Saturday, June 12, 2010

Sunday Salon: How to Hike Your Butt Off



We had another great week on the Nawrot summer vacation. This week was spent doing everything we could possibly do in Yosemite National Park. I will post a more detailed recap later, but we had an incredible time. We rode horses through the mountains…my son managed to fall off of his, thankfully with only minor bruises. We took some road trips within the park, up to 9,000 feet with lots of snow (big novelty for us Floridians). Almost on an hourly basis, we blown away by the dozens of bursting waterfalls, huge granite rock formations, and scenic overlooks (I just didn’t get too close to the edge!). Most of all, we hiked our tails off. We figure we logged in about 40 miles of trails, all of them beautiful, some of them strenuous. Our last adventure was 9 miles nearly straight up the side of a mountain, ending at the top of a waterfall. I could barely walk at the end of that one! And if I think too hard about how close we were perched to the edge of death, I will lose sleep. Many trails were precarious and tested my fear of heights. One hike resulted in my son rolling down a hill, ass over teakettle, with a few more scrapes to carry around as battle scars. I was worrying we wouldn’t get him back home alive.



Because of all the family time, I didn’t do much reading. I have been working my way through “Columbine”, which is an incredible, incredible book. True crime is really my thing, and I become obsessed with stories like this. I yearn to understand the “why” and the “how”. Maybe I should have been a psychiatrist when I grew up! I’ve also slowly been listening to “This Body of Death” by Elizabeth George on audio, but only when I was cooking or getting ready in the morning.

The most distressing thing about this trip was the lack of connectivity. Yes, I know, this is good for me! We had a whisp of Internet connection for a day or two, but then lost it until the last day. We had to sit on the curb, “borrowing” Internet from the neighbor, just to pull in our e-mails. No phone service at all. With all of my son’s mishaps, I worried what we would do if he seriously injured himself!

So now we are in San Francisco until tomorrow. We will see what we can today…maybe a little China Town, Coit Tower, the wharf for some crab, Lombard Street…then head home to reality for a few weeks. Hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far!








27 comments:

Literary Feline said...

Such a beautiful place to be spending time this time of year. It sounds like you are having a wonderful time, Sandy. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

caite said...

wow, that sounds like a fantastic trip.
But I must say the lack od connectivity gives me pause... ;-)

Ana S. said...

I'm so glad your son is okay! I'm pretty scared of heights, so some of those places do sound a bit scary. But that aside, what a dream holiday! I miss hiking so much. I haven't been out of the city in far too long.

JoAnn said...

I just love reading about your 'adventures'! Enjoy the rest of the trip - you'll be home and connected again before you know it...

Must read Columbine!

Beth F said...

Your son sounds adventuresome -- that's a good thing (as long as he can still walk!). Sounds like a fabulous trip.

bermudaonion said...

I should have come with you - my butt could use a little whittling away. The trip sounds like so much fun and the pictures are gorgeous.

Molly said...

Sounds like a fabulous (although a bit too adventurous for me) vacation! The photos are beautiful and I look forward to seeing more.

I wish you safe travels home!

Jen - Devourer of Books said...

Sounds like a fabulous vacation! I hope you all enjoy San Francisco!

Kim Frazier said...

Nah, you don't really want to be a psychiatrist. More like a Psychologist. They get to do all the testing and stuff. Psychiatrists just dispense the meds after reading the testing results!!!! At least that is how I used to see it when I was a lowly social worker! Glad you are all safe and having lots of fun!!!

Alyce said...

That looks amazing! I have the same mixed feelings when I'm out of range of the internet. :) Glad you all made it through the hikes safely.

Unknown said...

Beautiful!! I'm a bit jealous of your wonderful trip. I hope I can get there at some point.

Susan said...

I'm so envious! I would give anything to have been in your shoes this past week. Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Another one is Glacier N.P. If you haven't been, you should put it on your list. Breathtaking is not too strong a word for it.

Trisha said...

I am so jealous! What a fantastic trip! Well...except for the scare.

Jenners said...

I'm impressed with the amount of hiking you did. But your near death stories give me the willies.

And "Columbine" was amazing.

Melody said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip to me! The pics are beautiful! I'd love to visit if given a chance!

ds said...

Glorious photos, and an impressive amount of physical activity (but we expect no less of the Nawrots)! Glad your son is okay. He sounds like one tough, adventurous kid. Have a fabulous time in San Francisco. What a wonderful vacation, even with "connectivity issues"!

Serena said...

Yosemite National Park is on my must see list before I die! Thanks for sharing these great photos. Sounds like a great vacation with time to step away from that computer!

Zibilee said...

Oh my! It sounds like your son had a very interesting time out there! I am glad you are having such a wonderful time with your family! I would love to visit Yosemite someday myself! I am sorry that you didn't have such great connectivity out there, but don't worry! The internets will be waiting for you when you get back!!

The Bumbles said...

Your son sounds like a Bumble to me! Tell him we welcome him into our club.

I'm glad you got to explore so much of Yosemite and didn't let the heights keep you from witnessing all of that beauty.

This time of year is so great out there - when all the falls are raging. When we were there I had forgotten to pack proper foot wear - so I hiked everywhere in my flimsy sandals. A bit slick on those wet rocks but it didn't stop me - I would have gone barefoot if I had to.

Jeane said...

It sounds like a beautiful, if arduous, hike. I love the middle photo with the tree. Enjoy the rest of your vacation- San Francisco is a beautiful city.

Iliana said...

Those are wonderful pics, Sandy! I actually do like being away from interent and all when on vacation but I can understand getting a bit worried there after some mishaps! Glad to hear your son is ok and enjoying vacation.

Looking forward to more pics from the rest of your vacation!

Kathleen said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Yosemite minus your son's misshaps and the lack of connectivity. I can't wait to hear what you think of Columbine. As my fellow true crime lover I always look forward to your reviews. Hope you have fun in SF. We had beautiful weather in the Bay Area these last few days so you should have enjoyed perfect conditions in SF!

Darlene said...

I'm so glad you're having a good time. That hike sounds like a bit much for me. Glad your son was ok. The pictures are just gorgeous!

Alice said...

Everything's so beautiful! I'd love to hike my butt off here. Enjoy your vacation, Sandy!

Anonymous said...

That looks like my kind of vacation! Glad you had a great time.

--Anna

Michele said...

It looks like you had a great time. Good for you!

Anonymous said...

Thrilling story! It sounds like a real adventure. I'm glad you could still enjoy the beauty & fun of it all (next to the worries).

I guess you haven't read Murakami's short story Crabs... otherwise you'd never go for a crab meal ;)