Nuriko

I'm back from Yosemite!!! And we didn't encounter one single bear... whew... Jenn and I, along with her co-worker, Tracy, drove down to Yosemite National Park this past Saturday in the morning to secure a campsite at Camp 4 walk-in campgrounds. Later on, we met her family by chance at Curry Village as we were deciding on lunch. It was good to see them again.

For the big Half-Dome hike, it was just going to be me, Jenn, Tracy and Jenn's sister, Lesley. We set out around 5:30 in the morning and started the hike at 6 a.m. Got to the top of Half-Dome at around 12 noon and had lunch up there with the marmots and chipmunks! What a monster of a hike!! I had known what a challenge it would be because I did about a bit over half of the hike a few years ago with Christine, Jack and Veronika. That year, Jack and I bailed out on the whole length because he didn't feel up to it and I wasn't prepared as well as recovering from a long-ass cold. The two of us had made our way down and hung out by the waterfalls the rest of the day enjoying our time. Christine and V didn't roll back into camp till around 10 pm. We were super worried about them by that time. This time though, I made it to the top! Cables and all!! In addition to the whole hike being a major bitch of a back-breaker, ankle-roller, the last 900 feet of it is this climb that involves the hiker pulling herself up these 2 cables up sheer rock at 45 degree angle or more. Any slip could result in certain death, as well as taking down a few people along the way. But the view from the top was breathtaking. Breathtakingly frightening! I could feel like body jello out as I peered over the edge of the rock into the abyss that was Yosemite valley below us. There were people taking pictures with their feet dangling over the edge and also somebody standing on a rock near the edge doing some pseudo-Yoga positions. STupid! Any strong gust of wind and you are flying solo down 8000 feet. Good byyyyyeeeeeee...

We got our well-deserved "I made it to the top!" t-shirts and souvenirs of Half-Dome the next day in the store. We spent the rest of our time in Yosemite driving around and taking short walks to take in the awesome views. Tuolemne Meadows was very beautiful - I'd love to visit earlier in the summer and see the wildflowers that grow there. I bet it is spectacular.

All in all, a great trip, I must say. I'm back at work today and I'm telling you, it sure feels like Monday. But thank goodness its not. Friday, I head to Wisconsin for a family trip with my grandparents. My dad has arranged everything for the weekend including fishing and all other activities. I hope it will be a good trip. Family affairs can be tough, but I will try to be patient. Wish me luck!