. While driving on highway 152 the sun rose. I've been driving this stretch of freeway countless time, but I have never seen it that beautiful. The sun was really bright and orange. The hills around the lakes were dipped in their typical California yellow, but with a slight touch of orange from the early sun. The lake itself was reflecting the sun beams and was, therefore, sparkling all over. There was no doubt left in my mind that this is going to be another great weekend. We lucked out on everything. [But of course we earned all the luck through hard work.] Perfect weather, sunshine, sunshine, and sunshine. A camp site near Curry Village for which people usually book one year in advance. And the best company that one could wish for. Oh man, am I lucky or what?

By 9am we were winding up the road along Merced River which is my favorite part of the drive to Yosemite. Once in Yosemite Valley we started to make ourselves feel at home. Our chef Pam had a four-course lunch worked out for us. As appetizer we had noodles with peanut butter, green pepper, hot sauce, and soysouce. For course number 2, dumplings in the regular home-made garlic/hot/soy-sauce were served. The main dish was rice soup with fish paste and ground pork. A fruity dessert gave us the rest, i.e. filled us to the top. That must have been the best meal in the whole camp ground. The smell even attracted a coyote. So much for camping, I usually don't even eat half as well at home. It felt more like an exquisite culinary extravaganza, like lunch at Spago's in L.A., then a roughening experience on a camp ground. But eating being surrounded by nature always fascinated me. So, I got to enjoy the food twice: once for the flavor and once for the picturesque surrounding.

The afternoon was reserved for relaxation and recreation with included throwing the football around (at which I still have to learn a lot), baseball, and a leisurely bike ride along the meadows. The bike ride was really enjoyable (although I originally was tempted to give my running shoes a work-out rather than cruising along on the bike). To make sure that we won't forget that wonderful time we took plenty of time-outs for Kodak moments. I am usually not crazy about pictures and my motto normally is "If you can't remember the beauty then it is not worth while to take pictures, and if you can remember it then it is not necessary". This time of course everything was different. [Some people will have a very wide grin on their face right now.] Anyway, there was lots of beauty around me [yes in deed] and we have captured it all on a roll of film. I can't wait to see the pictures, they are going to be just great. The backdrop for the pictures ranged from A to Y, from Autumn leaves to the Yosemite Falls. From bikes to Halfdome.

After all that exercise we deserved a little snack (more delicious food, but just two courses this time) before we went off to Glacier Point to watch the sunset which was not impressive, mostly due to the fact that there were some clouds in the sky. Back in the valley the actual camping experience starts.

That true camping experience included everything from making a camp fire, making a perfect char coal fire in the grill, preparing a dinner meal, no let me correct that, it wasn't a meal, a feast would be a better description. It turned out to be six courses of wonderful tastes, a celebration for our taste buds, a gourmet's delight. Amazing how much difference a single woman can make. It is that special woman's touch they add. The whole banquette lasted from 7pm till 11pm. Some of the many highlights were grilled fish paste patties, ribs, potatoes that we perfectly browned in the fire, tofu-like bean-based squares grilled with veggies, soup, fruit, Taiwanese beer, and at the very end, according to American tradition, marsh mallows. We were pretty stuffed as you can imagine but we needed all that food to have energy to burn off to keep us warm. The temperatures dropped quite a bit and the later it got the closer we moved to the camp fire which gave off plenty of heat. After finishing off all that food we got some other hungry visitors. Two raccoons stopped by to help themselves to some eggs and while doing so ripped the trash bag spreading the contents. This was a sneaky and surprising attack. Before I knew what was going on they had devoured four eggs and being used to humans simple noises like "gschh gschh" wouldn't scare them away, they wouldn't even move or blink with their eyes. One had to get as close as a yard before they considered moving. We found out that these raccoons supposedly also enjoyed the dog food of our camp site neighbors. Before hitting the sack we toasted our toes and feet at the camp fire while getting a cold behind. Once midnight came around it was time to go to bed. Michael's proposal to play some strip poker didn't find wild acceptance, so we simply slipped into our sleeping bags. Six sleeping bags and two blankets for us five as well as sleeping closely packed together was our weapon against the cold night temperatures. Our approach worked well. Nobody complained about being cold in the morning. Some even said it was very cozy and warm. I, for my part, wasn't cold but saying it was warm would have been a bad exaggeration. An extra 10 degrees wouldn't have hurt.

