Yosemite Half Dome Backpack
We had a total of 12 Scouts and 4 adult leaders thanks to Mrs. Rogers who got there way early and acquired two additional trail passes so she and Dr. Car could join us. The weather proved to be quite a challenge as it started to rain shortly after we started our hike on Saturday from Glacier Point. It rained on and off throughout the rest of the day and we even got a bit of hail, very exciting for some of the boys. Several miles in we made camp on a level spot located almost straight across from Half Dome, a short time later we discovered that most inexpensive tents are not truly rain proof. During that time we watched a rescue helacopter come and go to The Shoulder of Half Dome and wondered what had happened. Most of the boys did great, doing the best they could at keeping somewhat dry and cooking dinner in the rain. After dinner we all stood around the fire in a big circle and prayed for safety and better weather, seconds later there was about a 10 minuet downpour and then it stopped raining for the duration of our trip. We had time to dry out all our sleeping bags by the fire before retiring for the night.
The next morning we woke to a beautiful sunny sky and hiked down to Little Yosemite Valley where we set up our base camp before making the accent to Half Dome, by that time there were clouds in the sky but they came and went throughout the rest of the day with out a drop. At base camp we were joined by Mrs. Car, her daughter and a friend who had hiked up from the Valley floor that morning, we also learnd that someone had died on Half Dome the day before when they fell while trying to descend the cables during the rain and hail storm. You can learn more about that from the link below that Mrs. Sandovol found. The weather held and all in all we had eight Scouts make it all the way to the top, two that made it part way the cables and decided that was as far as they wanted to go, and three that stayed back at base camp to gather firewood, filter water and dry out the rest of the gear. We had a communal campfire that night and entertained several other backpackers that stopped by to enjoy the fire. We all slept good that night with no bears and just the occasional hoot of an owl.
Day three we rose early had breakfast, packed up our gear and headed down the John Muir Trail past spectaular water falls, clifts and domes. to the valley floor. A special thanks goes to Mrs. Car and Mr. Rogers who had shuttled our cars to the Valley from our starting point. We left the Car and Rogers families in the Valley to continue on family vacations and headed to the first fast food we could find in Oakhearst for some of the best burgers and fries in recent memory.
Again a special thanks goes out to Mr. Cannon and the leaders who, as a team were able to help deal with the altitude sickness, home sickness, hypothermia, cut finger, mild food poising, dehydration and general exhaustion. I also have to give credit to the older Scouts who, true to the spirt of Scouting, helped the other Scouts in many ways. That really set the tone for everyone to share and help each other with great attitudes. We have a great Troop.
Mr. Swanson
