It happened. We returned to the noise, constant movement and highly distractible environment of daily life. And, two dented cars. Alexa hit something with the Prius (Ryan pretty much fixed it before we came home) and my car was involved in a hit and run on a quiet Los Gatos street (I don't think Ryan will be able to fix this one)...What a contrast!
Gone are the perfectly still nights, feeling like you might be the only people to experience an incredible view, and a star filled sky to enjoy just before you fall asleep. We were continually amazed that we could look so far in the distance at a mountain and then hike over it that same day. Today, walking to Peets, we looked at the hills of Skyline Blvd and decided we could definitely walk there before lunch!
Gone also are freeze-dried dinners, beef jerky, mosquitoes, sleeping on a leaking Thermarest and hiking through 4-5 thousand feet of elevation change in one day while carrying a 40-50 pound pack! We're enjoying Peets, bathroom visits that don't involve an orange hand shovel, Super Taqueria, Fish and NON-INSTANT rice, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs from free range chickens, homemade fresh sourdough bread and pungent cheeses.
We're working through the photos and will have them posted in the next few days. There will also be a slide show complete with our personal commentary if you live close by and would like to hear about the trip in person!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Cleanliness
There are several different levels of cleanliness. Currently, we are in Yosemite and mostly clean. We would be closer to actually clean if the box that we mailed to Yosemite Village containing clean underwear, shirts, t-shirts, shorts, socks and shoes had not been returned to sender by the Yosemite post office. For reasons we have yet to understand, the Yosemite post office only holds general delivery mail for half the length of time of any other post office in the United States. They mailed it back to us when we at 12,000 feet slogging through the mile of snow on Muir Pass.
To make this just a little worse, only hours after we finished the hike, minutes after an initial scrubbing and even before searching for food, we set off for the post office. It was 100 degrees outside, Beth was delirious, looked at the map, and directed that we walk. 20 minutes later, when we found the sign proclaiming "0.5 miles to Yosemite Village", she almost sat down on the spot, a dirty, dusty path. We were tired, hungry, and hot. You get the picture. Then, 100 yards from the post office, Beth had an epiphany. It was Sunday. Little did we know the package we desperately sought wasn't even in the closed post office--we'd have to wait until 8:30 this morning to be disappointed again. It was pretty much the only logistical oversight of the trip, but still... It was hard to accept. Even now, we sit here and type in our sandy, dusty, sappy, saggy, shall we say, stinky, trail shorts.
We'd be sitting here in equally filthy hiking shirts, socks, and boots, had it not been for the pizza place next to the closed post office, where we shared a large artichoke heart and tomato pizza, with a 3 scoop cookies and cream appetizer. Our predicament became somewhat clearer after the pizza--we bought flip flops and t-shirts from the clearance rack (everything in Yosemite Valley is overpriced). Beth's t-shirt is drab green with an image of a trailer on the front.
To make this just a little worse, only hours after we finished the hike, minutes after an initial scrubbing and even before searching for food, we set off for the post office. It was 100 degrees outside, Beth was delirious, looked at the map, and directed that we walk. 20 minutes later, when we found the sign proclaiming "0.5 miles to Yosemite Village", she almost sat down on the spot, a dirty, dusty path. We were tired, hungry, and hot. You get the picture. Then, 100 yards from the post office, Beth had an epiphany. It was Sunday. Little did we know the package we desperately sought wasn't even in the closed post office--we'd have to wait until 8:30 this morning to be disappointed again. It was pretty much the only logistical oversight of the trip, but still... It was hard to accept. Even now, we sit here and type in our sandy, dusty, sappy, saggy, shall we say, stinky, trail shorts.
We'd be sitting here in equally filthy hiking shirts, socks, and boots, had it not been for the pizza place next to the closed post office, where we shared a large artichoke heart and tomato pizza, with a 3 scoop cookies and cream appetizer. Our predicament became somewhat clearer after the pizza--we bought flip flops and t-shirts from the clearance rack (everything in Yosemite Valley is overpriced). Beth's t-shirt is drab green with an image of a trailer on the front.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
GPS Update
We talked to the new adventurers on Saturday, July 25. They gave us most recent GPS coordinates and reported they are doing fine and on schedule. From their last reported position on Friday July 24, they were on Toulomne Meadows, about 18 miles from Half Dome.
Almost Done (Updated)
Here's a picture of them at the very end of their trip. They sounded safe and happy on the phone. I'm leaving with Eric to get them on Tuesday morning at 6 AM.
Update from Dave & Beth: Can you guess the location of this photo? It was our campsite on the last night. We took the photo right before we started our hike down into the valley.
Hint: Somehwere in the photo is a well known Yosemite landmark. Psst...look on the right.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Mile 199 / 254
Just talked to Dave and Beth yesterday--they are still having a fantastic time. They hiked through intense thunderstorms to reach mile 199 out of 254. Eric and I are going to pick them up next week. My dad requested that I have the final round of the British Open on DVD ready for him. Beth is craving some pho. Almost time for them to come home!
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