Suddenly a gang of 15 or so young boys appeared from the trailhead. "Ugh, troublesome whippersnappers," Joe complained. Rancheria Falls was immediately overrun with 10- to 13-year-old fisherman. They scrambled about the riverbank making feeble attempts to fish. We realized that this was a perfect time for us to start packing up. Then, with a whistle, just as suddenly as they appeared, they all funneled out of the river valley and disappeared. As the sky began to cloud over completely, the urgency to pack up finally overtook us. Brian packed up in amazing time and soon Joe, Brian and myself hit the trail saying good-bye to Dave and Sudeep. It was a good trip, ended with warm hugs and a last group photo. The hike back was somehow tougher than the hike in, even though the trail was more downhill. Our packs seemed heavier then before, and our knees were letting us know. This time Brian took the lead, and kept up a fast pace, leaving us huffing and puffing from behind. As we approached Wapama Falls we passed the group of young fishermen boys, with a holler, "On your left!" They let us pass. One of the chaperones accompanying the boys said, "Got a bus to catch?" as we passed. We continued past the falls and caught the last close-up view of Kolana Rock. A few raindrops began to hit us at the halfway point but we were not worried about getting wet : we were on our way home. The rest of the hike breezed by as we talked about what kind of pizza we were going to order on the ride home, as well as what official name to give our backpacking group (Mixed Nuts, Assorted Nuts, Trail Mix, Brian Lutz's Backpacking Club). We decided against the last one. We stopped to take one last picture on the spillway as we neared the car. After the spillway we walked uphill along the paved road back to the campsite. People were everywhere and our feeling of isolation had vanished. Back at the car we changed out of our wet socks and shoes and put on our dry socks and sandals. It felt nice to sit in Joe's comfy heated seats and to lean back and relax as he drove us out of the parking lot and towards home. I began to think about our three-day adventure and the amazing power nature has on the spirit. As my thoughts began to drift further away, I was snapped back to reality by Joe screaming, "Dude, Brian!" Brian's feet radiated an odor so bad that Joe almost lost conciousness, nearly crashing the car. Head sticking out of the window; Joe drove on until the air finally cleared. We all sat back and relaxed as the road continually unveiled spectacular skies and lush, gorgeous landscape. The view inspired us all to reminisce about our trip confirming our commitment to adventure and the outdoors for the rest of our lives. Through our adventure, we had truly overcome a lot of unknowns about
camping in the rain, dealing with bears and backpacking in Yosemite. We
felt it was one of our best trips yet. This trip was the beginning of our
quest to understand and conquer Yosemite. We look forward to our many trips
to come.
 Brain grunts at the sign  The End |
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