Adventure

Intro My first thru-hike came in the form of a 5 day, 45 mile (72 Km) trip starting from Tuolomne Meadows in Yosemite, and finishing in the small mountain town of Mammoth Lakes, a 3 hour bus ride away. While working in Yosemite over the summer, my friend / former roommate / existential Youtube rabbithole afficionado – Misha, decided to visit me.  He hiked almost a 1000 miles of the PCT the year before! After finishing his summer job at Banff National Park, he was eager to revisit one of his favorite sections. Lyell Canyon, Donahue Pass, Thousand Island Lakes, baby marmots, and much more can be found in the stunning Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. PCT hikers crush this section in 2 or 3 nights, but we decided to go slower and take time to enjoy the trail, doing the distance over 4 nights. If you’re not on a time crunch either, I highly recommend 4, maybe even 5 nights. So without further ado, here’s how it went.  Day 1 – 9 Miles Misha and I hitched a ride from Yosemite Valley up to Tuolomne Meadows thanks to friends / fellow park workers / CRUSHERS, Pete and Janet. After a brief delay involving a camping trailer stuck in a ditch, we were on our way to the high country. We couldn’t help but admire the beautifully burning fires and crimson smoke in the distance. And so we began. Pete and Janet joined us for 8 miles of the trail before heading back to the valley. We had a blast swimming in the ice cold Tuolomne river, smoking a joint, and walking through stunning meadows. Pete broke a couple of Backpacking Ethics along the way (not gonna say how), but at least he has a cool trick with a sock from what he tells me. Might ask him to film a tutorial sometime.  We finished our miles for the day and set up camp in Lyell Canyon, next to a pile of rocks housing a family of marmots! We saw a fluffy little marmot pup, and that’s when I knew I wanted one as a pet. Hikers Beware – Don’t leave your trekking poles lying around. These cute fuckers will chew and destroy the handles, so hang up your poles on a tree branch to keep em safe. An awesome start to the trip, and ready for what’s to come! Day 2 – 12 Miles Another beautiful day, clear of yesterday’s smoke, and it started off with some light shenanigans.. It’s 7 am and I’m squatted up a hill in some trees – answering the call of nature. All of a sudden, a hiker passing the trail below stops in perfect alignment with my coordinates. Straight ahead and 30 meters away. He takes out his phone, aims the back camera exactly at me and starts recording.  ” Today is Towwwwwwwnnnnn Dayyyyyyyyyy Folks !!!!”  It took 3 seconds until I realized he was just a regular old guy vlogging his hike and using the front camera. Thankfully he wasn’t filming me in 4k taking a shit behind some bushes, but in today’s world you never know. Soon after we started on trail and headed to Donohue Pass. 11,000 feet above sea level and sitting between the peaks of Lyell and Donohue.  Marmot Abduction? Along the way we made a marmot friend, and I swam in another glacial river fed by a stubborn pile of snow. Crazy to think it hasn’t all melted by late July. And even crazier that the Russian guy is afraid of cold water (MiSHa). We reached the top of the pass and made more Marmot friends. Truly the most sociable wild animals I’ve met. I don’t know the laws around Marmot kidnapping but I’m willing to risk severe legal repercussions to have one. Coming down from Donohue we passed more meadows and eventually came to Thousand Island Lake. We set up camp for the second night beside a different lake close by. Small, shaded and full of mosquitos.  It’s funny how when a couple of mosquitos are flying around our room at night, the mission is to assassinate each and every one with our weapons of choice (I like the classic Clap o’ Death). But outdoors it’s a whole different story.  There aren’t 10, or even a 1000 mosquitos. There’s an infinite number of them.  You have to nuke the whole national park to get rid of them. Even that might only work for a day. Day 3 – 13 miles We started off hiking on the upper ridge of a huge canyon below us, a light haze of smoke hugging the land. A mostly downhill day, descending into the canyon as we pass small streams, alpine flowers, and more breathtaking views.  3 horses carrying a family, and 3 more horses carrying tons of equipment rode past us. They left behind a cloud of dust, barn smell, and some thoughtful gifts on the trail ahead.  I respect the horses, but why go backpacking and not even carry your own bags? It takes away from the feeling of accomplishment. The only exception I can imagine would be if you physically cannot walk or your dream is to be a cowboy (go for it). Devil’s Postpile Soon enough we ended up at a crossroads. We could take a shorter route to our campsite, or a longer route with a detour at American National Monument “The Devil’s Postpile” You bet your ass we checked out what in the fuck is a “Postpile” and why the devil made one. Turns out it’s basalt columns, made from the melting and cooling of lava (sounds devilish) and formed into tall hexagonal shaped columns of rock.  I’ve never tried to summon Satan before, but if my life depended on it I think this is the place I’d give it a go.  After soaking in the sun and indulging in the Devil’s Lettuce, we continued on to Red’s Meadow campground. Free Food 72 hours away

