Day 5

This isn't goodbye.
By Allison Jones
atj21@txstate.edu

Miles walked: 12.70
Flights of stairs climbed: 165
Fun fact: Even if you can't make it all the way to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, the view is still pretty great.

Our last hike
As the trip begins to wind down and the reality of leaving this beautiful place sets in, our group decided to go big on our last day. Although most of us still had assignments to complete and content to gather, we wanted to make sure our last day was the best day. The morning started just like every other day - an early wake up call at 6:00 a.m., a quick breakfast and stopping for coffee before we head to our morning destination. Some of the group chose to drive up to Glacier Point, which was about a four hour round trip. The rest of us chose to conquer a hike that would be more of a two hour round trip so that we had some more time to focus on our class work. But boy were we wrong!

My group was planning to head to Lower Yosemite Falls, which is about a 25 to 30 minute hike one way, and the trail is fairly simple. It's meant for the average park visitor rather than an avid hiker. The six of us were on our way to that trail when we suddenly decided to challenge ourselves and take on Upper Yosemite Falls. When we read that the trail was only 3.5 miles, we didn't see that as a problem considering our hike on Monday was close to five miles. But once again, we were wrong.

We started on what seemed like an easy trail walk around 8:45 a.m. The trail was steady with a low incline, and there were people of all ages around us. Around 9:15 a.m., we noticed that the trail started to incline a bit more than we thought it would. We also hadn't seen anyone pass us on the trail that was heading down - which was odd since most people choose to hike early in the morning with the crisp, cool air. About 15 minutes later we found out what we were in for. A large incline, unstable rocks and mountains of dirt carved into the side of a mountain is what we were taking on. The trail quickly turned from a fun morning walk into a scary, challenging hike. Nevertheless, we continued. It was our last day, so we had to go big.

A little over one mile into the journey, we met someone who was on his way down. He had started his hike at 5:00 a.m., and at this point it was about 10:00 in the morning. We quickly realized that we were either going to make this a half-day hike, or we'd hit the half way mark and head back down.

The final decision

Half way up Upper Yosemite Falls
Photo by Tony Klespis

Our group decided to make the hike up to the 1.5 mile marker because we heard from others passing by us that the view was beautiful there. When we finally reached out milestone, we felt accomplished and excited. The trail was hard, like really hard - especially for someone like me who is not an avid hiker. The view was incredible and unlike anything we had seen before. Pictures do not do this place justice, let me tell you.

We started to head down and by the time we reached the bottom of the trail it was close to 11:00 in the morning. We headed back towards our camp for a quick lunch and then left to gather more material for our projects. We were all exhausted but excited for the rest of the day.

Ending our day
The whole group, all 15 of us, met up for dinner and attended a play on our last night together. It was bittersweet. We've all gotten so close and this experience has been a gift to all of us. We all felt this feeling, so tonight was different. Most nights we all headed to bed early on because we knew we had an early morning to wake up for. But tonight, we stayed awake trying to ignore the fact that we'd all have to say goodbye in the morning.

However, it's not a goodbye. Just a "see you later."

Day 4

day 4

Day 4:

Painting is good for the soul

Nature journaling is the new journaling

k_a320@txstate.edu

Work produced: 31 videos and 66 photos

Fun fact (Painting is my favorite thing to do)

Journaling is where you find yourself

By Kamryn Allen

k_a320@txtstate.edu

Earliest rising: 7 a.m.

Fun fact: I got to interview the research librarian today.

Meeting climbers

Jessica and I waited for an hour to get to camp E4 which

is where an event called “ask a climber or backpacker” is

located. Upon arriving to this event we were greeted by

large telescopes pointed to a massive mountain which would

allow any person to see a climber. At this moment Jessica met

a climber named Rachel, a lady who has climbed half dome.

Her friend Andrea stood 6 feet tall and had a short pixie cut

and broad shoulders, her skin had a beautiful glow and her

hands showed weathering. Andrea was kind to me and I asked

her if she hikes or backpacks. She gracefully responded “both.”

Andrea gave one of most inspiring interviews I had ever encountered.

Nature Journaling

  After this event, we went to a nature journaling class. It was very warm,

despite the winds attempts to break the branches. At this class we

were all

given paper and pencils. Instead of drawing a portrait we were asked to

draw a micro-element of the park. A weathered, fluffy leaf is what stood

out to me. After drawing a piece of nature, we drew tree bark. After

spending time pondering at the glorious view of nature, watercolors filled

our once grey and white canvas. After this class, water color is something

that I would enjoy to do to relieve stress back home.

 This night we went to a star party. Not many people go to star parties in

Houston because it is a large city. At this party we walked to a softball field

and sat on a tarp. Our star guide was hilarious and he showed us where the

major stars were. Many of us got comfortable on the tarp; a backpack was used

as my pillow. The stars allowed many of us to see how small we are

compared to the bigger picture. It also allowed us to see that we have a

large impact just as stars do.

Nature journaling is a peaceful photo by Kamryn Allen

Day 3

Day 3:

Is this what Heaven smells like?

A graceful day

k_a320@txstate.edu

Work produced: 39 videos and 200 photos

Fun fact (This park reminded me of a dream I had when I was ten)

Home of Dreams

By Kamryn Allen

k_a320@txtstate.edu

Earliest rising: 6 a.m.

Fun fact: I met three backpackers today.

The sun beams as we walk into the park.  Photo By Kamryn Allen

Home of Large Sequoias

At 9:26 AM we arrived at Mariposa  Grove of Giant Sequoias.

One word- pine sol. This grove smelled like a giant

can of pine sol;

which is also one of the best scents in the world.

As I walked around the park with Jessica and Ashley the

rocks crushed beneath our feet, quickly as the other

hundreds of feet passed us at this busy park.

  This park was the hub of b-roll. 250 feet trees surrounded

us and unique benches allowed the perfect area to capture

the flair of this area.

   After capturing b-roll at this park; we returned back to half

dome. As soon as we arrived to half dome a group of us went

to Yosemite village. Ashley and I went to the information desk

and to our surprise the lady I had met on the first day, Katrina

was standing next to me! My muse for my backpacking story

I had met on a crowded bus on the first day found me at a

massive park. I felt extremely blessed to run into her again.

At this moment Dale approaches and helps me get my gear

together for the interview! The forecast shows it is about to

rain and the clouds are dark.

  The first interview

   As the first interview starts, the phone stops recording

because Jessica’s storage is full. We transfer phones and

use mine, which has storage, but no iPhone dongle adapter.

Katrina’s interview was everything I had hoped for and more.

Not only was Katrina strong, but she also backpacks all year!

 Meeting The King of Trails

  For dinner Dale, Ashley, Allison, Kaylee and I all ate pizza.

At dinner, a hiker asked to sit with us. King was his name and

hiking was his game! King was hiking from Mexico to Canada

all by himself. Soon King let me interview him! Again, I felt so

blessed to have God send another hiker to me!      

Amazing Day

This day was full and my heartfelt extremely relieved to have

accomplished so much at such a young age. This trip allowed

me to learn that I can do hard things and in order to be successful

you have to step out of your comfort zone.

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