Mountains, mist, and many many memories
We did it! Another year of ESCAPE. We had a great turnout for every trip this year, visited some new places, and shared a lot of good times. Read on for a recap of our culminating camping trip and information about an upcoming family picnic and alumni reunion!
We took 42 students to Yosemite National Park for a weekend, hitting many of the park’s highlights and getting back to Mariposa Grove for the first time in several years. There’s a huge amount of planning that goes into this trip starting months beforehand. We need campsites, food for 60+ people, tents and sleeping bags, a whole lot of other camping gear, and over a dozen drivers. It’s all worth it though when we finally get to be there and to see students experience Yosemite.
On our first day, we got on the road and went straight to Mariposa Grove. We haven’t been to see the giant sequoias since before the pandemic due to renovations, so it was great to be able to get back to the big trees (it’s pretty humbling to stare up at a tree that is nearly 3,000 years old). After a short hike in the sequoia grove, we set up camp in Wawona and had a delicious dinner of chili nachos.
Saturday is our big hiking day, but first we enjoyed hot coffee/cocoa and eggs, bacon, and pancakes by the morning fire. Even with the time crunch of needing to head out to the valley, there’s something special about camp mornings. After breakfast we piled into cars and drove into Yosemite Valley for the main event of the day: hiking the Mist Trail. When we got to the bridge at the base of Vernal Falls, we saw a bobcat hanging around near the trail! It stayed around long enough for many in the group to get a good look and take some pictures. Then after returning to the parking lot, we got our second wildlife treat of the day: a black bear! Finally, we got back to our campsite for dinner, campfire, s’mores, and glowsticks.
Our last day was an easy drive back through the valley to see Bridalveil Falls (though it looked like more mist than waterfall) and to watch from the meadow as climbers attempted to scale El Capitan. After a quick pitstop for pizza, we were back in Richmond, tired but happy. It was a wonderful weekend. We’ll be sad to say goodbye to the 8th graders, but looking forward to seeing our returning students along with new members next fall.
In the meantime, join us for an end of year celebration! We’ll be closing out the year with a family and alumni picnic on June 7 at Point Pinole. All are welcome! We would love to see you there. Please RSVP at this link.
Check out the video if you have a few extra minutes!