Scotty and I meet at the airport in San Francisco, our flights arriving only a few minutes apart. We find each other at baggage claim, grab our packs, and we're off to rent a car. Our adventure begins with a 3 1/2 hour road trip. Along the way we stop at Big Boy Market to buy groceries, and In and Out for the best fast food burgers ever. As our altitude goes up so does our anticipation. And Yosemite does not disappoint. It's incredible. Green forests of pines on both sides of the road. Suddenly to our left rock cliffs soar straight up while to our right it drops away steeply into a deep valley. Scotty checks to make sure my attention is on the road before taking in the view himself. I catch glimpses through my periferal vision. Bridges carry us over creeks that cut through the cliffs, winding their way down over rocks and water falls. It's dusk as we arrive in the valley. A huge buck darts in front of our rented car. We hope thats only the beginning of encounters with wild creatures. Bears abound here, and we hope to see one... sort of.
We arrive at our destination; the Upper Pines campground, justly named for the huge pines towering toward the sky all around us. I breathe in deep the sweet smell of pines. Sheer cliffs rise like castle walls on every side, I'm guessing at least two thousand feet up. Unreal. Our tent goes up quickly, but it's dark by dinner time. We pack away our food in a bear cage. No food can be left in cars because a bear will tear the doors off to get to the food. A ranger tells us there have been over 200 bear incidents in this camp already this season. We both fall asleep with the feel of a knife close at hand, as if that would help against a bear.
Lord, it is so good to be on this adventure with my son. Bless our time in this beautiful place.
Posted on
Thu, August 20, 2009
by Chris Spitters