yosemite

here is a photo of me on top of half dome. its a pretty incredible view.












here is another photo of all of us that went.










it was just my two brothers, matt and lance, my brother-in-law, eric, and my dad, ron. we went about a month ago. i didnt have my camera on the trip. its alright though since three of the five of us had cameras and everyone took some good photos to remember the trip. nice of them to all send me the photos after we got home.

so half dome was really my type of camping trip. im not much of a camper. i wanted to stay in a cabin and so that i could have a bed and relax in a hot tub after the long hike. i guess that means im not really a man's man (but im not sure that that is something that i am interested in trying to prove anytime in this lifetime anyways), or it just means im not a neanderthal. here's the deal, i enjoy the outdoors, i like getting out, but you have to put up with a lot when you go camping and usually, for me, the payoff isnt worth what i have to deal with. now there are a few exceptions, that i know of, and im sure there are many more. one exception is havasupai. its heaven on earth. literally. another one is half dome. and that is because the view from the top of half dome and the sense of accomplishment from such a grueling hike is very rewarding. plus climbing up the cables is a great bonus.

my problems with camping is that usually the destination isnt as exciting as the above mentioned places. usually it entails hiking to some dirt surrounded by pine trees. dont get me wrong, i do like to get out, but there are just some guarantees about camping that cant be avoided:

1. the sleeping situation. inevitably, someone, or all will have a poor nights rest. a couple years ago i went camping and made the idiotic decision to sleep under the stars. while it appeared like a great idea at first and had some initial fantastic benefits, it turned into a sleepless, freezing night. at yosemite, my air mattress partially deflated so i essentially slept on the ground. i wasnt too upset about it. there were 5 of us so one of our air mattresses had to have problems. they all couldnt function properly. that isnt allowed when camping. someone has to be on a slope or on a large rock or nest of wild boars or something. unfortunately the lot fell on me this time. plus, my sleeping bag was made sometime in 1987 i think and not recommended for temperatures below 75.

i understand that those problems can be fixed. i can get a dependable air mattress and a quality sleeping bag, and have a decent nights rest. but its just that, it will only be decent. perhaps good for camping, but decent compared to being on my bed at my house. and im fine with that for a night. maybe two, but then it just starts to ware on me. plus, between wildlife, early morning sun and just flat out being semi-uncomfortable for the night, you are only guaranteed 5 or 6 hours of sleep. i just cant enjoy myself too many days when running on such little poor sleep.

2. the food. we really rough it in the sommer family. it was a three day trip. we drove up thursday afternoon. ate lunch before leaving. had dinner at a hotel cafe before getting to our campsite. had breakfast pastries and naked juice for breakfast and trail mix and snacks for lunch all while on the trail on the climb up. then, for dinner that night, we drove 30 miles to civilization and scarfed down some taco bell as we sat in a cool movie theater and watched 'ocean's 13.' yep, we're tough guys. fear us. in the morning, we actually cooked a meal and made pancakes. we then left yosemite and had in-n-out on the way home for lunch. come to think of it, i dont know that i have any problems with food when camping. its great.

3. being dirty. once again, i think as a guy i should love this. and its not that i mind being dirty. i dont have problems with it at all. its just when it goes on for a few days, it really starts to become an issue. i dont mind sweating while hiking or getting dirty setting up camp etc., but when i then cant do anything about it for awhile, i just start to feel gross and uncomfortable. call me crazy and strange, but i just dont enjoy those feelings for extended periods of time. and they start to overshadow everything else and almost impede me from continuing to enjoy myself. i would like to enjoy the fresh mountain air, but its hard when my nose is clogged with booggers that are dark as night from having inhaled so much dirt and dust.

anyways, this is about the half dome trip. half dome was awesome. its an incredible hike. i would recommend it to anyone. well, anyone that is physically able to do it. its not easy by any means. i must commend my dad, he is 61 and he pulled it off. he wasnt exactly sprinting to the top and i thought he might have a heart attack at the top, but he did do it, which is more than most people even half his age could do. a guy i know, who is my age and considers himself an 'outdoorsy' guy and in shape (he plays ultimate frisbee), did the hike and couldnt even jog 3 days after getting home. so its tough. i also recommend yosemite. its just amazing. heck, i even recommend camping. i think i just prefer the beach. so i guess beach camping is ideal for me. especially if you are camping off 17th street in huntington because then i can just sleep in my own bed.