Day 4: Getting Used To This

Day 4

Getting Used To This 

by Kaylee Smith
kas294@txstate.edu

Best Snack: Beef Jerky
Miles Walked: 3.5 miles

It is officially Day 4 in Yosemite National Park. Or in other words, we only have one more full day left in this breathtaking place. Part of the "fun" of this trip is that we never have any idea what the next day will look like. It isn't until our nightly meetings around 8 p.m. that we know when and where we have to be the next morning.

Don't let the picture fool you, Allison Jones (Right) and
 I (left) are wide awake. 

This morning was officially the fourth morning in a row we've had to blare the lovely alarm clock going off at 6 a.m. (if not earlier). Although one might assume that we would at least be slightly used to this early wake-up call by now, jokes on them. The 10+ miles we walk every day make for some great night sleep that never gets easier to wake up from.

This morning my partner Allison Jones had an interview scheduled at The Majestic Hotel on the other side of the park at 8 a.m. Being the great friend that I am, I got up, got ready and we headed out together.

Sitting at the bus stop, I remember taking a moment to appreciate that while most of the people in the valley were still deep asleep, the valley itself was wide awake. There was beauty and comfort in the fact that even though I had no idea what was in store for me for in the day, the valley continued its everyday routine, whether I was here or not.

After the interview, we headed to Yosemite Valley and took a moment to appreciate the silence and crisp morning air. I slowly found myself thinking, "Maybe I am a morning person?" We felt energized and decided to start interviewing every other person we saw (not literally). In the past we had waited until later in the afternoon to interview, we found that the morning brought along a different, more energetic crowd.

By 10:30 a.m. we had completed four fantastic interviews. The sluggishness I anticipated to wake up to today vanished when I got out in the park. The tasks at hand are becoming more comprehensible and
attainable. The stress is escaping us. We are starting to actually get used to this.