After getting two roles of film developed, I was shocked to find images from over the summer uncovering memories I had forgotten. One memory unlocked included a trip to Yosemite. The decision to embark was last minute, and the four of us piled in an old Volvo with our camping gear and drove off the cellular grid into the national forest.
The low summer sun was beating our faces with golden light when we finally reached the valley. Reaching my hands out the window and letting them spin with the wind I stared out in awe of the tall rocky formations. Gazing at the smooth slope of El Capitan filled me with a sense of wonder. Once we reached Lower Yosemite Falls much of the landscape was dried, allowing us to boulder our way up to touch the water pelting down from above. We made sure to stop for vanilla soft serve before driving back to camp.
The warm breeze on the way back to camp complimented the summer symphony of music vibrating from the tan stereo. At sunset, we waded into the stream and perched ourselves on stones a few feet apart from one another, and laughed while watching the sky fade from blue to gold to pink, to deeper blue than before. The stars took the place of clouds, and soon the only light around us came from the moon, our campfire, and flashing headlamps from nearby visitors.
Food tastes better when camping. Never do I adore simple pasta and sauce the same as I do wrapped up in a blanket, watching an orange fire crackle. Our fingers were sticky after roasting marshmallows and turning them into smores.
The next morning I was rudely awakened earlier than intended by my three friends, who were impatiently awaiting our adventures to begin at the expense of my peaceful rest. I protested until I had protested so much so that I was fully awake and reluctantly sat down at our table for breakfast.
To some unknown terrain, we drove past the valley and traversed on a hike to find a lake with dazzling blue water. The chill from it sent icy shocks through my body as I submerged myself.
On the final day, a trolly took us to see a great sequoia forest, the red from tree trunks dancing with the light shining in between branches. Our trip was over, our campsite was empty, and we waved our final goodbyes to the forest before leaving.
But the adventure was nowhere close to being over. We had been driving for several hours and were somewhere on the outskirts of Bakersfield. The transmission failed and we pulled over on the side of the freeway. We waited there for the rest of the day for help to come, and I took one film photo in memory of the true conclusion of our trip.
