Basecamp in Wawona.
Frost on my hiking pants early Saturday morning.
And frost on my trail runners.
My lovely wife at the trailhead.
The trail.
Mosquito Creek.
My wife is looking at something...
Toilet bowl trunk.
Fallen giant sequoia across the trail.
Can you spot the mountain lion?
Burnt sentinels from a fire long ago.
My wife in the "far" distance.
Trail marker seen after 0.7 miles into the hike.
Ghostwalker.
Ghostbrother.
Same tree, closer up.
Old railroad bed.
Another winter gone, another spring arrives. Time to let these boots dry out and store away until the next snow season...
Well, maybe not...there are other places to hike when Tioga Road opens hopefully around mid-May. There should be plenty of snow up in the high country.Another white space filled in on the calendar.
What better way to celebrate the vernal equinox than to hike to Alder Creek (almost) with a lot of postholing in between. Our hike was 4.42 miles long and took us 2 hours 58 minutes to complete.
Friday, March 19, 2010:
We stop in Oakhurst to load up on supplies and arrive at Wawona Campground around 3:00 p.m. To our disappointment Loop A was the only camping area opened. We set up camp at Site 26.
After setting up camp, Nature called. Go to the bathroom and noticed "Out of Order" signs. And the porta potties in front were locked! Go figure. So, we had to walk to the other end of the campground. Geesh!
Upon our return to our site, my wife noticed this gigantic vehicle parked next to our site. We had never seen anything quite like it. Upon further review, it was an Earth Roamer vehicle. Too much toy.
The forest crews downed trees in the campground, meaning plenty of fuel to burn! We purchased two boxes of firewood at Raley's but didn't need to use the second box. The pine was still green and the purchased firewood kept the fires burning until the pine decided to burn.
Our evening meal consisted of vegetarian chili over brown rice. Yes, that's right, vegetarian chili. I only make an exception when it comes to camping and vegetarian dishes.
Saturday, March 20, 2010:
We awaken to frost conditions.
I hyperextended my left knee while postholing, thus aborting any attempt to reach the Alder Creek Falls.
Sunday, March 21, 2010:
We break camp and head for home. We stop in Oakhurst to have breakfast at The Grind, formerly known as the Yosemite Coffee & Roasting Company. We later stop at Raley's to squeeze in a little grocery shopping.
We get home, unload all of the gear, do a few chores around the house, and finally settle down beginning with a good soaking in the spa. "We could have used one of these at our campsite!"
Wherever I may roam...
