Departing for Yosemite National Park

At the Yosemite National Park sign

Is this really the day?  Yes, though it feels surreal.  I've been looking forward to this for three years!  Lots of training, weight loss, loss of a weekend day with conditioning hikes and everything that goes with preparing for such an event.

We decided to take two cars because I have to leave our trip a day early to get back to school, preparing for my subject matter certification exams in September.  As it was, I was taking nearly a week off from summer session history courses to conquer Half Dome.
I threw my pack into the back of my wagon, including a knapsack with a clean change of clothes for after the hike that would remain in my car.  I wanted to drive home showered and wearing a fresh change of clothes! After kissing my husband and son goodbye, I headed over to the Swartout family home to meet up with the rest of our group at about 9:00 am.  After throwing some of the communal foodstuffs and other items into my pack, which wound up being 50 lbs. (five pounds more than I wanted, but still manageable), we began the three and a half hour drive to Yosemite.  While driving, we listened to Michael Connelly's The Brass Verdict.  Duane and I had recently gone to see The Lincoln Lawyer, and when I found out that there were more books in the series, I had to read them!   It is one of the most well done legal mystery thrillers since John Grisham.
We stopped for lunch at the small Oakdale Cafe in Oakdale.  They are apparently reknown for their banana milkshakes - and they were good.  This would be one of our last nice meals before our hike.

Big Oak Flat Ranger Station & Park Entrance

An hour and a half later, we reached the boundary sign to the park, where we stopped to take a photo, making our fingers walk on top of Half Dome.  Another half hour, and we reached the Big Oak Flat ranger station and park entrance.  Chris had bought the backpacking permits last January, and it was here that we had to exchange his piece of paper for the actual permit and Half Dome tickets, as well as get parking permits for two vehicles.

Backpacker's Campground, Yosemite Valley

We proceeded to the backpacker's parking lot, put on our packs and headed for the backpacker's campground, which is located behind the North Pines campground, and right next to the Merced River.  We set up our tents and made camp, putting all of our food in the large bear lockers that are provided for each site.  That was definitely a good thing, since later that night there were shouts of a bear in camp.  At that point, I was in bed and missed the whole thing!

Sidebar:  When I was six years old, my parents took me and my five year old twin brothers on a camping trip to Tuolumne Meadows.  That would prove to be my last visit to Yosemite for the next 30 years.  While we were in camp, I was playing with some of the other children, when along came a bear.  The way I remember it there was a crowd of people behind me who were backing up.  The way they remembered it, I was moving towards the bear.  Being the curious six year old, I'm sure I wanted to pet it.  I was clearly clueless and the bear, rummaging through a garbage can, very likely didn't want me disturbing his snack.  All of a sudden my mother comes rushing toward me through a line of trees, whisked me up, ran back to the car and threw me in it.  My brothers were already in the car.  (I wonder if she realized that the car wasn't much protection?)  At any rate, mom had a talk with dad and that was the last time we went camping in Yosemite.  Mom didn't like the combination of three small children and bears.  I can't blame her!  But not before Dad hiked up to the top of Lembert Dome.  I still remember the glint of his walkie talkie antenna in the sunlight and talking to him like he was right next to me.  Maybe that's another reason why I became an amateur radio operator?

Backpacker's Campground bordered by the Merced River

After setting up camp, we walked to the bus stop and went to Yosemite Lodge where we had dinner at the cafeteria.  I had the pesto, which was pretty good considering that neither I nor my mama had made it.  After dinner, we went to the store, got some cardboard boxes and one loaf of bread for each person.  And anything else we might want to take with us, keeping in mind our weight limits.

Looking at the canyon walls from the
Backpacker's Campground

Then back to camp to fashion breadboxes out of our cardboard that would sit on top of our backpacks and keep the bread from getting squished.

Turned in early and missed the bear, though I did hear the commotion.  It had been a long day and I wanted to get a good night sleep, for tomorrow would be the most physically demanding day of the trip.