Yosemite, Part I

Alright friends, I did it. I went camping. I am officially a wilderness woman.

Well, as long as the wilderness has a nice, warmed bathroom area, showers, a nearby grocery and supply store, a pizzeria and a cafe. Yosemite has gone to all lengths to make sure those who want to camp can do so with all the comforts of home. There's even a museum for those who want a helping of education with their camping experience.

And you know what? I enjoyed every extra element. I was at Yosemite to camp, and I did. There was a tent, a sleeping bag, a camp fire, and a bear box (more on that later). I had to bundle up when it fell below 30 degrees, I had to bring my own clean water to drink, and I fell asleep on a hard earth floor, amidst beatuiful pines, listening to the creek 10 feet away bubble through the night. I was wearing long johns, for heavens sake. I call that camping.

All the extras only made the experience that much more enjoyable. I could kick back with a s'more instead of worrying about mountain lions, and a trip to the loo in the middle of the night wasn't a horrible experience that would scar me for life. I was even able to pick up fresh-brewed coffee with a coffee mate creamer at the smaller convenience store in the morning.

This was camping lite. Skim camping. And it was soooo good.

The more camping I do, the "rougher" I'm going to get. Experience by experience, I'll eventually leave behind the comforts of "camping lite" as I shape and mold myself into a true wilderness woman. There will be a day when I'll be a real backpacker, with water purifying tablets and a big backpack.

But why rush things?

I've come away from this experience rejuivenated. After three days in the great outdoors, surrounded by wonderful friends and breathtaking scenery, hiking 19 miles in varied conditions to a summit and sleeping under the stars, I feel alive again. I can accomplish anything. I can go after goals long abandoned and tackle projects I've put off. I've come away with a greater understanding of what is important in life. Oh yes, and I've decided I want to do this camping thing again, soon. Nothing can compare to a communal with nature.

If you're interested in all the specifics and the goings on in Yosemite, read on, dear friend. I give to you Yosemite, part I. Enjoy.

DRIVING AND ARRIVING

Friday morning, after packing up what seemed to be everything we own into the car, stopping off at the local grocery store for a bag of ice and swinging by the gas station, Bob and I were off. Destination: Yosemite. Mission: Camping. Two urban kids ready to get back to the land.

Fortunately, Sacramento is fairly close, and after a mere three hours of driving, we arrived at Yosemite National Park. It would be another hour to our campsite, but that hour was beautiful. Winding roads hugged huge mountains of granite, while the river below us gurgled and bubbled happily in the sun. It was clearly spring - trees around us were budding, sprouting tiny leaves. Flowers were just starting to poke out of places, and there were small piles of snow here and there on the side of the road. Waterfalls came out of nowhere, spilling and trickling over the smooth mountain sides, the product of melting snow.

It's been a long time since I've been in nature, let alone camping. It's intoxicating. Trying to take it all in, I didn't realize how much I was swerving on the road - until my darling husband, his face a little white, asked me gently if I would like him to drive.

We arrived at our campsite, and I was out of the car and running around like a little kid. The strong, sweet smell of pine mixed with the faint scent of bonfire filled the air. We were positioned right next to a creek and a set of big rocks, the perfect setting. Our friends were about an hour behind us, trekking up from LA, which gave Bob and I some time to chill, take pictures and get acquainted with the Bear Box.

THE BEAR BOX

"What is a bear box?", you might ask. Well, I'm so very glad you did. A Bear Box is a sort of locker where you put all of your food, scented and tasty items to keep a bear from raiding your campsite. This includes food, chapstick, hand lotion, toiletry items, candy, gum, wrappers, napkins that have touched food, etc. The bear can smell anything and everything, and while he can try to get into the locker, he will be unable to when it's properly closed.

A Bear will also try and get into your car if he smells something in there. A co-worker of Bob's told him that she unknowingly had a piece of candy under the seat of her car while she was camping in yosemite, and a bear bashed in her car window to grab it. On average, 13 cars are damaged in Yosemite every year by hungry bears.

Nothing scented can stay in your tent or car. Everything must be kept in the bear locker at all times, including items that have touched food and may still have a scent. Backpacks and purses had to go in because of crumbs, gum wrappers and the like. It can be a little annoying, but I'd rather be safe.

Bears aren't the only wildlife you need to worry about. A cheeky squirrel met Bob and I as we were unpacking our car. Comfortable coming right up to us, he has clearly had experience with campers. I turned my back on the car for a moment, focused on the bear box, and when I turned around, I saw the squirrel jumping out of my car. Welcome to Nature. From then on, the doors stayed closed unless we needed something.

FRIENDS AND TENTS

An hour after Bob and I found the campsite, our friends arrived. There is nothing like reunions. Lots of hugging, lots of excitement, more hugging, running around, excited, etc. It's been a long, lonely month in Sacramento. To see friends again, to talk with people I know and love, was joyous.

There were 6 of us, with two still on the road. We had two campsites reserved, and divided the space into the tent side and the eating side. We set up tents (NOTE: Setting up a tent in the outdoors is infinitely easier than setting one up in an apartment which happens to be just a few square feet larger than your tent), filled bear lockers, and when all was said and done, strapped on our hiking shoes and went for a mini-adventure before dinner.

Our exploration of Yosemite was about to begin.

WATERFALLS & CAMPFIRES

To kick things off, the 6 of us took off to Yosemite Falls. Yosemite National Park is proud to have the largest waterfall in North America, and late April is peak waterfall time. All the snow is melting and the waterfalls swell, spilling impressive amounts of water over every minute.

We had the opportunity to witness it firsthand. Walking through a beautiful trail, we saw great big piles of snow, and could hear a thundering in the distance. Cue: the falls.

The sun had hidden behind half-dome by this point (more on half-dome in Yosemite, Part II) and the air chilled quickly. We took oodles of pictures, then headed back to camp to meet up with the last couple to arrive and to eat a delicious dinner.

There is nothing like a campfire. It cannot be compared to anything else. The smell of the smoke filling the air with its roasty, toasty, wonderful warm scent reminices ghost stories, marshmallows, chili in the fall, friends and good conversation, apple pie and hot chocolate, cool, crips air and bundled sweatshirts.

That said, building a fire is a different story, especially if you're out of practice. Our first night, all the boys connected with their manly intuition and contributed to the starting of the first campfire of the trip. After a lot of smoke, pine needles and wood placement, we had a nice roaring fire to enjoy along with delicious fajitas. We didn't stay up too late - we were going on what we termed the "big kid hike" the next day.

Zipping into my sleeping bag that night, I was struck by how blessed I really am. There was something about the simple conditions and the crisp, cold night air that made me aware of how much I appreciated the little things. I felt alive and present.

I also realized how uncomfortable it can be to sleep on the hard floor.

As I settled in, I couldn't stop a little shudder of excitement. Here I was - tent, sleeping bag, campfire smell all over me. Here I was.

I was camping.