A few things that caught my attention:
- Although Wellman has a great deal of respect and admiration for the grizzly, his thoughts about wolves and cats aren’t nearly so generous.
- Two guys milled a tree, packed the lumber on a mule and built a scaffold 10 feet off the ground in one day, and I wonder what kind of tools they were using.
- Wolves and wolverines!
- The letter written on April 20, 1918, was finally received June 19. I wonder if they thought a two-month transit time was fast or frustrating.

Notes on the transcript:
I tried to preserve the spellings where I could make out the letters, and things I couldn’t figure out are noted with [brackets]. I could probably have figured out more, but was more interested in the spirit of the story, which I think comes through clearly regardless.

Hornitos Apr 20, 1918
Mr. Joseph Grinnell.
Berkeley
Cal
My Dear Sir
Your f____
of the 4th ____ is just now read
I having been absent from home
since the first & have not yet returned
which must be my excuse for not
answering you inquiry sooner.
My friend Mr. Bruce is correct in
naming me as the executioner of the
Grizzly in question. Yet if there is any
credit due a man for destroying such
a magnificent animal, I cannot claim
it all my friend JH Duncan, who long
since [journd??] into the happy hunting
grounds stood beside me at the time
& if his Bearship had not have been so verry
inquisitive, he would never have got harmed
that night. The circumstances leading up to
the capture of this bear may be of interest
so in as brief a maner as possible, I will relate
them. Our head quarters were at Buck Camp
sum 16 miles East of Wawona near the
South Fork of the Merced River

This region was the summer grazing
ground for our horses & cattle for a number
of years prior to the formation of the
Yosemite National Park. We built three
good log houses, corralls & fenced pastures ~
opened & improved trails leading into the
high Sierras. On the evening of the 17th Oct. 1887
in the head of a small valley about a mile
below camp, I discovered a dead cow [brute?]
which some bear had already comenced
feeding on. From the sign I judged them to
be an old she bear & her yearling cubs. I
felt sure they were camped clost [?] by & so I
scouted around a bit to see if I might jump
them up. While I was carefuly working my
way thru the thick brush clost to a fallen tree
when sudenly thare was a fierce growl & a
swift rush as the old mother bear charged
straight for me. But my rifle barked into
her open mouth killing her instantly & I
heard the young bear scurying thru the brush.
The next morning I discovered that there had
been a monstrous beast at the carcas the past
night having draged the cow several yards
from whare it first had laid & I felt certain
that it must be a Grizzly.

That same day I rode over to my
friend Duncans camp & told him thare
was a Grizzly Bear stoping [?] on the
buck camp [rang(e?)] & if he would come
over I felt quite sure we could bag
him. He smiled & said why Bob, your excited
thare hasn’t been a Grizzly track made
in this neck of the woods for years. But sure
I’l go over & see what youve found. But when
he finally put a rule onto the Bruins foot [_____]
10 inch wide & 13 long . He exclaimed, by heck [hese]
a griz all right & I give it up & right thare
he said, pointing to a huge granit bowlder
some 40 feet distant will be a dandy place
for us to shoot from. But I protested saying
that beast will never come to the cow while
we sit on that rock. He will wind us & he won’t
show himself & furthermore he is a silvertip
Grizzly & they are dead on the fight & we would[ent]
stand the ghost of a show. What makes you
think he is a silver tip Grizzly. I said come
with me & prove my judgment is correct . A short
distance below where the carcas lay, Bruin had
taken a bath in a pool of watter & then used a near
by pine tree for a drying towell & I pointed out to Jim
several small [toufts] of long black & silver gray hair

which was sticking to the bark of the tree.
Well Bob, I guess your right again & I judge
from the size of his foot that hese a whale & notice
how he has draged that heavy carcas around.
Well, after we had spent three nights in succession
sitting on that granit rock, waiting for his Bear
ship to show up, I said I would build a scaffold
& Jim if you wish to assist me, all right. If not, all
right. He replied, of course I’l help. But it’s foolish, just
labor for nothing. [I bet you a well] we sawed a 5 foot
cut off a shake tree near camp & split out
enough boards 2 inch thick for the floor of scaffold
packed them on a mule down where the carcas lay
& before sundown the job was done. The flore of the
scafold was 10 foot from the ground, firmly secured
to a group of young fir trees some 60 [___] distant from
the dead cow & the big granit rock being some 50 feet
directly in front. We now returned to camp ate
our supper, took a couple of blankets & arrived
at the scaffold as the dusk began to settle among
the somber mountains.

