Final Days in Yosemite

My long silence on my adventures is due mostly in part to many days in the car on the long drive from the west coast back to Minnesota. I'm back in my home state, trying not to feel too discombobulated as I jump right back into work and sift through the stinky piles of synthetic clothes, camping and climbing gear.

The last few days in Yosemite were amazing. After Cathedral Peak, we decided to tackle the tallest dome in Tuolumne Meadows- Fairview Dome. We got up before the sun to be first in line on the Regular Route- a 12-pitch, 1000 ft. 5.9 that was one of the most popular routes in the Meadows. It was a full day of climbing, with hand cracks slippery with water running in them making it hard to get great jams for the first part of the morning.

It eased up as we got higher, and at the top we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the entire higher Sierra area, including all the domes we climbed so far on our trip. The next day, we planned on doing a link-up of a couple routes we really wanted to do- one in particular was On the Lamb, a 500 ft horizontal hand crack- but the creaking of our bodies reminded us that rest days were important too. :) Instead, we headed down to Yosemite Valley for one last hurrah on the beautiful granite.

We climbed Bishop's Terrace at Church Bowl, where I was excited to get in some "Extreme Knitting" before we finally said good bye and headed out of the park for the last time (THIS summer, at least!!).

The view before heading into the tunnel as we left the valley was beautiful, and made it easy to vow to be back soon to tackle more and harder routes, walls, and challenges next time!

I made sure to get a picture next to the entrance sign wearing the sweater my Mom bought there in 1990 for the Centennial Anniversary of the Park- they were there when I was 5 years old, and over 20 years later I was back with her same sweatshirt! :)

We stopped at the Mariposa Grove to take a look at some of the crazy and beautiful Sequoia trees growing there,

making sure to measure against them with our height and arm span. :)

We drove the rest of the way to the ocean, and spent a day with new and old friends at the Santa Cruz pier, watching sea lions and running in and out of the ocean. Made a couple quick stops at University of California Santa Cruz and Berkeley to check them out for potential school options before heading out.

The trip was everything I hoped for and wanted it to be- a chance to relax, a chance to be with friends and make new ones, and a chance to push myself in every way possible. And in the most basic way, a chance for me to relax and just spend a month being happy. Things rush by so quickly, and it's important to remember what truly makes you happy- and go out and do it! :)

You should see my climbing tick list for next year... uff-da... ;)

Next post- trip knitting status!