Blog Archives - Endersession 2015

Fin

6/14/2015

For the rest of the week honestly the weather was so funky! But we did have a chance to visit Tuolumne river (as per request from Andy) and fight the rain. Tuolumne was very beautiful but, I'm sorry, Andrew hyped up that creek way too much. A quote from nick: "Andrew, this is now two times I have put on a bathing suit for you to be dissapointed." I am sure on the boy's blogs they are much more extensive about the rain and their little adventure but Grace and I were not amused at all and went into the car until it passed. The boys made a little moat around our tent to drain the water but it still was like a water bed.

We ended up leaving Yosemite a day early because we didn't notice that the campsite we were staying at was reserved for that weekend. So, in short, we packed up in an hour and booked it out of there.

My boyfriend actually pointed out to me that I am a little different walking out of this endersession.
Actually entirely from ninth grade I am different. I think that it is important that you embrace your change and be a little selfish and work on yourself. I have started meditating every morning and reading and walking outside more I STOPPED BLOGGING (things I pretty much never do) and I don't know what stirred a change in me or when but I feel so much more at peace. Is it something to do with camping so frequently?? Is it because I'm moving across an ocean so suddenly? I don't know what, but leaving High Tech High I am not the same girl that walked into those doors four years ago. And I just think the most impoRtant thing I need to remember is that things change and people change and its when they are not changing (or growing) there is a problem.

I am so grateful for this opportunity and I don't think I would have done any of this with out those crazy boys and Brian and Jade to motivate me.
I hope kids next endersession get an opportunity to explore the world around them and themselves and to just sit in a few moments of reflection. I hope they are also given time to just figure out what they want to do with their lives or where they are going.

Half Dome (Part Two HALF DOME)

6/14/2015

So at this point, Grace decided that she didn't want to risk getting fined so she stayed at the base of sub-dome. I wasn't anticipating sub-dome. I had read about it, but I didn't realize exactly what I was getting into.

For me, sub-dome was probably equally as scary as half dome. Flashbacks of Joshua tree literally flooded my mind. On sub-dome there are no cables, but there are obvious plots in the ground where cables once were. Why did they get taken out??? OBVIOUSLY at one point people needed the cables here?!?!?!?!? It is very similar to the beginning with steps carved into the granite. At the second half of subdome is an incredibly steep slate of granite you billy goat up

After I cried a little, these other hikers kind of gave me some encouragement and I was able to continue to the (read as Samuel L Jackson) BASE OF HALF DOME.

So at this point I realize that I had left my gloves in the car. GLOVES ARE ESSENTIAL PEOPLE, ESSENTIAL. Luckily, there was a little pile of gloves people have left for others to reuse.
This woman coming down actually gave me her pair. They were kind of sweaty, but they worked well.
The only way to actually understand how scary the cables are are to experience it. Between you and me, I almost didn't go. But the boys reminded me that we built the whole endersession around doing this hike, so I went.

The boys were a lot faster at getting up the cables than I was, so for most of it, I was doing it with this younger guy behind me. I felt really bad and I asked him a few times if he wanted to pass me but he didn't. There was also this really cute ranger that passed by us on the way up. He warned me that I should turn around soon after we got to the top for fear of a thunderstorm.

When I got to the top, it was probably one of the greatest feelings I have ever felt! I was very proud. After getting up there, I have no excuse to do any hike (besides, Mt. Whitney maybe).

HALF DOME (Part 1: The Hike)

6/14/2015

We began hiking at about 5:20a. We hiked about 8 miles (90% uphill) to get to the base of the mountain. This is by far the most challenging hikes I have ever done. It took us 6 hours.
I took the back of the group most of the time. It was frustrating because I was going the same pace as Grace: I know for a fact I was. But her strides are like 2.5 times mine so it just looks like I'm hella struggling. It took me about 4 miles to get over that. I think I was mostly annoyed because I felt like Grace (and the boys) were using me as a break. And they would do this terrible annoying thing where they would wait for me to catch up and creepily stare at me the whole time and then once I caught up, they would continue, as if I didn't need a break.
The first three miles is stairs that are cut into the granite. You pass by vernal and nevada falls. After that, the scenery kind of changes to forest... it is uphill through the woods. By this point I kind of forgot like where I was going and why I was hiking. I felt like we were walking and walking without purpose. Then, once you start approaching sub-dome, it flattens out.

The view was ABSOLUTELY breathtaking. I've never seen anything like it.

Pre- Yosemite

6/14/2015

To Prepare, a few months ago we entered a lottery to get half dome permits. But because Grace is coming, she won't have a permit... TBD if she can even climb the cables with us. Going into Yosemite, we have a similar plan as we did in Zion... it is HIGHLY unlikely that we can get a site in the Valley, let alone the park.

We did a little grocery shopping before driving up the windy roads.. Pre cooked all of our meat.

Update: We are in the car on the way up. I called the ranger office. There is some availability in the park, but its about an hour away from the valley.

Last Prep Week

6/14/2015

I mounted these two!!! :)

This week I helped do a little Jewelry mounting for Adam and Brian.
They sent us down to Black Bead and we bought supplies and then I came back and mounted a few of the natural stone pieces that Adam had left for me. He said they were for his "friend" (insert eyebrow dance). And then after, Adam said I was a "super cool intern". (Only fangirling a little inside. Jade please don't tell him I blogged about him. That would be so embarrassing).
Also, this week Andy told Grace that he told John that she thought he was cute and Grace freaked out and it was (kind of mean) super hilarious.

TBD if I can get over that fence...

Zion Part 3: Angels Landing

6/14/2015

This last hike was probably my most favorite hike that we did in Zion. Mostly because it surprised me. Angel's landing was a lot shorter than I anticipated. It has this terrible part called "Walter's Wiggles". WHY is it called that?? I don't know but I do know that it makes me hate whoever Walter is.

This hike was more strenuous on the mind than it actually was on my legs. You can see in the 3rd picture that you are put to walk on this little plateau with thousand foot drop offs on either side, and you have this janky chain that you can hold on to if you need.

After doing this hike, I was very proud of myself. In our group, I am probably the slowest/weakest. And I just have a generally slower pace and I have a little trouble breathing at the higher altitude (but don't we all?). To top it off, the boy's strides are like twice the length of mine. But I think after accomplishing this I proved to myself (and the boys too I guess) that I can at least keep up with them. I can finish anything they can.

Zion Part Two

6/14/2015

Later that week we were able to go into what are known as the narrows. Basically, you walk up this river for miles and miles and miles until you want to turn around. We found a secret little grove.. well it wasn't so secret, just there were no people there because in order to go over there you had to first plunge into freezing water. So, we took most of our clothes off and went for it.

I didn't really fall during the trek up, but the boys took a few falls. Mostly because they were being dumb and chose to go through the rapids.

Zion Part 1

6/14/2015

The first two days were very interesting. The first night we were unable to get a campsite inside the actual park, so we camped right outside the east entrance. It rained. We set up our tent while it was raining and to our grand surprise, when we finished, it stopped raining.

The next morning we woke up really early to get a campsite inside the park. Later that day we hiked to the emerald pools. We ended the day with some reading and quiet napping in the hammock.