I amediatly climbed up the pole lader we had
prepared while Jim remained below & sent up
the guns & blankets, which I hauled up with a rope.
Jim was half way up the lader when I discovered
that he had not set up my canvas coat in the
pockets of which was my rifle cartridges. He steped
back gathered up the coat & endeavored to throw it up
but it failed to reach my hand but it resulted in
spilling the amunition on the ground the fact of
which I was to learn later as Jim came puffing
up on to the platform & handed me the coat, he
remarked, well Bob, of all the foolish things I ever
had any hand in, I think this is the silliest.
I was somewhat anoyed but made no reply
within a verry short time, after we had got our positions
to suit us, a large gray timber wolf came sneaking
up thru the [_low?__] quakin asp bushes to get his supper. He
stoped, one foot raise & sniffed the air. I saw Jim rais
his gun. I put out my hand & whispered, don’t shoot, but
his rifle barked. The wolf sprang into the air & disapeared.
I was mad & felt hurt that he should have lost his head
& fired that shot.
[_____] a time there was a dead silence. Then we heard the
three young bears whose dam I had killed a fiew
days before coming down the hill to get their supper
in a fiew minutes more, we could hear them grunting
& working away at their feast. The extreme darkness
saved them from a shot from Duncans rifle
& he wanted to fire at the noise they made anyway
but I persuaded him not to do it. An hour or more
must have past & I noticed Jim was geting
[dousy] & I could still hear the young Bruins
working away. Then suddenly, something seemed
to disturb them. I could hear them grunting & sniffing
the air. I punched Jim & said Listen to them cubs.
I bet you they hear the old boss coming. [Aw dont]
he replied, nothing doing, I want to sleep. 3 nights on that
dam Rocks nuff for me. but the nois the young bears
made tearing thru the brush, seeking a safer locality
seemed to disipate Jims drousiness & he remarked
gosh, them little divils is scared sure, after
perhaps 20 minutes of dead silence, we heard
the breaking of dry twigs directly in front of our
position & then sudenly thru the gloom by the side of
the gray granit Rock, appeared a black shadow
darker than the night.

[Seemed] to be walking on the air & advancing directly
toward us after passing the big white rock. The advancing
shadow was plainly visable darker than the night
gloom & continued to advance. (He saw the white floor of
our scafold & came on straight to his doom.)
The hamer of my Rifle came back as I heard Jims
lock click. The dark shape sudenly assumed
an upright position. the two rifles barked as one
& the great beast sank to Earth with a roar & a
continuation of [barks] which were thrown back
by the granit walls of the Canyon of the River
Merced & were heared by the distant peaks of
Mount Raymond & were sent back to our ears
like far distant thunder. I felt in my coat pocket
for shells. It was empty. Jim, what did you do with
my cartridges. Gosh he says, their on the ground. I forgot to
bring em up. Well Jim, You let my gun down to me I’m
going down. Don’t do it Bob, wait till daylight. But I went
down – found a fiew cartridges & put into the magazine
scraped some dry pine needles together & soon had a
light. Now Jim, come down & we will make some torches
& one can hold them while the other plants a shot in his brain.
Duncan came down & we soon prepared a good torch.
All this time, our bear was trying to get farther away

[He] succeeded in draging his big bulk several yards from
where he fell into some quaking asp bushes. On the
aproach of the light, the bear raised himself partly
to a sitting posture & I got Jim to work around in front
& as the bear turned his head to look at the torch, my Rifle
barked, sending a ball under the [bur?? base] of his ear. He
rolled over on his side, a fiew convulsive strugles
shook his frame he raised one huge fore arm & waved
it back & forth a fiew times. Then it dropped. He never moved
again. The King of the Sierras was dead. We gazed on the
prostrate beast for some moments in silence & then
I said, we must open him & draw the entrails. I want
to save the lard & some of the meat. When we had
that done, we went to camp & to bed, the hour 2 A.M.
Next morn, we went down to the slaughter pen. The 3
young bears were sleeping by their dead dam & they
scurried off in a hurry. After skining I severed the
head & put it on a high rock, intending later to clean
& take it below when I should go out. I never saw it
again. Some animal, a wolverine I think, got away with
it. I searched for it the next season, but evidently
the animal had packed the head a long ways.
Bruins hide, when first stretched was nearly 10 foot
from nose to tail. Judged by his teeth, he was not an old bear.

