A beautiful weekend in a truly iconic place
As always, Yosemite was a standout trip. Read on for a recap of the weekend, as well as information about this Saturday’s family/alumni picnic!
There were several things that made this trip a little different than previous years. For the first time we stayed in the valley at Housekeeping Camp. Parking in recent years has gotten increasingly more difficult, especially so when traveling with 10 vehicles. Staying at Housekeeping Camp let us walk or shuttle everywhere we needed to go. While setting up and sleeping in tents is a fun experience that we missed this year, it was amazing to be so close to everything on our itinerary. We also brought some ESCAPE alumni who are now in high school as interns. This group was AMAZING. As helpful as they could be at every turn, always jumping in with a great attitude. Cooking, serving, and cleaning up after meals was a breeze thanks to them.
On our first day, we visited Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan Meadow, and Tunnel View. This trio of sights was a beautiful introduction to the park and preview of the many waterfalls and vistas we’d encounter throughout the weekend. Once we got to our campsites, it was all hands on deck to get set up even without putting up tents. But with everyone pitching in it wasn’t long before we were settled in and dinner was cooking (smash burgers—delicious!).
Saturday’s big activity was to hike the Mist Trail. After a couple years in a row where finding parking was an hour long challenge, it was AMAZING to just hop on a shuttle. The hike was beautiful as usual, and despite a few challenging portions students kept pushing until they made it to the top of Vernal Falls. Afterwards, we spent some time along the river near camp before having burritos for dinner. That night we took a short night hike over to the village store, listening to frogs and passing under Half Dome along the way.
On our final day, after a hot breakfast and packing up camp, we went over to Yosemite Falls and then walked to the new Exploration Center. There was a really cool exhibit on the history and evolution of climbing in the park. After that, we were back on the road for the long drive home.
There’s so many people who played an important role on this trip and without whom it wouldn’t be possible. Huge thanks to all the chaperones and drivers who helped during the actual weekend, the high schooler interns who really went above and beyond, all those who have donated money, time, energy throughout the year, and everyone who baked cookies for the trip. It all means so much!
And now, while we’re grateful for summer, it’s a little bittersweet this time around. When the ESCAPE club returned post pandemic in 2022, we expanded out of just DeJean Middle School to include Betty Reid Soskin Middle School. In February, however, we received the news that BRS will be closing at the end of this school year and merging with another school in the district. It’s been a sad time for the Soskin community. We’re optimistic though about starting the club at the new school, and of course continuing our mission of getting kids outdoors.
On a happier note, please join us on Saturday (June 13) for a ESCAPE Club reunion picnic! We’ll be at Alvarado Park (5755 McBryde Ave, Richmond) from 11-2 and would love to see you there. You can RSVP here or contact us with any questions. We’d love to see you there!
Check out the video if you have a few extra minutes!