CONTACTS
SUBJECTS
Yosemite, 950915
0403 -
0403 - ..
0404 - Summary/Objective
0405 -
040501 - Follow up ref SDS 9 0000, ref SDS 6 0000.
040502 -
040503 - This year I got only as far as little Yosemite Valley. Ross reached
040504 - Half Dome again; Tavo got very near the top, as I did last year.
040505 - ref SDS 2 0001
040506 -
040507 - [On 110907 1030 discussed another hike in Yosemite up Half
040508 - Dome planned for 2012. ref SDS 10 YS87
040510 - ..
040511 - [On 120130 1515 Reuters reporting Yosemite planning to
040512 - restrict hiking Half Dome beginning in 2013. ref SDS 11
040513 - PC5G
040514 -
040515 -
040516 -
040517 -
040519 - ..
0406 -
0407 -
0408 - Progress
0409 -
040901 - Rather than drive like we did last year, ref SDS 2 HA6J, we took a
040902 - buss to Happy Isle location which is a main trail leading to Vernal
040903 - Falls and to Half Dome. The bus was about 15 minutes later than the
040904 - posted schedule.
040906 - ..
040907 - When we started, the trail was very crowded. Ross managed to work his
040908 - way through the group. I began doing the same. Tavo seemed to catch
040909 - up with Ross. I decided to conserve energy, rather than run out of
040910 - gas by surging ahead in the beginning like last year. Figured Ross
040911 - and Tavo would wait at the foot bridge below Vernal Falls. I
040912 - eventually got by the big crowd, but did not see Ross and Tauvo at the
040913 - foot bridge, so continued up.
040914 -
040915 - [On 130918 0620 started Half Dome hike at 0800 with nobody
040916 - else at trailhead, vastly different from crowded conditions
040917 - 20 years earlier, reflects new park policy limiting Half
040918 - Dome hikes to only 400 people each day. ref SDS 12 ON5G
040920 - ..
040921 - This year I recognized the sign that showed the different path for
040922 - Half Dome. Thought Ross and Tavo might be at this check point, but
040923 - did not see them, so continued on the Half Dome trail rather than take
040924 - the Vernal Falls route which is shorter but steeper, and which I took
040925 - last year, incorrectly, per ...
040927 - ..
040928 - Hiked on up to Nevada Falls. Did not stop to rest or drink until I
040929 - got there. No Ross and no Taevo. There were a lot of people around
040930 - the bridge across Nevada Falls, so I could have missed seeing them. I
040931 - went on up to the rest room which is another check point a few hundred
040932 - yards beyond the Falls. Last year, I was thinking of quitting at this
040933 - location. This year, I felt better, maybe because I took the flatter,
040934 - though longer, route, rather than the Vernal Falls route. Did not see
040935 - Ross or Tavo, so I kept going.
040937 - ..
040938 - Made it to Little Yosemite Valley. The trail through the valley is
040939 - flatter which is much easier than the past 2 miles of near vertical
040940 - stone slab swishbacks. However, it is also sandy, which makes walking
040941 - difficult.
040943 - ..
040944 - A short ways from Nevada Falls, the trail divides, with one route
040945 - veering to the right. A woman coming from the right fork asked if I
040946 - needed water. She had come from Half Dome after camping out over
040947 - night. I was a little surprised by this because the pack she had
040948 - seemed very small, especially compared to what Ross and I put together
040949 - for the same kind of trip last year, and then abandoned because we
040950 - could not get overnight permits, see ... In any case I accepted her
040951 - offer and got a quart of water, one of those you can buy in a store.
040952 - I assumed Ross and Tauvo, who had our water, would be at Nevada Falls,
040953 - but this would tide me over until then.
040955 - ..
040956 - [On 130918 0620 20 years later, similar experience of a
040957 - woman coming down John Muir Trail offering water for hike
040958 - to Half Dome. ref SDS 13 M666
040960 - ..
040961 - Further along the trail still in Little Yosemite Valley, my heels felt
040962 - blistered. Stopped and checked. There was no blood, but the left
040963 - foot had a blister on the heal on the outside of the big toe. Decided
040964 - to go back. Thought in part I might have passed Ross and Taevo at the
040965 - Rest stop, or at Nevada Falls. They could be waiting for me.
040966 - Additionally, did not want to go forward and have the blisters get
040967 - worse, making it much more difficult to get back.
040969 - ..
040970 - Walking back was 95% downhill. The foot slides forward, so there was
040971 - no problem with the heel blister. At the few uphill grades, I had to
040972 - walk sideways to avoid further damage to the heel.
040974 - ..
040975 - At Nevada Falls I stopped for about 30 minutes. No Ross or Tauvo.
040977 - ..