[I] sold the skin to the Artist Thomas Hill
as I have before stated & after reading my
history of the case it would seeme that I certainly
must have had a hand in taking that poor Bruins life
& it might be interesting to some people to know, that
my first encounter with a Grizzly was in the days of
the old muzle loading rifles, in 1860 – that after he
knocked me down & sat on me, I killed him.
I believe the brown & Black bear should be protected
by law from wanton & ruthless destruction, but
the cat & wolf tribe should become extinct as
soon as possible, my dear Grinnell.
I trust you will be able to read my poor
writing & if I should happen to come to
Berkeley, I should be glad to call & meet you at
the museum.

Most Sincerely Yours

R[obert] J Wellman.

Seems like I am often asked why I would give up a weekend day (about twice a month) to volunteer in the Valley Visitor Center. Well, there are plenty of reasons to volunteer in a National Park. Some people use volunteering as a way to live in and enjoy Yosemite for longer than the allowed week in the summer time, but I’m already here. Others use the volunteer program as a stepping stone to future employment, but that’s not my goal. (Love my job, even when it’s driving me crazy.) There are also many people who come from all over simply to give back to a place that they love. That one applies.

Interestingly enough, even though there are hundreds (thousands?) of volunteers in the park each year, when you live here, and more specifically work full time here, it isn’t as easy as you might think to find a way to volunteer on a regular basis. Because there are so many people who are retired, or taking a break and able to offer substantial chunks of time to volunteering, the ‘evenings and weekends only’ opportunities are fairly slim, so when I found out that another co-worker of mine was volunteering with NPS Interpretation, I leaped at the chance.

Volunteering in Interpretation is a pretty good gig, really. NPS is often able to provide some kind of accommodation (for those that don’t already have it), the work is easy and rewarding, and look at where you are! In the Interp department, there are also great side-perks like working with really wonderful people whose JOB is knowing cool stuff about the park. Talk about a great learning opportunity! And talk about suddenly being introduced to exactly the right group of people know when you come across some new thing, curious story, or historical reference and want to learn more about it. Plus, it feels good to be able to help people out, and share my love for and knowledge of the park. For the most part, people are appreciative. (Although during the summer time I also understood the volunteer who prominently displayed a large button saying ‘Don’t yell at me. I’m a Volunteer’ on his shirt.) Last summer, I was allowed to research a topic of my choince and give a short 15 min. presentation, and I was invited to participate in morning Yosemite Nature Club outings that were absolutely fascinating.

So, while there is definitely a part of me that really wishes I could sleep in on Saturday and then spend the day recreating, there’s also another part that is grateful to be doing what I’m doing. If you really want to make my day – stop by the Visitor’s Center and ask me a question that I have to go to one of the reference books to look up. It’s not that I like being stumped, but if I get to discover or learn something new, that makes it all worthwhile.

Because Tom is planning to throw his hat in the ring for a seasonal interp ranger position this summer, and I’m doing this NPS volunteer gig at the visitor center, we’ve both gotten exposed to the Interpretation classes provided at Eppley.org. In park parlance, interpretation isn’t translating from one language into another. It’s translating an understanding of the amazing things around us, into terms that other people can understand and appreciate – in Interpretive terms: Connecting the visitor with the resource.

I’ve been kicking this idea of “Interpretation” around in my head since I was first exposed to it back when I was still working at the Mountaineering School, but even though Interpretation is supposed to be all about answering the question, “So what?”, I had trouble putting my finger on the answer when it came to Interpretation or Interpretive Themes themselves. How was it valuable?

The Interpretive Process

One of the things I really liked from the Eppley course was this idea of highlighting emotional connections and meanings from something physical that you experience in the park.

1. You start with the thing, the tangible resource – say, El Cap.
2. Then you look for its intangible properties, some of the qualities or emotions it might provoke (adventure, friendship, exploration, overcoming challenges, fear… whatever), and then
3. try to figure out which of those are universal – something that almost everyone will connect to or have experience with.
4. After taking who your audience is into account you then,
5. Come up with a theme that includes some of those universal concepts that you figured out (something like: The challenges of climbing El Cap forges trust in yourself and your partner.)
6. Develop that theme with information about how tall El Cap is, what the challenges might be, how those climbers get up there in the first place, the skills they need, the communication and cooperation between partners etc. using various techniques to make those facts easy to relate to.

