We got to Tuolumne early in the morning, with time for breakfast while we waited for the shuttle into Tuolumne Valley. I had a pint of ice cream and a microwaved burrito to start the day. The breakfast of champions. Sensei appeared all of a sudden, a sleeve of his shirt ripped off. As Mash put it, he always looks slightly bewildered.
But what a struggle to simply go to a national park. A 2 hour shuttle, a long clarification about wilderness permits in Yosemite (the actual system being completely ridiculous), larger crowds of people than we were used to and some sweet talking to get us camp spots. As Gnome (who’s group we, almost unsurprisingly, ran into again in the Valley) put it: ‘Yosemite Valley doesn’t like people.’
But we made it and it is gorgeous. Seeing the sheer massive size of famous mountains like El Capitan and Half Dome and watching the water fall of the smooth granite cliffs at Yosemite Falls is breathtaking. Merlin and Marble showed us a secret cave they remembered from before. It was weird though, being amidst so many people again. Even in the towns it’s usually less crowded. We stand out among the other day and weekend hikers, our packs and outfits clearly branding us as long distance hikers. Not having other pct hikers around me affected me more than I thought. I’m glad we came here, but I can see why there are so few who do it.
Tomorrow, more exploration awaits!