040978 - There is a ledge directly above the falls that has a metal railing. I
040979 - went down there and enjoyed the spectacular view of the long water
040980 - fall and the valley below. Then went to the upstream side where there
040981 - was a pool of relatively quiet water. Took my boots off and soaked my
040982 - feet in the cold water. Not sure if this helped the blisters, but it
040983 - felt good.
040985 - ..
040986 - Continued the hike back. It seemed longer and more difficult going
040987 - down hill than it did coming up the hill. A boy of about 10 caught up
040988 - and walked along with me for about a mile. He was from Watsonville
040989 - and was with his parents who were behind us. I finally suggested he
040990 - wait for them, so they would not worry.
040992 - ..
040993 - I rested a bit at the Vernal Falls footbridge. This is another
040994 - spectacular location because of the water gushing through huge rock
040995 - formations. I was again surprised, as last year, about the distance
040996 - from this location to the beginning of the trail. It always seems
040997 - like a very short distance starting out until you get to the
040998 - footbridge, but it seems to take forever to cover the same distance
040999 - coming back.
041001 - ..
041002 - Since I was on flat ground back at the Valley floor, decided to walk
041003 - back to our camp area. This about 1.5 to 2 miles. Stopped for a beer
041004 - at a service facility about 2/3 of the way back. Arrived at camp
041005 - about 1415. Got a Snapple softdrink at the store and a Time magazine
041006 - to read the cover story on the release of Colin Powell's new book.
041008 - ..
041009 - Rested in the hammock Ross set up the night before, and read the
041010 - magazine until about 1600. There was an article on Off-label drug
041011 - applications for medical problems. It described some non-standard
041012 - treatments for colitis, and so saved this for Millie to give to Pam.
041013 - ..
041014 - Went to the store and bought beer and cokes for Ross and Tavo.
041016 - ..
041017 - They arrived about 1715. Ross had made it again to the top of Half
041018 - Dome. Tavo got to the switch trail just before the cable leading to
041019 - the top. He was too tired to go further; apparently he got cramps
041020 - like I did last year. ref SDS 2 4977 Ross took pictures at the top,
041021 - and had someone take a picture of him, which he didn't do last year.
041022 - These should be great.
041024 - ..
041025 - Ross said the water filter he got yesterday on the way driving to
041026 - Yosemite, worked well. They refilled their water at the spring. I
041027 - wonder if this indicates we may need more water for a third person
041028 - next year.
041030 - ..
041031 - Ross wanted to have a drink to celebrate his triumph. We went first
041032 - to the Yosemite Village where he remembered there was a bar. After
041033 - some searching we found the building he remembered as having a bar,
041034 - but it turned out that in the ensuing period it had been discontinued.
041035 - While Ross was getting directions from a store clerk about where we
041036 - could get a drink, Tavo bought a postcard to use for a class project,
041037 - telling the story of our trip.
041039 - ..
041040 - We drove to the Awanhee Hotel and had one drink outside near a lawn
041041 - area. It was warm and about dusk. Looked like there was a wedding
041042 - taking place or just completing.
041043 -
041044 - [On 130919 0630 after hiking Half Dome again, had another
041045 - drink to celebrate. ref SDS 14 VE3K
041047 - ..
041048 - Went back to our camp site. Stopped at the store and I got some milk
041049 - for the pasta dish Ross was preparing for dinner. Also got more chips
041050 - and dip.
041052 - ..
041053 - Ross fixed dinner using the cooking equipment he brought. This, like
041054 - last year, was quite elegant and tasted excellent. It was a
041055 - combination of pasta and some special sausage, plus some sauteed
041056 - mushrooms and squash.
041057 -
041059 - ..
041060 - Religion- Case Studies, Case Law
041061 -
041062 - Followed up our discussion from last night. ref SDS 9 5555 The Bible
041063 - survives because it is only assemblage of "case studies" that
041064 - exemplify a constant set of principles. People like to venture out
041065 - into what seems like forbidden waters, to challenge accepted wisdom.
041066 - But unless there is a set of constant principles, then people cannot
041067 - get the charge of trying something "forbidden" or marginal. There is
041068 - nothing else as constant as the Bible in Western Civilization.
041070 - ..
041071 - Today, television and the movies provide alternate "case study"
041072 - metaphors. There are good guys and bad guys, and a moral to every
041073 - story if we look closely. Ross noted how cartoons the children watch
041074 - follow this format also. These "morals" can generally be traced back
041075 - to the 10 Commandments in some way.
041076 -
041077 -
041079 - ..
041080 - Investing Intellectual Capital
041081 -
041082 - We considered the "farming" concept of investing time to save time,
041083 - reported on 950426 1130, ref SDS 5 4404, as a model for executive
041084 - productivity. Did not bring up the phenomena of "knowledge creep."
041086 - ..
041087 - We had a pretty full weekend.
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041089 -
041090 -
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041096 -
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0411 -