This process is more formalized, but essentially the same in principle as what I learned in my Conversion Optimization online marketing course about tailoring a message to appeal to people who are looking for a certain feeling or emotion, as well those who are looking for facts. In Interpretation, you’re selling people on the idea that this big chunk of granite is important, relevant, and meaningful. Very similar.

One Central Idea or Many Themes in Harmony?

But what if you have a 2-hour walk/talk/program/tour, or something even longer? Is that really a one-theme experience?

One ranger explained that when planning a walk or talk, you want to have a central idea that you return to again and again, something people can take home with them, something that will sink into their minds and become part of the way they see the world, long after they forget how to tell a sequoia tree from a cedar. OK, so I can see the benefit there.

On the other hand, if the Interpretive Process starts from the tangible thing, and then expands into a theme, are you limited to choosing only those tangible resources that are going to be universal across your entire tour? El Cap provokes a different subset of intangible associations than the terminal moraine. Do you have to choose only from those intangibles that overlap them both? Does the requirement of a single theme encourage Interpreters to favor the story that fits the theme over the most powerful stories?

Or, from a different perspective, if I develop a sound interpretive theme about El Cap, and then the tour bus moves on and I develop another sound interpretive theme around the eroded banks of the river, is that any less Interpretive than the single theme which would apply to both?

Cell Phones in Yosemite

(If you somehow ended up here in hopes that you’d find some information on cell phone reception in Yosemite, please skip down to the end. The middle part is a rant, but it’s going to make me feel better.)

PS. I wrote this a while ago and somehow never posted. If the weather doesn’t seem to match up, that’s why.

The first Yosemite cell phone story

A few days ago, on my way home from work, after dark, I passed a white van stopped in the middle of the oncoming lane of traffic, just after a sharp corner. As I passed, I noticed that some of the passengers had climbed out of the van, and that the reverse lights were on.

Two days before that we were stopped by the rangers as they tried to clear 50 cars that lost control due to snowy conditions on that very road, and my first thought was that these people had gotten into an accident and might be in trouble. So, I pulled over into the nearby pull-out, opened the door and called out to them. “Hey, are you guys OK?” They told me that, yes, they were fine, and that they were just looking for a connection.

To my credit, I did not then ask them straight out if they were out of their minds. I very politely suggested that they might get better reception further down the road, past the tunnel, and that they might pull out of traffic before someone came around that corner and crashed into them from behind. For example, they could use the very convenient pullout that I was in, right on the other side of the road.

The second Yosemite cell phone story

Also, a few days before that, I drove down into my neighborhood, came around a very icy corner, only to find another guy parked in the road, in his car, talking on his cell phone. There seems to be precisely one spot in Yosemite West where ATT and Verizon customers can get a strong enough signal to have a conversation. Unfortunately, the outside edge of a turn just past the corner where people can’t really see you, on an icy section of the road is just not the place to park your car. (And while I’m at it – neither is the middle of the road at the bottom of a steep icy hill. That’s another story, but we’ll save it.)

Searching for reception

We all love our cell phones, and driving around until you get a signal seems like an obvious solution, but seriously people, risking life and limb by doing dangerous things in traffic just isn’t worth it. If you’re lucky you will see something in Yosemite that will make you want to stop your car right where you are – whether that’s amazing scenery, wildlife, gorgeous spring wildflowers, or an extra bar on your phone. Do yourself (and everyone else) a favor and take stock of your surroundings. Is there someone already behind you, who may NOT think that Mountain Pride Penstemons or mule deer are worth stopping for? (Sometimes they are, sometimes not.) Can you see far enough back that if someone is approaching you’ll be able to accelerate to not inconvenience them? Is the road icy? Is there a spot where you can pull completely out of traffic so that you can stop and stare to your heart’s content? Sometimes you’re going to have to continue on to a place where you can get off the road and then get out of your car and return to the spot of interest on foot.

Finding a cell signal

Cell phone reception is improving, but is still spotty in the mountains. Here are some of the best bets for getting a connection that I know of.

Coming into the Park:
Cell phone reception starts to get shaky after Oakdale on Hwy 120 and after Oakhurst on Hwy 41. I think you can usually get good reception in Mariposa on 140 but I don’t travel that way very often. If I’m trying to coordinate with people by cell, I usually try to call from outside the park and then estimate the time it will take until I arrive at my destination.

