Travelogue Day 1

Day 1:
New adventures require less comfort
In order to be successful, you must step out of your comfort zone
k_a320@txstate.edu
Work produced: 100 photos
The best part of the day: Meeting a backpacker
Our final destination
By Kamryn Allen
K_a320@txstate.edu
People Met: 4
Earliest rising: 7 AM

Mountains and clear skies

The smell of pine trees, water hitting shiny rocks, large mountains,
and clear skies. Arriving at Yosemite National park was like
no experience I have ever encountered. Everywhere you
the look seems as if it was carefully painted or placed.
Arriving at the park was an adventure in itself; the
long winding roads gave Jessica anxiety but
allowed her to conquer her fear. On one side of
these long, curvy roads exhibits the side of a cliff.
In many ways, I felt as if driving into the park was
terrifying, but I enjoyed the adrenaline rush of
speeding along the side of cliffs and mountains.

The arrival

   Arriving at half dome village was everything I
expected and more. Our humble, white tent provided
room for my large pink suitcase and Ashley’s clothes
which she spread out because she was forced to
leave her luggage. On the first day, we unpacked
our large shirts and hiking boots. We decided to
go explore the park and on the bus, I met a
backpacker whose name was Katrina. Katrina
was the definition of a strong woman. Not only
did she carry her entire life on her back, but she
also hiked long distances. Her brown hair was
pulled back and her hiking boots curved around
her ankles. I sparked a conversation with her
and thought- she would be perfect for my
backpacking story! Sadly, the first night we
did not have the equipment to interview anyone.
I said goodbye to Katrina and hoped that I would see her again.

We are not in Texas anymore

  The first night was freezing.... we were aware
that it gets cold at night, but as naive Texas girls,
we slept in shorts. Our first night was incredible;
after being awake for 20 hours I slept like an angel
in our dainty tent.

On day 1 we got to see clear skies and sunshine. Photo by Kamryn Allen

Day 2 leads to new people

Bright and early. Our second day began
promptly at 8:45. Kyndal, Jake, Ashley
and I waited in the coffee shop at 8:30
for our professors and friends to join us.
At 8:44 we were surprised to see that
no one joined us at the meeting spot
. This prompted us to go on a search
for our class members! Since this
was our first full day at the park
we had no idea where anything was.
There was also no service; therefore
my texts asking where everyone was
all failed. A bright-eyed man who was
wearing a ranger suit asked us if we
needed help; his name was Kaleb.
We asked him where the nature tours are,
he said they vary. To our surprise, our class
was less than a mile away from us. We quickly
joined and to our satisfaction, the same man
who had asked if we needed help; Kaleb, was our guide!

Our guide

    Kaleb was energetic and showed intense
knowledge of the nature surrounding us! Snake
rocks, a hidden trail, and 250 feet trees are what
Kaleb showed us. Our guide was roughly 3-4 hours
. Many of us captured b-roll on this tour and people
like Jake got to interview Kaleb. As the tour ended
many of our class members realized that Kaleb
was a hidden gem.

  

  Kaleb our guide shows us the beauty of Yosemite. Photo by Kamryn Allen