Watch out, Yosemite, here we come!

  This weekend is going to be one for the books; I am going camping in Yosemite National Park.  My sister Anna, our friend Kristyn, and I will pack up good ol' Baby Yaris and drive up for a weekend of hiking, s'mores, and probably several failed attempts at starting a fire/ surviving.  While Anna and Kristyn are both very experienced when it comes to wilderness exploration, I can safely say that I am not at all.  I like a nice trek  into the mountains and a good, long day of photo-ing.  But then I get to go home.  Home is warm and has a bed and, let's not forget, the presence of a conventional bathroom.  So, on this trip, I vow to keep an open mind about sleeping in 30 degree weather, not showering for 3 days, and the existence of bears.  I imagine this trip being quite humorous, with a lot of whining on my part.  For this, I apologize.

  I went to REI and bought a lot of stuff that I probably didn't need, but had the appearance of being useful (hand warmers to put in gloves and little fire starter nuggets called Lightin' Bugs).  The nice mountainmen who work there kindly pointed me in the direction of the gigantic first aid kit I had inquired about (appropriate for the impending zombie apocalypse) and the display of bear bells (to warn bears that there were in fact three shrieking girls headed their way, as if they wouldn't have already known).  Did I mention this is my first real camping trip?

  Anyway, I'm writing about all of this so you can look forward to the actual story of our trip when we get back on Monday.  I plan on doing a day by day account of the trip, accompanied by 80 thousand photographs.  I'm sure the trip will go just swimmingly, but I did learn how bears break into cars if they think there may be food inside, so I might suffer the whole weekend with a (probably not-so) irrational fear of an encounter with a bear/ 20 bears at once.  I think I just might survive, though.  So, I'll pack up my 15-20 separate fleece jackets and pullovers, my sweet hiking boots, all of my cameras, and head out on what I know will be a fantastic adventure.  

  I would like to work on some long exposures and star trails (weather permitting), so I am very excited about that.  I am also planning to drag my 4x5 camera out with me as much as possible so I can pay homage to sir Ansel Adams.  Oh, Ansel.

Half Dome + Zone System + f64 = I will have paid my dues as a photographer.  Well, almost.  

Needless to say, I am very excited.

  And if real explorers tote all of their necessities in a large Vera Bradley duffle bag, then I guess that makes me a very legitimate one.