In Yosemite Valley:
The ATT and Verizon signal in the Valley is strongest near the Visitors Center/Village Store area and decreases the further you get from there. For example, I have 5 bars (ATT) in the Village area, and can have a reliable conversation if I’m outdoors at Curry Village, but if I’m indoors my phone may or may not ring. Most climbers can make calls from the face of El Capitan, but the true (hiker’s) summit isn’t reliable.

There are payphones available in most of the likely spots, including at Curry Village, and Yosemite Lodge at the Falls near the front desks. There’s a booth at Camp 4, and some phones next to the Village Store, at the Glacier Point Gift shop etc. If you aren’t sure you’ll get reception, bring change (there are also calling cards available for purchase in the stores).

In Wawona:
I’m told that even ATT doesn’t work that well in Wawona. Verizon customers can get service, but other people might have to use a pay phone. There is one at the Wawona Store next to the gas station.

In Tuolumne:
Apparently they installed a new cell tower in Tuolumne a few years ago, which means that we are getting better reception now than we used to in the high country. No promises. There are payphones by the Tuolumne Store.

In Yosemite West:
There are two payphones in the neighborhood. One is located at the first intersection next to the mailboxes. The other is supposed to be somewhere up by Yosemite West Condos, but I haven’t seen it. The cell reception is pretty limited, but as you head down into the neighborhood, you’ll go by a guard rail on the right with a great view of Forresta. Usually you can get a signal there. If it is dark or slippery, I would recommend taking the left option at the Y, and parking a short distance up that road and then walking back. If you step over the guard rail, there is a cleared out spot that should keep you out of traffic.

Misc.

Send Text – When reception gets spotty, it’s easier to send a whole text than have a partial conversation.

Disclaimer – Reception depends on many factors including service provider, phone and weather conditions. Cell phones are not as reliable in the mountains as elsewhere. Plan accordingly. Also, I haven’t done an exhaustive survey of cell phone reception, or pay phone locations. If you have other experiences or information, please don’t hesitate to share.

Half Dome cables in 2006

I can’t say that I’m particularly surprised at the decision. After the report detailing the effects of limiting Half Dome access during weekends and holidays last summer came out (you can get the pdf of the report here along with other information on Half Dome trail use and management), this seemed like a logical extension of the permit policy. Limiting access during the weekends simply transferred traffic to other days, and the new restrictions address those concerns.

However, I can’t help gritting my teeth in anticipation of all the disappointed people that will arrive this summer after training for nine months to get in shape for the iconic hike, only to find out that the permits have been sold out for months… and I’m not even one of the people who will bear the brunt of that reaction on a full time basis. Please help spread the word. You need a Permit to Hike Half Dome now. All. The. Time.

The Cutest Baby Bird

We were on our way out the door to surprise a friend on his birthday, saying goodbye to a guest who had spent the night and was now on his way to Colorado, by bicycle. Tom had taken the first load of things out to the car, when he called me, and pointed out a small baby bird, still slightly downy, hopping and cheeping on our walkway. It didn’t seem able to fly yet, and could only manage a few feet in a flutter.

That was interesting, and I thought maybe I’d go out and take a picture. I sat down on the sidewalk, and started taking pictures, and the little guy (girl?) started hopping toward me. I held still, delighted to be getting a close-up view, and trying not to frighten it away. I shouldn’t have worried about that. It hopped straight up to me, and cuddled in next to my leg. When I moved away, it followed me and settled in again. It seemed cold (in spite of the down coat?), and desperately cute.

The baby bird hopped right up to me and snuggled in for warmth.

Normally, I can be fairly stoic when it comes to natural selection. In nature, sometimes even the really cute little guys get killed and eaten, but then the cute little guys rarely make a personal plea. They rarely come right up and ask for a little warmth. It had snuggled up to me. It had started a Relationship.

Crap.

I know nothing about how to care for a young bird. I didn’t know what kind of bird it was, or what it would normally eat. If we fed it, would it still learn to forage for itself eventually? Even more of an issue, we were leaving for a 3 day weekend in San Diego. We couldn’t take it with us, or care for it while it was here. so, we settled for leaving an old fleece jacket on the sidewalk with the little bird, and continued packing the car. Almost immediately, the bird settled into the jacket and I was able to pick up jacket and bird and move it to a more sheltered location. Then we left.

