Bear box
When you stay in the park, you don’t keep food with you at night because you’re not the only one who likes food. Squirrels like food but they are not the threat. They could be if they were to organize in gangs but it’s free for all in the squirrel world. The problem is the bear. But every problem has its solution. To avoid a nightly visit of a hungry bear at night (even though a bear could definitely keep you warm at night) or to avoid having your car open like a can, there’s that thing called “the bear box”. You store away all your food in there, away from the cars and tents and you let the hungry bear have fun opening it. Shortly after going to bed, I understood the reason behind that rule about food. The growls I heard could not possibly be someone snoring!
Fire Youngling
Some time later, my alarm wakes me up to remind me to feed the fire. I could only witness the long road ahead of me to master fire (respect to my grand-father). My assumptions on the speed it would take to burn all this were clearly wrong. I was already sleeping under my regulatory 3 tons of blankets so I don’t bother trying it again. I disconnect the alarm and go back to void I came from.
Menu
It’s already morning and my legs are still nowhere to be found. Maybe the slower recovery time after 30 is more than an urban legend after all. And yet I stretched! Betrayed by my body, I gather my stuff and leave my “heated” tent. Today’s program is lighter. I’ll make my way towards the eastern exit of the valley and stop at any interesting vista point. I also want to hike around Tenaya Lake. It’s only 4km… and flat obviously, it’s a lake after all.
Tenaya Lake
The hike around the lake is really nice. I’ve got all the time in the world so I chase birds (ok I’m shooting them with my 70-300), I take breaks to think about the meaning of life (nothing to do with my tired legs no no no), and I enjoy the grandiose view. The lake has some beaches but all of them are close to the road and too crowded for my taste. And yet you walk 5-10 minutes and all the tourists are gone.
Ethnologie
The hiker is usually a nice person. As long as you’re not in a touristy area, it’s customary to say hello when meeting a fellow hiker. Depending on your current level of weariness, you do it verbally or you just nod to save energy. Mostly everyone do it except by a very specific category of the population. The chick between 15 and 40 seems to be exempt from it. Older or younger they still know how to say hello strangely. And it does not depend on the group configuration. I came across couples (the guy said hello), groups of girls (they ignored me), families (everyone but the 15-40 girl said hello). I don’t get it and find it quite lame or to say it New York style “What the fuck is wrong with you Girls!”
Verdon Gorge
The happy camper is nice but he/she does not know how to drive on a mountain road. As a dedicated student, I do my best to apply my godfather’s teaching on mountain road’s driving (turns optimization, when to accelerate/decelerate, how to look ahead to see if the trajectory can be “optimized” furthermore,...). It was just not possible with all these Sunday drivers. I know very few people drive sticks here but the over use of the break for no reason is driving me crazy.
The end
I finally exited the valley, enjoying this beautiful park as much as possible and got back to Sacramento my mind (and my camera) full of pictures. I only had a weekend so I had to make choices. I haven’t seen the giant sequoias, I would have loved to climb the half-dome (you need to book a spot to be allowed to reach the very top), I would have loved to climb the North Dome on Sunday but life is about choices right? It’s a magnificent park and if you pass by, you have to stop and take a few days to visit it. No need to do hard core hikes to have access to unforgettable views ;)