Yosemite Summit 2010

Here is the tentative schedule, based on last year’s schedule. IT WILL CHANGE – as I change up the event each year, but it will give you an idea of what the flow of the week will be like. Many of the details of the days will not be finalized until the months prior to the event. Subscribe to the RSS of this blog for updates. Confirmed registrants will get updates directly by e-mail as well.

Friday, May 21st

Karl arrives on Friday to pick up the van and begin shopping for supplies. Summiteers may arrive Friday for early fellowship and to help with shopping, but Friday night accommodations would be at their own expense. However, coordinate with Karl, so that you can stay at the same place, and split the cost of your room with him or another early arrival and have the same room as Saturday night. Rooms are booked months in advance, so the sooner we know you are arriving on Friday the better.

Saturday, May 22nd

All Yosemite Summiteers MUST arrive by Saturday. Most likely your host will pick you up and bring you to the hotel unless you are arriving late in the evening.

NOTE: You MUST fly into Sacramento in order to be given a ride to Yosemite. If you fly in anywhere else, you will be on your own to meet up at the lodge in Yosemite. So you’ll need the added expense of renting a car for the week. Your best option is to fly into Sacramento and join the gang as we drive down together.

Sunday, May 23rd

After breakfast at the hotel we will head to our lodge in Yosemite. It is a four hour drive and we don’t need to arrive until 4pm, so we will have some time to enjoy an extended lunch on the way, and perhaps some errands as well.

4pm Check in is at 4pm, getting settled for a bit.

5 – 7 pm Dinner and orientation

8-10 pm Prayer, Worship and Fellowship

Monday, May 24th

We are going to begin our week with a long hike through a wooded forest, enjoying the company of streams, wildlife, each other and the presence of God. This all day hike will the perfect way to enjoy some solitude with the Lord, with stops for fellowship with the group for several hours and then will be rewarded by one of the most spectacular views of Yosemite at the top of North Dome. From this location Yosemite Valley stretches away to the right, flanked by Sentinel Rock and El Capitan. To the left, Half Dome looms impossibly huge just across the gorge and Clouds Rest rises even higher in smooth curves farther back along the same ridge. It is one of the most photographed vistas in Yosemite, and yet because the hike there is long and uneventful (by Yosemite standards) few make the journey. It is the perfect hike to start our week.

Tuesday, May 25th

Our second day will be the longest and most ambitious hike, but will be done at a leisurely pace. We will leave very early in the morning so that we can experience the sunrise at Glacier Point. We will then hike the Panorama Trail all the way to Nevada Fall and then follow the Mist Trail past Vernal Fall and back into the valley. This is an eight-hour hike, mostly downhill, but it is still a challenging hike. You will want to prepare to be in your best shape and health for this event.

Wednesday, May 26th

After experiencing Yosemite Valley both from the North Dome vista, and then the long but scenic Panorama Trail, we will spend our final full day in Yosemite enjoying one of the hidden treasures of Yosemite, the Chilnualna Falls hike. While this is a mostly uphill hike to the Chilnualna Falls, we will be traveling at an easy pace with frequent stops for solitude, fellowship, journaling and soaking in the environment. Chilnualna Creek seldom flows slowly, but instead tumbles in cascades and waterfalls almost constantly for most of its length. The most spectacular sections and highest waterfalls are found at the beginning and end of the hike, and the trail has been built so that it comes closest to the river at the beginning and end. If this hike were not tucked away in a little known corner of Yosemite, it would have much more traffic on it, but luckily few tourists know about it as they crowd the Valley. At one point when the trail is almost at the height of the falls, it rounds a ridge blasted out of the rock by dynamite and deposits the hiker right beside the thundering cataract. We will plan to enjoy this hike at a slow leisurely pace since it is our final day hike for Yosemite Summit.

Thursday, May 27th

On this last and final day of Yosemite Summit we will drive into the Valley, stopping at Tunnel View, and visit Bridalveil Falls. Our final hike will be the Mirror Lake Loop which will include lunch and some solo time to conclude our retreat with God. After visiting the shops for some souvenirs, we will visit the Yosemite Chapel to reflect on our week together and then and start the four hour drive back to Sacramento. (We will eat somewhere on the way home.)

Friday, May 28th

All flights home are on Friday, May 28th. We will not arrive back in time for any flights on Thursday so do not book a Thursday flight. Any time on Friday may be booked. For most flights a ride to the airport is possible via the group van, however you may need to book a shuttle for very early flights, or later flights if it is after the van has been returned and Karl has departed on his flight.

2010 Hiking Schdedule Has Not Been Finalized Yet

This is just a broad overview. Some of the details may change as we get closer. Also, keep in mind, we will not be hiking the entire time. We will often be stopping at beautiful locations for times of discussion, worship, prayer, reading, and at times, solitude. It would be wise to prepare physically for the trip as the hiking can be intense at times, but we will not be rock climbing or doing any dangerous exploration off recommended trails.

Hikes subject to change as reviews and investigation happen throughout the year, or as conditions allow on the event. This schedule is intended to give an idea of the extent and type of hikes we will undertake.