braindump

My first trip to Yosemite was in 1984 with my family, of which I have only a few memories. My second trip was by myself in 1996, and I’ve just found my travel diary from that trip. Here are some edited excerpts.

Tim on top of Half Dome in 1996

September 16. Canvas cabin in Curry Village – #442 (mine) is right under a lamppost. Walked to Mirror Lake, which is unfortunately dry. Some nice views of Half Dome in the sunset.

Sep 17. At 5 am, I see a bear which has got into a food locker. Set off for the Four-mile trailhead at 8:30, getting there about 9 am. Get to the top at 12 noon, eat lunch and take photos. At 2 pm I head down the Panorama Trail, then the Muir Trail past Nevada Falls, and back to Curry Village.

Sep 18. Took the 1:05 pm bus to Glacier Point, getting dropped off at the track to Sentinal Dome. Started at about 2:30 pm and got there about 3 pm. Down to Glacier Point, and then down the Four-mile Trail at about 5 pm; got to the bottom around 7 pm. After dinner, went out to the meadow to look at the stars and comet (Hale-Bopp).

Sep 19. Set off at 5:30 am for Half-Dome. Made it to the top around 11 am, ate lunch, took photos and rested. Started back down again at 12 noon. Arrived, very tired and sore, at Happy Isles around 4:45 pm.

Although I’ve edited out some of the more mundane details, there wasn’t much in the way of descriptive writing to start with. I’ve never been much of a diary-writer, as you can tell. Still, I’m glad I kept a record of the hikes I did and how long they took, because it helps with planning my coming trip.