Yosemite

Yehaw... The Valley! I left for Yosemite the day after I got back from the Bugaboos, September 14th. I drove down with my Mom, who flew back home out of Santa Clara, where I picked up my older brother, Kevin, for a weekend of climbing. I was dog tired, and still jazzed about the wild, free alpine, so driving into Yosemite was a real shock. There were no campsites left, and the park rangers were out patrolling, so we drove back out of the Valley, just to find a place to sleep. The next day, we wandered around, got aquainted ourselves with the valley proper, and picked up groceries. That night, Camp 4 was still full. The next day, we headed over early enough, and got a site. Then we went and climbed Sunny Side Bench, a short 5.4 with a looong walk off. Then we headed back to camp and barbequed some kosher dogs and bagels. The next day, Kevin had to head back to school, so we drove back, and spent the night at his dorm suite. The next morning, I hit the road back to Camp 4. I met up with some friends a few days later, and climbed a few days with them. Then I pinched a nerve in my foot on Sloth Wall, and ended up nearly crippled until I left for home on the 30th. Still got in a bit of aiding, and a lot of litter clean up with the Yosemite Facelift. The slideshows at night were fantastic! I saw a lot of big names... Which is cool- it is sooo motivating to be near people who get after it hard. Oh, and I befriended a lizard. So, in a nutshell, I was nearly skunked by a foot injury... Pretty much the story of my life right now.