What kind of bird is this?

We’ll never know. When we got back, the little bird was gone.

I learned later, that sometimes when a young bird is first learning to fly, it spends some time hopping and flapping furtively on the ground, with the mother bird nearby, before getting itself straightened out and getting on with its life. I choose to believe that is what happened to my little bird.

Of all the birds in Yosemite, this little brown bird is my new favorite kind of bird… or would be if someone can tell me what kind of bird it is.

Cousins at Glacier Point

On Saturday morning, after late night arrivals for both cousins, we got a leisurely start with Quiche (courtesy of Kim) and strawberry scones (courtesy of Stephanie and Tom, respectively), and then hit the trail. Fortunately, because Tom and I had left one car in the Valley, we were able to start the hike down the Panorama and Mist Trails from Glacier Point, rather than driving down in the Valley and battling for the few remaining parking spaces. The hike was wonderful.

As seems typical lately, Tom and I slipped into flower picture taking mode, and brought up the rear of our procession for the first part of our hike. I saw some purple nightshade for the first time. The Brewer’s Golden Asters were out in great numbers. Whisker brush. Monkey flowers. Pacific stonecrop. We decided that we need to keep a journal of some sort to catalog all the different flowers that we saw along the trail including things like time of year and any other interesting things. That would be a fantastic record to have.

Tom and Orestis playing funny boy games along the trail

Dinner was interrupted with the need to go and retrieve Kim’s car, from where we left it at Glacier Point, but the ice cream and the conversation was excellent. Stephanie decided to get up early instead of driving late, sneaking out of the house at 4am on sore legs and feet from hiking, only to work a full shift on her feet for the day. Next time, maybe we should try rafting instead.

Kim and Orestis spent the night in the downstairs apartment, and we got to spend a little more time with them in the morning (my actual birthday) before they took off to explore Tuolumne and maybe Mono Lake, while we settled in to clean the rental apartment for the next guests, and then curl up with movies and a bit of champagne. All in all, a very happy birthday weekend.

The steady churning of projects surrounding our new Yosemite vacation rental increased to a frenzy starting late May into early April. We have a nice stream of renters from VRBO who are planning to stay in our downstairs apartment starting on June 1, and the pressure to have everything in order by then is intense.

In addition to the furniture purchases we’ve made online, in the last two weeks we’ve made, collectively, 3 completely separate trips into Fresno for furniture and other finishing supplies for the house. We’ve bought a brown leather sofa for the living room, new comforters, sheets and bedding for the bedroom and the living room daybed that we ordered online, a sharp-looking 42″ TV, TV stand, rugs, blinds, and a multitude of other home supplies like kitchen gadgets, pots and pans. The friendly cashier at Lowe’s mentioned today that he recognized us from the previous times we’ve been in the store. We’d be a lot happier about that if we didn’t spend so much money every time we went in.

The building phase is finished. We passed our final building inspection a week ago on Friday, but we’ve hired the Roosevelt Cooks (that’s plural, Sr. and Jr.) to help us pour a separate parking pad and walkway, so that our renters will have their own space when they drive up. They framed it up in just half a day, it looks great, and now are getting ready to pour just as soon as the weather cooperates. I love hiring professionals.

We’ve also started thinking of the front yard area, and what we can do there that will be beautiful, but wild and un-manicured at the same time. We bought some Sierra wildflower seeds at a local nursery, and I hope that the yard area turns into a wild garden of color when the weather warms up. We’ve had some blissfully warm days, but just tonight there was snow again, and the Dogwoods in the yard still haven’t been persuaded to bud and bloom. This is a long winter year, and the snow is lingering.

Still, it’s coming together so fast.

Getting fit

I’ve finished the first week of a new weightlifting/fitness program, and am looking forward to decreased soreness in week 2. The first week, the bicep curls left me unable to straighten my arms, and after the leg work out, I now groan and stretch my protesting calves into a standing position in the morning before taking the first my first tottering steps. Truthfully, it feels fantastic because it feels like I’m getting stronger. Tom says that there is already some visible difference in my upper arms. My biceps are back. I’m not completely sure that I believe him, but the positive reinforcement is welcome anyway.