How Did I End Up Working at Yosemite? Halfway through my final year of university, my roommate at the time (Misha!) mentioned wanting to work at Yosemite National Park for the upcoming summer. Having no idea where it was or what it looked like, I said I’d join him. A quick google search was all I needed to double down on my decision. This was the place for me.  We both applied to various job, but due to some Visa issues Misha couldn’t go. He ended up working at Banff anyways. Thankfully, my US passport meant I could avoid the bureaucratic bullshit. One flight to Sacramento, an Amtrak train and a YARTS bus later, I arrived in a cold and snowy Yosemite on May 10th, just 2 weeks after finishing university. 95 awesome days after, I left a place I now consider home and would return to in a heartbeat. I decided to write this guide because when I tried researching work in Yosemite, I found next to nothing that was useful. Don’t feel like you have to read everything here, rather jump ahead to whatever interests you. With that being said, let’s get into it !! Work When applying for jobs, my friend gave the same warning I now pass on to you. Expect shit work and minimum wage. Oh and definitely prepare for moments of profound life introspection and contemplation. 40 hours a week is standard, and getting time off is near impossible.  While some jobs are better than others, the vast majority are in food service, housekeeping, and customer service as a cashier or front desk staff. You might be good at or even well suited to one of these jobs, but the odds are it’ll be far from your dream career.  Accept it and move forward. Employment is simply your golden ticket to this sweet place.  Whether you’re here to climb El Capitan or vibe in nature and meet fun humans, it helps having a reason for being there. It’s what gets you through those tough days. Because the fact is, once you’re clocked out and on your free time, you have the gnarliest fucking backyard in the whole world. Housekeeper Cleaning rooms at the various accommodations in the valley.  Pros Tips from rooms you clean Goodies to take home (Snacks, drinks, etc) Zero social interaction required, can put in earbuds and vibe to music / podcasts / etc No constant supervision, go at your own pace Show up in any condition (just show up lol) Potential Cons  Clean toilets, change bedsheets, vacuum floor, more – if any of this more than mildly bothers you I’d recommend a different job You score the biggest tips at the Awahnee hotel, followed by the Lodge, then Curry Village and Housekeeping Camp. If you’d prefer chilling over extra money, housekeeping camp is the way to go. Here’s a short list of things my friends have done on the clock at housekeeping camp Walk their cat (KITTY CHICKEN) Drink beers on the beach Swim in the river Play volleyball on the beach Need I say more? The Kitchen Probably the most coworker interactive place, as you’re sharing a space and heavily relying on each other. In the kitchen you can be a dishwasher or a cook. Neither are easy jobs by any means, but there are some pros: Both will receive free meals on shift and sometimes enough to bring home.  Don’t have to talk to tourists Potentially super fun environment Few have the job as busser or server at one of the real restaurants, as these are the highest earning jobs thanks to the tips. Aim for it anyways, but know that most in the job have spent years there. Cashier As a cashier you’re either in food service, gift shops, or the village store. Dealing with hangry tourists isn’t as fun as hanging out in the gift shop or mountain shop (outdoor gear), but you do earn tips and free food if you’re at one of the restaurants. The village store can be super chill or have a line out the doors with a total of 4 cashiers. Perks include free groceries and meeting lots of fellow employees along with travelers. Crane flats gas station is a hidden gem, but you’ll have to ask me in person why that is. I’m not willing to jeopardize such a glorious position by releasing highly classified information. Bike Stand Another certified gem of a job, you rent out bikes and help with all bike related needs.  Once every bike is rented out you can just chill. Read a book, vibe to music, hang with coworkers.  Plus you grind 4 days of 10 hours… No need to explain how beautiful those words are.  Rafting  The Holy Grail of Yosemite jobs, its power comes at a price. The price is that the job exists from May until the river is too shallow. Once rafting is stopped, you’re placed wherever they need help in the valley.  Is it worth it? Absolutely without a doubt. Your tasks consist of blowing up rafts, putting people in rafts, and collecting rafts. Your day is spent outside in shorts and sandals, knee deep in the refreshing merced river, music blasting, and unbelievable views everywhere you look.  What a time to be alive.  Porter If you’re cool with cleaning bathrooms and dealing with garbage, you land a job with no direct supervisor, can listen to music, ignore tourists, and get tips for helping guests with luggage. Shoutout Trevor and Ali. All time legendary porters in their prime. Other There are a bunch of other jobs that are skill specific with fewer openings, but are possibilities. Labour Crew / Maintenance Gardener Shuttle drivers Supervisor / Manager I would never go the corporate route, be that as a supervisor or manager, even if I wanted to stay long term.  But hey if that’s the life you want then by all means go for it. My Job I worked at the