A new day is dawning. Sunday. And I could tell right away that it was going to be another gorgeous wonderful day with sunshine inside-and-out. How do you start a great day off? With great breakfast of course. Hot steaming soup with peanuts, fried glutten (sp? whatever is is), dried pork sung, Chinese pancakes, fruits, and more. I bet the Hilton doesn't have such an outstanding service. By the time we were ready for some hiking it was past 10am. Our goal was to walk towards Halfdome and see how far we would make it, or how far we were interested in hiking. Unlike on my previous trip we didn't take the short-cut via the Vernal Falls. Instead we took the long route to the top of the Nevada Falls. Less steep, less spectacular, but a good warm up. We sprinkled the hike with many stops for Kodak moments. The first sensational impressions were at the Nevada Falls. Though the stream was not carrying overly much water, relatively to spring time, the whole place at the top of the Nevada Falls was awe inspiring. Everything was perfect. Not too many people around. (You can tell I dislike noisy crowds of morons that spoil the scenery and the peacefulness.) One could find tranquillity in case one was looking for it. Let me first describe the spot. Close your eyes and imagine the sunshine. It is strong for a day in October. It feels warm on your skin and in your face. The rock surfaces around us were all warmed up to make it comfortable to sit or lay down to stretch your muscles. Laying on the rock looking straight up into the sky, you'll see that unique light blue color of the sky with a few fast moving soft clouds travelling by. While staring into the sky and your imagination starts seeing things in the clouds, you'll be surrounded by the sound of the fast moving water and the waterfall. If you lower your eyes, you'll see a scary looking, steep Halfdome in the north. Then you'll let your eyes glide westwards and from a sun-reflecting polished looking giant of a rock, you'll see the scenery change to a deep green forest covered chain of hills and if you turn your head even further westward you look down into the canyon that was carved by the water falling down the Nevada Falls. The dark green changes to a green that is lightened up by some yellow spots and some fresh green colors from leave trees. The picture of the valley is framed by the blue sky on the top, and the water falling in front of you on the bottom. The foreground is of course also framed by the smooth rocks forming the bed of the stream. But there doesn't seem to be a frame to the left or right in this picture. It is like a panorama view and it softly fades out an either side. Those not afraid of heights can crawl to the edge and look straight down the fall. But that's a different picture all together. Your imagination should be big enough to put this photo together without my help, just think of fearsome heights and spraying water.

We spent lunch there. Thus, we got to enjoy this scenery for more than half an hour. From there the trail goes along the stream which widens and moves less quickly. It's a flat walk and more peaceful and relaxing than any other piece of the trail. It's mostly in the shade and the air is filled with the typical pine forest smell which also happens to be one of my favorite outdoors smell. Only real Austrian forests smell better. Just kidding. But just as other good things end, the flat nice piece of trail eventually leaves the stream behind and starts going uphill towards the ultimate goal. I was hoping but not expecting that the group consensus would be to attempt to go to the very top of Halfdome despite the fact that we were rather behind schedule. So, I was happy that everyone felt so good and was ready to complete the adventure by mastering the mother of all domes. And steeper and steeper it got. After not too much time we left the tree line behind and were out in the open with the peak towering above us. Your legs get a fairly good workout now. We first had to climb half a mile of a strong incline into which steps have been carved. Step by step we get closer to the top. Once on top of the stair part the view is terrific. Only one more piece left, the final half mile to the top which is along ropes and also the steepest part of the whole trail. To me that is a terrific view too, to others it might not be terrif-ic but terrif-ying. We were all in good spirit, just 15 more minutes and we would get rewarded for our efforts. Michael and Richard were blazing the trail. Pamela was sprinting in front of me to the top. I am not kidding, she was running up the ropes rather than walking up the ropes. It wasn't easy to keep up with her. I had to ask her if she intended to break the speed record for this incline. So in only minutes we were on top of Halfdome but it felt better; it felt like being on top of the world. A good satisfactory feeling flowed throughout your body warming you from the inside out. We were out of breath for two reasons, the rapid climb but equally because the beauty around us was breathtaking. All sorts a positive feelings coming up inside myself. A wild mix of emotions. They included also proudness since I was proud that the others made it to the top. Everyone did a great job. With only two other people on the top, we had the fantastic scenery all to ourselves. The sun dipped everything into full colors, the sierras in the background were snow covered and the view reached tens and tens of miles. A good spot to take a deep breath and give a heart-felt "aahhh" from you. Also a nice spot for a little snack and more pictures. Laying down at the edge you can look down a vertical wall which falls for hundreds of yards into Yosemite Valley. The reward for the five hour journey (including all breaks) was an emotional high, appreciation of a thrilling scenery, and memories that we'll hopefully cherish for some time to come. Plenty of ROI (return on investment) if you ask me.

The way down was a piece of cake. Walking down the ropes was more fun than effort. Gravity did all the work. And since hiking down didn't really exhaust us, it was a good opportunity to chat. Before we knew it we were back at the Nevada Falls. At this point it was obvious that it would get dark soon. The moon was up already and ever so slowly it changed from daylight to dusk. The mountains were shortly shimmering in redish light and then it turned from dusk to night. We had another 2.5 miles or so ahead of us when it really got dark. The moon light made it very romantic but since most of the trail was in the woods the moon light wasn't too helpful. But the darkness can be romantic too. I surely enjoyed the last 2.5 miles more than the first 2.5 miles. Slowly and carefully we moved down the mountain. Somewhere around 7:30pm we were all the way back at the van.

The most pleasurable thing to do now was to go to the restroom and wash my face and neck with hot water and to freshen up. Then some hot tea and I was a new man. We all enjoyed a tiny bit of dinner, some left-over sandwiches, fruits, and some other snacks. While BW and Richard used the ride home to catch some Z's, I used it to "digest" these great two days that had past and to reflect on all the wonderful feelings and impressions. Of course, this was also the ideal time to plan some more activities for the coming week and weekends.

To wrap it all up in one sentence: Go there, do it yourself, and you'll know what you missed.

I am one happy camper.

    

These copyright notice and legal disclaimers apply to all pages of this Web site.