Badger Pass Barbie

After the 45-minute drive down the mountain to the valley floor, we unloaded the car and settled into our room at the lodge where I immediately crashed to sleep off my Dramamine stupor. I woke in time to join our outdoorsy friends, Austin & Joanne, for dinner at The Mountain Room restaurant. Then we headed back to the room for a few hands of Rummy with our friends before hitting the sheets for the night. Whew! Day one down, three to go!

Next morning, we met up with our fellow adventurers at the Food Court for a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage and toast. No marmalade? Boy, I thought. Now we're roughing it!

Time to prepare for our first hike of the trip. They encouraged me to pack a lunch just in case I decided to join them for a majestic wilderness meal out in…well…the wilderness. With assurances that I could hop the shuttle and return to the lodge at any time if I'd had my fill of majesty, I helped my hubby, Jerry, pick out a couple of lovely roast beef and cheese sandwiches on fresh hoagie rolls, a bag of chips, a couple of sodas, and headed out.

As soon as my sun-screened cheeks met the chill of the mountain air, I was transformed! I felt a sudden oneness with the outdoors, as if I knew every rock and tree and creature had a life, had a spirit, had a name.

Using my newly acquired oneness and its accompanying nature skills, I determined due North by observing the moss growing on a nearby tree. I led our expedition party along a snow-covered path, around a grove of trees, through dense brush to our first milestone, the shuttle pickup point.

As we disembarked from the shuttle, I called a hearty goodbye to our sherpa (driver) and waved him on his way.

I beckoned my fellow explorers to come run the hidden pine trails of the forest. Retrieving the baggy of trail mix I'd packed, I summoned them to come taste the sun sweet berries of the Earth, and paint with all the colors of the wind.

About then Jerry ordered me to either turn off my IPod or find something to listen to besides the soundtrack from Pocahontas.

The rest of the trip was incredible. Snow blanketed the sheltered groves. The falls roared and boomed as huge chunks of ice broke loose and landed among the rocks below. Deer grazed so close we could almost touch them. Mirror lake was rimmed with ice, but still reflected the tall pines that surround it.

I came away with a new appreciation for the outdoors in general, and the natural beauty of California in particular. Thanks to Joanne & Austin, I learned that every now and then we need to sing with all the voices of the mountains, and paint with all the colors of the wind.

Where's the Majesty?

So, I've agreed to a trip to Yosemite with my husband, Jerry, and our outdoorsy friends, Austin & Joanne. They "love" Yosemite. There's so much to do! So much to see! Ahhh! The majesty! I've been there a couple times before - once one summer in the 70's. Okay don't remember much about that trip except that we slept in a "lean-to." Whatever.

Then two years ago we went with the Wandering Winos -yes, that's what they call themselves. It was a three-day wine tasting extravaganza - probably quite entertaining for the Winos - not so much for me. That trip I remember a little more about. It was cold, very cold. And there wasn't much majesty as I remember. Evidently, December following a two-year drought is not the best time to see Yosemite at its majestic best. There was nary a drop of water coming off the falls - just cold, gray stone. The creeks were dry, the plants were dead. So I really had to search for the majesty. I did get a really nice pic of the sun peeking out behind Half Dome. And I managed to capture (on film, that is) a group of deer (herd? pride?) grazing nearby. And I do remember it being quite cold, did I mention that?

So this trip oughta be just chock full of majesty, what with all the rain/snow we've been having lately! Our friends have been preparing us for the trip. "Bring every pair of walking/hiking shoes you have, in case they get wet or muddy when you're out hiking. You'll have another pair to change into for the next outing." My take? If the walking/hiking shoes I bring get wet/muddy, that's my cue to stay in the cabin until they're dry/clean. Oh well! No more hiking today. Shoes still wet! Anybody know who's on Oprah?

I asked if there would be a coffee pot in the room (again don't remember much from last trip except the coooolllld). No, Outdoorsy tells me. But she's pretty sure there's a hair dryer. So, no coffee pot, but maybe a hair dryer. Room amenities? One. One room amenity - MAYBE...

The next time I talked to Joanne she asked me if I had a backpack. She didn't wait for my answer, clearly reading my look of bewilderment. Not to worry, she has one I can borrow. For what, I ask. To carry my lunch and other incidentals for our hikes. No, no, no. She again misunderstands my interpretation of "hike." A hike is a longish walk that one takes BETWEEN meals. Hikes are planned and timed to return participants to the vicinity of the Food Court in time for the next meal. So maybe an hour to an hour plus, if it's not toooo cold. And if it is too cold, the hike will consist of the distance between our cabin and said Food Court. And I'm sure I'll find all the majesty I can digest right there, thankyouverymuch. This is going to be one memorable trip. Stay tuned.