Day 5: No More Death-Defying Escapades
The next day started just how I needed: no alarms, no urgency, and no set plans for the day. We rolled out of bed at our leisure. When I woke up, I discovered several blood stains on my sleeping pad and in my sleeping bag. It seemed that some of my open wounds had leaked blood overnight, creating a gnarly paintjob for my camping gear. Several of the guys started throwing a frisbee around the campsite. Meanwhile, I sat and munched on CLIF bars and fruit snacks and chatted with those not throwing the frisbee. I wasn’t eager to go anywhere anytime soon.
Our group decided to head to Tuolumne Meadows – the site of yesterday’s misadventure – after a couple hours. Everyone piled into the car around 11 AM and started heading out of Yosemite Valley. On the way up, my car – consisting of Alex, Shane, Jack, Phillip, and me – discovered a fat, black jumping spider on the dashboard. It was probably harmless, but we all started panicking regardless. It didn’t help when it disappeared into one of the vents and reappeared in the back seat by Jack’s feet. The situation was quite comedic.
On the way to our bouldering location, we pulled off at a lookout of Half Dome. This lookout sat north of Yosemite Valley, offering a unique perspective of Half Dome and the sub-dome. While there, we met a pair of hikers who inquired about my excessive bandages. After we told them the story, they offered to take a photo of our group. This resulted in quite possibly my favorite photo from the trip…
Back on the Boulders
By 12:45 PM, we’d made it to the Knobs, a bouldering area in Tuolumne Meadows. I told myself I was going to take it easy, but the moment I touched the rock I felt a surge of motivation to climb. So, I began bouldering with full gusto, ignoring the pain in my hip and arms.
As the afternoon wore on, thunderstorms began appearing a few miles to the east. This reminded Shane and I of our struggle yesterday, but – thankfully – these thunderstorms kept their distance.
Our group eventually made their way to a V5 called Kauk Problem. Initially, I wasn’t planning to climb it. But, after Phillip flashed it and Shane sent in a few attempts, my competitive side came out. Will, Jack, Ian and I began working the problem while Shane and Phillip worked its harder V6 variant. A multitude of unsuccessful attempts began pissing me off, but – after managing to stick a precarious heel hook – I bagged the problem. This made Kauk Problem my second V5. It felt great to send a V5 in Yosemite, even if it wasn’t in the notoriously sandbagged valley.
Phillip bagged the V6 variant of Kauk Problem, and – after the others accepted defeat – we concluded our bouldering session by completing a V3 with huge dynamic movements. The thunderstorms began inching towards us, so we packed up our crash pads and returned to the cars.
Tenaya Lake
Once we concluded our bouldering session, we drove to the nearby Tenaya Lake. The lake is surrounded by forests, granite domes, and distant mountains, and is easily accessible from the road. So, we parked at a pull-off and ran out to the lake’s north beach. Thunder continue to rumble, but the storms remained behind a nearby cluster of granite domes.
As with the Merced two days earlier, we waded into the lake to discover freezing water. So, we of course challenged ourselves to fully submerge our bodies and see how long we could last. Ian, Shane, and Jack managed to last the longest.
After 30 minutes at the lake, we grew tired of the sun’s indecisiveness. When the sun was out, the water felt refreshingly cool on our legs. When it hid, the water was frigid. We started to exit the lake after a group decision to head back to the camp, but we put some pep in our step after a bombastic clap of thunder sent us sprinting back to the car.
One More Night to Get Crunk in Yosemite
We returned to Yosemite Valley around 5:30 PM. Our agenda? Nothing, absolutely nothing. We played frisbee, made dinner, chilled in the hammocks, and played board games as the sun began to disappear behind the trees. I called Maria to recount yesterday’s terrifying events, which she was unhappy about but relieved I was okay.
As the evening wore on, we started indulging in bourbon, gin, vodka, and other liquors that Will’s parents had sent with us to the park. Several of us were rather drunk by the time we started playing board games, highlighted by an intense game of Secret Hitler. It was a nice change of pace to just relax with the boys, with no plans or schedule to abide by.
Once the darkness set in, I had the spontaneous idea to go stargazing at Tunnel View. Everyone was on board, so we had our designated drivers (Will and Phillip) chauffeur the group to the overlook of the valley. There, we discovered a truly incredible night sky.
In addition to darker skies than our group was used to and a clear view of the Milky Way, we found entertainment in watching sets of headlamps slowly make their way up El Capitan. It seemed some groups were spending the night on the rock, a feat I was envious of.
We laughed and enjoyed each others’ company while testing the long-exposure capabilities of our phones. Like Glacier Point two days before, our time at Tunnel View under the stars was a beautiful moment. None of us wanted it to end, since we all realized that we’d be heading back to San Jose the next day. It had been an incredible week, but it was almost time to say goodbye to Yosemite.
Everyone went to bed when we returned to the campsite around midnight. We were planning to wake up early in the morning to deconstruct our campsite and re-pack the cars. With a day of hiking and driving planned for the next day, we needed some sleep. I took one last look at the night sky before entering my tent with Shane and Phillip, then swiftly fell asleep.