Winner 2014

For the third year in a row I participated in the National Novel Writing Month.  It was, as always, a crazy ride.   Here's to 50184 words in 30 days!

Fall in Yosemite

I was fortunate to watch the fall colors start to peak out in the valley in October.  It was lovely.  Each time I drove in I would wish I had my camera.  I finally went up on one of my weekends to take photos of the fall colors, but it was a bit past the prime for the the valley.  It had also rained recently and there were more colorful leaves on the ground than on the trees.  I was still able to get a picture.  This is the Merced River looking east, on the west end of the valley.

I ended up getting some better photos right around my neighborhood.  I loved watching this tree, just up the street from my house, turn pink.  Lovely.

When I left, this tree was bright red and orange.  This is near the soccer fields and the elementary school.  I wish I'd gotten one last photo of this tree in all its brilliance.

My pink tree again.  The street sign is for my street.  Coming home, I would always see this tree before turning towards my house.

No fall colors here, but this is the view of the mountains outside my house.

I am so thankful that I was able to call this beautiful place home for the last six months.

Attempted Last Hike

My time in Yosemite is quickly drawing to an end.  My schedule the last month and a half has been completely filled with a project dealing with approach trails for El Capitan.  There were no established trails to reach the base of the wall but instead of prolific system of braided social trails.  A project was done two years ago to determine use and with that information, restoration and trail crews covered up the existing system and created a single approach trail, respectively.  What we did this year was repeat that survey to determine the effectiveness of the restoration and trail work.  Now that all the field data has been gathered, I'm back to a normal schedule (getting days off again!) and in the office getting all the data entered.

I had Veteran's Day off and decided I needed to take one last hike in the park.  I've been wanting to hike a dome called Clouds Rest all season and decided it was now or never.

The day was beautiful.  Couldn't have asked for better weather.  The views from the trail were awesome.

I love the mixture of granite and conifer.  Lovely.  (And yes, those white patches in the foreground are snow.)

Words of encouragement: I believe that you can make it! Love.

Even with those words of encouragement, I couldn't make it.  I was about four miles in when I hit snow for real.  I hiked a little on it, but with the warming/freezing cycles that area had been experiencing the last week, there were places it was very, very slippery.  After a few slipping close calls, I decided I didn't need a broken leg and reluctantly turned around.

Perhaps Clouds Rest is meant to be conquered next summer.  Always looking for a hiking buddy, anyone else interested?