Tom also tells me that according to one of the fitness experts that he now follows regularly, sometimes the nutrition is the key to big breakthroughs. The expert himself is not a nutritionist, but he’s just noted over the years that often his athletes make a big jump in performance as soon as they get the diet part of the equation right. So, Tom’s concerned that the many handfuls of almonds I snack on pre-dinner, is not the winning strategy I’m looking for after all. The highly recommended 6 small meals a day (with an emphasis on protein) program is the hardest part of this fitness program for me. I’m going into week 2 with a renewed commitment.

The frozen shoulder is thawing slowly, as it tries to keep up with the other exercise. I’m up to 160 degrees of passive flexion – the same as the active range of motion in my ‘healthy’ shoulder. Still, my external rotation still needs some work, and the left shoulder as a whole is still terribly weak, although between rehab exercises and my weight program, it seems to be getting stronger quickly. I’m looking forward to making a first stab at rock climbing again. I want to try my hand (my shoulder really) on an easy boulder problem that everyone has been recommending (everything from 5.2 to V4). It’s going to be a long time before I’m climbing as hard as I used to, but at this stage in the game, I’m just looking forward to being out on the warm granite pulling hard.

Wouldn’t it be great if this summer was my summer to put all the things I’m interested in together? Backpacking, trail running, rock climbing, photography, playing the piano, art and the internet? Not to mention running a vacation rental and too many projects at work. There’s so much to do!

Swiss and Bay Area Guests

Next week, our friends from Switzerland arrive for a few weeks of mountain adventure and exploration. It’s going to be so good to see them again, and to meet the littlest Longchamp, who I think is already 3 years old. It’s strange how time moves. It seems seems mostly to slide by unnoticed, except for the size and ages of our friend’s children.

We had hoped that they would be the first guests in the new downstairs apartment, but there’s still too much to do to make them feel comfortable there, especially with a toddler. Instead, we’ll have a few more evenings of preparing, and then when more friends from the Bay Area arrive on Thursday, Tom and I are going to do the honors ourselves, and give the place it’s inaugural stay (if you don’t count the handful of people who crashed down there among the construction debris when it was still completely unfinished). It feels like we’re going on vacation, and I can hardly wait. Also, we’ll hopefully figure out if anything is missing before our renters arrive, so that everything will be ready for them when they come.

1. Blog more.

Fairy Lanterns in Hite Cove

2. Get fit.

I’m just plain sick of being fat and weak. Part of that is this ongoing shoulder injury/condition – frozen shoulder, aka adhesive capsulitis, which is getting steadily better, but more of it is an overall lack of fitness that is absolutely driving me nuts. On the way back from Buffalo, I picked up a fitness magazine with a 2 month program that will be a good jump-start. At this point, I feel like the exact program is far less important than simply starting one. My bad shoulder will have to keep up the best that it can.

3. Spend Time Outside

Living in Yosemite is fantastic, but when things get busy, I find myself inside 4 walls, staring into a computer screen, instead of taking advantage of the scenery and the outdoors. That’s about to change too. Even if it means nothing more than getting outside for my lunch times, that’s going to be on my priority list too.

Between a Sisyphusean marketing workload with DNC, a conversion optimization class that operates heavily on the you’ll-get-out-what-you-put-in principle, volunteer activities at the Valley Visitor Center for a full day once every other week, a frozen shoulder that seems to be adamant about remaining stuck, and house construction (Tom’s been going nuts, and we now have flooring down in most of the house, and appliances waiting for installation, it’s very exciting), it’s been a long couple of months between the last post and this one.

Fortunately, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be getting closer. Two weeks ago, Tom and I met up with our friend Shauna, and skied out to the Nelder Grove of Giant Sequoias. Neither Tom nor I had ever been there before but it’s close to Shauna’s new house, and it was a perfect day and a great chance to explore. Last week, I got out for a quick walk on the Hites Cove trail to look at the wildflowers. And with those two activities as the sum total of my exercise for the last month, today Tom and I hiked up the Snow Creek trail to Mt Watkins and back. Our agreed-upon turn-around time left me a few hundred yards short of the summit, but I have Tom’s pictures from the top as inspiration for the next trip.

The skiing was brilliant and beautiful, the weather perfect, and it just feels fantastic to really get out and DO something for a whole day that doesn’t involve my computer.

It was about 11 miles round trip, with nearly 4500 feet of elevation gain, and I am bone tired and fully expect to be hobbling and sore tomorrow, but I am ever so happy. I’ll try to post some pictures soon.