The Panorama Trail, Yosemite National Park

It Was The Best Experience!!

Hey there everyone! I am back from the trail and I have to say -- OH MY GOD!! It was an incredible experience! It was gorgeous, wonderful, and awe-inspiring event! We left from BWI airport early in the morning on June 17th we ended up in the Fresno airport in California. It was about a 2 hour ride from there to Tenaya Lodge where we were staying. The lodge is about 4000+ feet above sea level. So it was a bit difficult to breathe, especially when you were climbing uphill. But it is no matter, it was a small price to pay for the opportunity to be in such a beautiful and stunning place.

While I was there I got meet folks from the other TNT chapters who were there to hike. There were about 136 of us all together there hiking for the cause. There were folks from Washington State, Illinois, Georgia, Tennessee, California (of course), and other states. While at the inspiration dinner I also got to know the members of Panorama 3, my group. They matched us up pretty well as we were all the sweepers of our individual teams :-)

On June 19th at 5:00 am (PST) I was in the lobby of Tenaya Lodge waiting for my guide and my team. We loaded up into the shuttle buses for a 1.5 hour ride up to Glacier Point and the Panorama trailhead. It was a beautiful and clear day! We started our hike with a sighting of a mother bear and her two cubs!! Then we began our adventure on the trail. The name of the trail is definitely well earned; since there was beautiful scenery everywhere you looked. We did hike rather slowly, but I think it was in part because of the high elevation and in part because we were taking tons of pictures! So the good news was that I was not always at the end of the group! In fact there were a few times where I was actually walking up at front near the guide :-)

The biggest challenge for me was the hike down the Mist Trail. Although I definitely had a hard time hiking up the hill/mountainside in the beginning, going down the Mist Trail tested my meddle. So the Mist trail goes down the side of Vernal Falls, the last falls on our trail. It is a series of stairs (I swear 100+ easily) cut into the side of the mountain. Now lest you say, 'why would you worry about going down stairs?' let me explain. Stairs in the hiking sense usually mean that they were cut for people 5'9" and above. So for short people like me, stepping down is more like climbing down. Also, there were no railings. Oh and, its called Mist Trail because it gets all the mist/water spray coming off the Vernal falls. So the steps are wet and slippery :-( And because it is from snow run-off, it is cold! And its more like rain, not just mist! Oh and let's add in people, including little kids, running up and down and pushing and all that. So yup, I was a bit out of my element! But our guide Jeff was AWESOME!! He helped me and Leslie get down those stairs and even enjoy it! After that, the last mile was a cake walk :-) AND guess what?! NO BLISTERS!!! YAY TEAM!!

Now I am a hiking alumni and I would definitely, DEFINITELY recommend it to anyone AND I would love to do it again!
RAISING MONEY FOR THE CURE!!

Even though the event is over, I am still under the fundraising minimum and am still collecting donations! It is imperative that we find a cure for blood-related cancers and your donations can help LLS achieve that goal! Please take the time and donate today: http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/Yosemit110/WinForOthers. I must have all donations by June 30th!

Thanks a lot for your help and look for a posting that points you to all my Yosemite pictures coming soon!