Yose

Sorry for the posting delay, but alas, there is no internet connection in the Yosemite Valley. But I still had a blast. Though I spent a week there, I could have easily stayed another month. I arrived in the valley on monday morning and got a campsite at Camp 4, where all the big-wall climbers stay. Camp 4 is a primative campsite, where you share an area with 4 other people usually. I was staying with a guy who had worked for big pharma company for 7 years, then quit and was now traveling around the country climbing and trying to figure out where to settle down and open a coffee shop/guide service. There was also a couple from San Antonio, who after spending three months in India, were traveling around the western US and planning on spending a few months in Portland before heading off to Thailand.

One of the things I really loved about Yosemite was the great community feel of the place. Especially at camp 4, where most of the climbers spend the summer, everyone is awesomely friendly. The first night I was there, one of the original big wall climbers at Yosemite (back in the mid-60's) put up a slide show of his pictures on the side of the bathroom and practically the whole camp came over and watched. Everywhere I went in the park, people were friendly and just generally happy. That was really refreshing, coming from central california where everyone is an ass.

It really is hard to explain how cool a place Yosemite is. Surrounded by 3000 foot walls, the valley is one of those surreal places where every 5 minutes you have to stop and look around for a while. Even hiking the walls was a new experience. On thursday I decided to climb to the top of yosemite falls, a trail rated severly strenuous by the guidebook. It was definitely gnarly; 3500 vertical feet in 3.2 miles. One of the guys I camped with did it in 1 hour, running. I was hoping for two hours to the top, but I managed to do it in 1:25. Not bad, but I was ready to puke at the top. The valley floor is at 4200 feet, and the top of the falls is at 7850, so the air was getting pretty thin towards the top. From the valley floor, the falls don't look so high, but once you get up there, its pretty incredible. Only very few places on earth can you look straight down 3500 feet of granite. Photos coming soon, as soon as I pick up a card reader.

All the interviews went fine. I won't bore you all with the details, but it was well worth it. I'm looking forward to Zion, and I promise more timely updates this week. I miss you all and can't wait to see everyone again.