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ESCAPE to Yosemite 2017

A visit to the jewel of our national parks…

Ugh.

We expect it to be crowded in Yosemite Valley. This is our 17th year doing this! And we’ve come to expect it to be more crowded each year. What we did not anticipate was the gridlock we encountered, or the utter absence of parking spots. But for the first time in a few years, the weather was warm and dry. And as usual, the kids were resilient, the adults were flexible, and it turned out to be a nice weekend.

We had a huge number this year. We brought 35 students, and our group totaled over 50. With cooperation from our principal, the DeJean staff, and some outside resources, we were all able to leave before school and head to the valley on Friday morning. Since Mariposa Grove is still under construction this year, we thought to spend an extra day in the valley, and knock out some extra activities there. Due to all the construction, and the difficulty with parking, and the park service’s lack of infrastructure and resources, that turned out to be a really poor idea. We were only able to check out the climbers on El Capitan, and take our group photo at Tunnel View. We did get to camp at a decent hour, and enjoyed setting up our tents, having dinner, and hanging out around camp.

On Saturday, we ventured back into the valley. But there was no parking. Anywhere. We thought we’d be creative, and park at the far end of the valley, near El Capitan, five miles from our trailhead. But then we waited 45 minutes for a shuttle, which took 30 minutes to go five miles. Again, ugh.

We did finally get to do the hike up the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls. Every single kid and chaperone made it to the top, about which we are very proud. It’s an accomplishment that they will always be able to keep with them. And to be clear, despite all of our struggles, Yosemite was spectacular. Thundering waterfalls, under blue skies. All the things we hope for from the park were in their prime. So there’s no minimizing the experience.

But all the delays put us well behind our normally scheduled routine, and we decided to get pizza in Half Dome (formerly “Curry”) Village. This was a great call, as it took just as long for us to get back to our cars, and we headed back to camp in the dark. It would have been rough starting our usual pasta dinner at 8:30pm!

For certain, one of the highlights was singing around the campfire. You can get a taste of it in the video below, or if you’re following us on Instagram! (Even if you’re not on Instagram, you can see our posts here: https://www.instagram.com/escape.club/ )

For Sunday, we decided it would be best not to return to the valley. We spent a leisurely morning around camp, playing games, ultimate frisbee, and singing a little more. We packed up, and headed out the south park entrance. We drove through 100-degree temperatures in the central valley, and arrived home Sunday evening to some chilly, 60-degree weather in Richmond.

We are so grateful to a fantastic group of chaperones who gave their time to this program. We also are grateful for each of you who made financial contributions to make this trip free for our kids. Also to those who donated other things, like tents, sleeping bags, firewood, and even homemade cookies!

Our final trip of the year is this week, so we’ll talk again soon! Lots of text this time–thanks for reading this far!

You know you should watch… It’s sure to brighten your day!
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ESCAPE to Alamere Falls 2017

A hike in Point Reyes to a magical waterfall right on the beach…

For the 17th year in a row, the ESCAPE Club made its annual venture up the California coast to Point Reyes, and hiked to Alamere Falls. But we’re really reconsidering an 18th trip. Once again, we are encouraged to see beautiful places outside growing in popularity. However, as we are already a large group, it is becoming more logistically difficult to enjoy this hike the way we once did.

Nevertheless, we pressed on with the hike, because after all, it is probably the most magical spot in the Bay Area. (Don’t tell anyone!) It’s a longer hike now–probably closer to eight miles round trip–since we have to park so far from the trailhead, and there aren’t nearly enough bathrooms in the parking lot! It looks like more may be being built, and they are advertising for trail docents, so something is being done about the increased popularity.

We crouched through the brambly short cut near the falls, leapt (or waded) across the stream, and scrambled down the cliff to the falls. Unfortunately, it was the peak of a high tide, so the beach itself was pretty narrow, with the seawater coming all the way up to the falls at times.  We splashed in the falls, played in the sand, and even spotted harbor seals and a few dolphins out in the distance.

The weather was warm enough to get in the falls, but cool enough so we didn’t suffer from heat on the hike back.  There weren’t as many wildflowers as we hoped to see, but the hike and views were beautiful as ever. Everyone made it the whole way, despite some minor discomfort.  We were proud of our accomplishment.  

As has become our custom, we enjoyed tamales back at the cars, with some cold drinks.  We were watched by a pair of gray foxes that have taken up residence in the parking lot, hoping for some scraps!  And we enjoyed a quick, impromptu tug of war before it was time for the drive home.

Yosemite, here we come!

Videoooooooooooooo!!!
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ESCAPE to Elkhorn Slough 2017

ESCAPE to Elkhorn Slough

Kayaking among the sea otters and harbor seals…

Some of you may remember that a while back, we were awarded a three-year grant to go kayaking.  After a ton of haggling and wrestling paperwork, we were finally able to make the trip happen in March!  

About 40 of us arrived in Moss Landing (halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey) at Elkhorn Slough on a cool, foggy morning. The kayaking company offers wetsuits and raingear, for any who wish to borrow.  And of course we all wear life jackets.  After a brief training session, we paddled out onto the water.  

Paddling upstream into the slough was challenging, but not impossible.  There was some choppiness near the outlet to the bay, and the current was headed out, so kids (especially the smaller ones) had to work hard.  And by the time we got going, the sun had come out, giving us a great day to be on the water.

We got to see lots of wildlife up close–several sea otters (one with a baby!), lots of harbor seals, and shore birds.  We paddled about a mile into the slough, and then rode the current back to the harbor.  We were grateful for the weather, and the experience.  And none of the kids fell in!

On our way home, we stopped to splash on the beach in Santa Cruz at Natural Bridges.  The sun was bright and warm, and the water calm and cool.  I think there were a thousand people on that little beach.  It was so hard to leave, but we faced 2+ hours of traffic getting home, so we pulled ourselves away.

As the end of the year approaches, we’re preparing for Alamere Falls and camping in Yosemite.  Let us know if you’re coming!

 

 

The video.
Yes, you should watch it. A much better use of time
than scrolling through Facebook or Instagram.

 
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ESCAPE to the Snow 2017

ESCAPE to the Snow!

Plenty of white snow, blue skies, and smiling faces
Sorry for the delayed update here.  Our Communications and Community Relations Department is a little behind on things. We need an intern!

February’s trip to the snow was a memorable one.  For the first time in several years, we didn’t have to worry about where to find snow–it was whether or not the snow would actually stop in order for us to get up there!  After a solid week of rain, snow, and mudslides over freeways, we ventured east into the Sierras.  The closest and most convenient place for us to go is in Cisco Grove, so we were glad to be back there again this year.
We filled a 53-seat charter bus with kids from DeJean, teachers, parents and chaperones.  There was a little traffic on the way from the recent weather and freeway closures, but it had mostly cleared by the time we headed home.  We got to spend the day under blue skies, and really enjoyed the time there.  It was so nice out, we didn’t even bother with hot chocolate!  

Plenty of sledding on our trusty plastic discs, as well as the newer inner tubes we invested in last year.  Snowmen, snowball fights, and a tamale feast for lunch.
On the way home, we made our usual stops at In’N’Out in Auburn, and the state capitol in Sacramento.  It was a full and fantastic day, which just seems to be what we’ve come to expect in the ESCAPE Club!

Check out the video below to see more pictures, videos, smiles, and good times.  We’ll be back soon to tell you all about our recent kayaking trip.
Warning:  Do NOT click here if you get envious easily.  We had an amazing time!