Yosemite Snow Hike 2010 

Earlier predictions of  snow had changed to "partly cloudy" for our Yosemite hike Saturday May 22.  But as our group started walking from Happy Isles on the Vernal Falls Trail, fluffy white balls began falling from the sky.

Some had never seen snow before. "There is no snow in Thailand" one Thai student  told me. But that didn't stop them from hiking to the top of Nevada falls through the blizzard.

"We can turn around at any point," I reassured them. The less eager hikers planned to turn around at the base of the first waterfall. But when they caught sight of Vernal Falls they decided to keep going up the Mist trail, along with crowds of hikers.

 Just past the drenching wet part, I found them eating their sandwiches on the side of the trail, exhausted and hungry, not realizing they had stopped just short of the top. 
I urged them on. "Just 3 more minutes up to the lunch place."

So they trudged on, up over the ridge  arriving triumphant to  the wide granite plaza at the  top of the falls, where we met up with the rest of of our ISI Bay Area group. Cameras came out, many photos snapped, as they gazed at the huge flow of water cascading past below them over the cliff.

We rested. The snow kept falling.   It wasn't sticking, so didn't make us colder -- as long as we didn't get wet. I broke out extra clothes and gloves  I'd packed for our guests, knowing many of them were rather clueless about dressing warmly enough.

 I eyed the grey clouds,"Looks like it's letting up" I said optimistically. The wind increased and snow fell harder. We could hardly see any view of the valley anymore. The chill soaked into our bones. My body core  temperature was dropping. As my hands got numb and clumsy I lost all interest in taking photos and just wanted to get out of the cold. Time to keep hiking.

I consulted with Christopher, Kelly & Chanaan about whether their groups, including 3 children should continue up to the top of the next waterfall, Nevada Falls. about 2 extra hours of hiking. Christopher was only other one in our ISI Santa Cruz group who had actually hiked the trail before. 
"Safety first" I cautioned. At stake could be their health, hypothermia and getting them all back alive.
"Granted," Christopher responded respectfully" but they REALLY want to go to the top. Maybe their chance of a lifetime." So they took off.
Christopher is an Eagle Scout, after all.

I took the slowest hikers down the "shortcut" on the middle trail.(about twice as far as turning around) so we wouldn't get wet again. As long as we kept moving and stayed dry, we felt OK.

 I kept wondering about the ones who had gone higher.

Christopher's group top of Nevada Falls in snow

Three hours later,  defrosting in my car, we waited for the rest. I quietly prayed and pulled out the list of hikers' cell phone.  Most  calls didn't connect.

Kelly and Chanaan arrived with their groups, all soaking wet.
Turns out on one part of the trail there is normally a small waterfall you can step round, but this time they said it was a bigger waterfall with no way around it but to walk right through it. Uh oh., to be WET and hiking in snow is not good.
 Three Chinese men from Christopher's group, (2 PhD students and a postdoc) returned.
"We think the girls went ahead of us, hiking faster." We don't know where Christopher is. So everyone was back except Christopher and the 2 young women.
More phone calls.
One of the girls answered her phone, then the call  immediately failed. "At least we know she's alive," I smiled to my group.

Finally a call from Christopher." I'm 10 minutes away," he said,
"Christopher do you know where the girls are?" I asked, but the call broke off.
15 more minutes. Then Christopher, WITH the 2 girls, came hiking up, soaking wet.
Turns out the 3 guys were so busy taking photos that they didn't notice that Chri

Our host, Ken Carlson's home

stopher and the two girls were behind them when they headed down the trail from the top.
I hugged them,their sweatshirts wet,  their hands, no gloves,  red and cold as ice. "Was it worth it? I asked.
"YES!" they smiled and nodded, laughing and shivering.

That night, warm at the house, I asked one of the Professors, who hiked with his wife and 8-year old daughter to the top of Nevada Falls, "What was the best part of the trip?"
"The snow" he replied.

The chilling adventure seemed to bond us all together as survivors.  After visiting church next morning, also a first-time experience for some of our guests, several conversations about God resulted."Do you have music like this EVERY Sunday?" one professor asked. Her son was enthusiastically clapping to the worship songs.

ISI Santa Cruz Yosemite survivors

On the  car ride home another professor and I had a lengthy conversation about Jesus, middle East Politics,  Jesus' sacrificial death  being parallel to the Ancient Chinese ritual of the Emperor annual sacrifices to God for the sins of the people in the Temple of Heaven, next to Tianamen Square in Beijing. I guess if he trusts us to lead them through the snow, he felt I could guide him through the topography of the Bible as well.

A highly effective weekend, wouldn't you say?