Yosemite log day 2 Made it to Merced lake. This is good because there are bear lockers and all of my food won't fit in cannister. Sitting by the lake watching the last light of day and drinking wine. Little Yosemite valley is better than I expected. In fact it is spectacular. Domes close in on both sides and I walked along a river while admiring giant Sugar Pines and the glimmering water. In Lost Valley the canyon narrows further. Every spot would be a major attraction in my home...

Yosemite Log - Day 1 Day 1 - The Valley A travel day. Mariott checkout, rental car return, Amtrak train, Yart shuttle, valley shuttle, and the back and forth for hiking permit and last minute supplies. I stash my suitcase in a bear locker. It is the putting away of one life as a first step of a new life. I am laying under my tarp. The valley sounds of children scampering, families moving, and retired couples sitting are replaced by a few of the backpacker campground neighbors standing by crackling...

Yosemite Log Day 7- Koip Peak Pass Today's climb was to take me over the highest elevation of the trip, over 12,000 ft.. Yesterday I had seen a pair of hikers at the bottom of the trail to Gem Pass. They didn't seem too friendly, but since they were the only people I had seen all day, I stopped to talk and get information. Where are you headed? ...

I was in San Ramon, California on a business trip to meet the people who worked in the Voice Mail Tier I/II support center who I had just been assigned to manage. Since I was conviently close to Yosemite, I stayed over an extra week to backpack through the wilderness for 8 days. My first day of backpacking was on October 17th, a little late in the season with many facilities closed or cut back in an area famous for its heavy snowfalls. The positives was were vanished crowds and...