Glacier Point--Yosemite National Park, March 2001
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When I left school a little before 6 on Friday all I knew was that
somewhere between 2 and 5 of us would be going to Glacier Point and
that no matter what gear and cars worked out...I caught the second to
last performance of the Shotgun Player's production of Frank McGuiness's
"Someone who'll watch over me"--wow!--then headed home to finish packing.
Dietmar called at 11:20, bringing the definites up to 3, and next morning
he, Adrian and I set off across the hills and plains to Yosemite, passing
remarkably many windmills actually turning at Altamont Pass. Badger Pass
had shorts and T-shirts weather and gear sorted we set off stepping and
gliding along the groomed Glacier Point road, brilliant blue above, green
to the sides, firm white below, the occasional road sign barely showing
its face. The downhills never seemed quite steep enough to be as exciting
or as effortless as I hoped...but eventually the 10 1/2 miles lay behind
us and great views of Half Dome, Mt Broderick, Liberty Cap, the Royal
Arches, and Vernal, Nevada and Yosemite Falls before us. The area seemed
busy, but as the stove started hissing and the tent rising the crowds 
vanished, to be seen no more...then the world turned pink as the view
below us was replaced by the view above, Sirius Orion Taurus Jupiter
Pleiades Cassiopeia the Dipper and more...A warm night in Adrian's 
palace of a 3 person tent followed--Adrian's milk, sitting directly
on snow, failed to freeze in spite of my confident predictions--and as 
the tent brightened I opened the window to gaze across at 1/2 Dome (and
could that be Cathedral Peak in the distance?) and catch the first
arc of the sun clearing the horizon. Another glorious day dawning...
Jet trails laced the sky as the stove started hissing again, then fueled
variously by muesli, hard boiled eggs, date bars and tea we set off back
up the hill. Stashing our packs D and I took a detour on ungroomed trails
to Taft Point while A elected to continue. Gazing across the valley at the
great granite face of El Cap, down it to the Cathedral Rocks, and smiling
and laughing at the beauty of the trees and snow and rocks and sky that
surrounded me I was wishing I'd brought more film, or else taken 
fewer pictures of 1/2 Dome...three left just wasn't enough...A second
excavation to recover Dietmar's pole basket then step and glide, step
and glide, step and glide it was off back to Badger Pass.