Yosemite Conquered

We made it! Happy trail crew Beverly, Kristin, Dave, Cindy, Marty, Steve & Sarah at lunch turn around point in Little Yosemite Valley after hiking up past Vernal and Nevada Falls during last weekend's outing. First night of cold rain cleared to allow perfect hiking & biking weather. The day after this picture was taken we biked to the Yosemite Falls trailhead and cranked up the unending switch backs to tremendous views of both the lower and upper falls. Kristin and Marty almost made it to the top of the upper falls but group capability and short daylight necessitated their turn around before summiting. The meals were fabulous (My only camping experience that included being served rack of lamb on a rainy night - or any night!) and the company unbeatable. What a great group! More pictures HERE

Half Dome captured under an almost full moon by Cindy (Ansel Adams) Phelps.

Note to Obama: as we traversed the Yosemite trail systemi we enjoyed the benefits of incredibly crafted riprap and stone work of all kinds including eroded patches of pavement . We encountered several crews doing the backbreaking work of splitting and moving rock to maintain the trail. I stopped and talked with one of the guys to thank him and mentioned that his crew was probably repairing work that had been done by the CCC in the '30s. He had never heard of the CCC. After I explained it was part of FDR's effort to put unemployed young men to work during the depression, he said 'Hey, that sounds like a great idea!" Hmmm....