Its morning, we just get out of the bed in
the typical 1 floor american hotels that I saw in
so many american movies. You know the kind of place
where everydoor look the same, you just come and park
your car in front of the door, the film beginn and
the crime starts. Well this time nothing for a thriller
script just a good sleep. When I woke up I find my
right ear back, the one I lose in the previous article...yes
the bear fight.
We get up early and went to the also typical american
dinner, to have a breakfast. Imagine Pulp Fiction
, yes when it started in the restaurant,...that s
the place we took our breakfast...Huge thing. Arround
us a american family with the fat mother, the two
kids eating like pigs the fat eggs and some hamburger
(can t do that in the morning), the father with a
big long bard and the pant falling to the floor joined
them soon, and of course all of them were loudy. Then
on the other side the bikers, I realy like this kind
of guys...allways with a bard, a good old blue jeans,
a leather coat, crazy sunglasses and of course a very
nice BIKE with the Harley Davidson inscription. I
don t know if you ever sit on this kind of motorbike,
I do it once its just amazing sitting on the shiny
vehicule, the feeling is just great, wind in the hair
that blow away everything thats behind when the bike
start with a loudy sound of an aircraft machine .
This people landed here in this little town like us
before they continue to Yosemite, like us.
After the breakfast, we enter in the Yosemite park
wich include the Yosemite Valley
the most visited section with a interesting geologic
formation, wawona (the idian historical
center), Sequoias giant forest trees,
Hetch Hetchy valley, a resevoir created
by a Dam for waterstore and SanFrancisco electric
power.
Yosemite Valley is the result of millions of years
of geologic activity. Yosemite 500 millions of years
ago was submerged beneath the sea, no squirrel existed
at this time, until 200 million year ago the Pacific
plate slid under the North American plate (subduction).
The pressure caused the plate melt to magma and form
a huge block of granite as magma rose toward the surface
(80-100 million years ago).
The hills and streams including the Merced river were
slow moving, a canyon and the squirrels begins to
appear. At the Ice Age 1 million year ago, the squirrel
survived and adapted his lifestyle in the filled V-shaped
mountain where snow and ice filled the valley until
they carved into a U shape the rocky walls. The temperatures
warmed (15.000 years ago), the last valley glacier
melted, water form a lake and the sediment filled
the lake to became the yosemite valley floor we see
today. The new squirrel environment was bord after
500 million years. The same process will happen with
the other lake "Mirror Lake" that will disappear
to create a meadow. That s it for the geological history
of the valley that we get in front of our eyes. We
are staying here at the Glacier Point an overlook
at 2199 m that we reached by car. In front of us the
famous Half Dome and the yosemite falls. Everywhere
arround some "squirrel" are waiting for
food. I m fascinating by this animals. But it seems
that I m the only one. The people don t take a care
of this common US inhabitants. I find them cute and
full of grace. But who are they realy this little
squirrel? What are they doing all the day? And wich
difference exist between them and us? Will the man
ever understand this strange squirrel language? Should
we fear the Squirrel invasion ? This question seems
to be forgotten, but an answer has to be found. Are
Squirrel extra terrestre creatures ? Okay lets go
back to the car and go to the Yosemite Village. VZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz.....
We are in the middle of the Yosemite village, buying
some stuff to eat in the only supermarket that sell
everything from nuts to souvenirs. Then we choose
a trail, not easy because we are strong mens (did
you see CLIFFHANGER, we play the double stuntmens
for the movie - sure 
).
So we decided to go to the "Trail to the Upper
Yosemite Fall" start at Camp 4. The camp is in
the middle of a forest in the valley. At the feet
of the mountain the tents between the trees have a
beautifull view on the massive granite monolith "EL
CAPITAN". The most of the backpacker
here seems to come to scale this giant rock. In front
of the tent the people check they climbing stuff before
doing the trail up. A limited amount of people is
authorized here for preserving the environment. Here
the "cute and graceful squirrel"(again)
are going from one tent to the other, searching for
lost food. But seems to be difficult. Near each camp
the food storage lockers prevent bears from reaching
the alimentation.By the way never, yes never let food,
toothpaste or something like that in your tent or
car...the bear will find a way to get it. We continue
to go through the camp, try to find the Rangers who
give the tent places. But we will not find him. So
we decided to take a bag and make the trail to the
top of El Capitan. Of course no climbing but hiking.
The trail begin in the deep forest, you need good
shoes to make it cause the stone are slippery, even
if my brother and I saw a grovy-hippy girl going up
with tongs. Sometimes again I ask myself why the hell
are we making this way to the top, suffering for what
? Strange human. But the satisfaction beeing on the
top is the answer...so lets move up....Slowly but
magesticly we get to the top, going trough stone,
sand, rocky, wetty ways. In front of us a waterfall
sprimg from the top of the rockwall. The sun rays
perce the watterdrops and form beautifull rainbows.
The hiker stop in front of this majestic fall.
After 2.45 hours we reach the top of El Capitan. From
there we get at the edge of the rock looking down
to the valley. Waaaoow what a dizzy view (=vertigineuse
vue)
.
Beeing there and looking at the natures work, breathing
the pure air, looking far away the horizont, see where
we just came from, yes looking back this little ways
bellow us. All the village and the trees down seems
to be miniature models.
But thats not all, try and guess what we can see from
here. Yes you get it. A squirrel...and of course the
"nice little cute and gracious squirrel"
join us trying to catch some food. Did you see the
emperor cusco from disney ? If not rent the dvd and
look at it. If yes remember the part with Shrunk and
the Quick quicky quickel quick dialogue. Since I saw
this film it can t get of my mind when I see this
cute little gracefull animals!
But even I find that the squirrel are cute gracefull
animals, that s not the purpose of our trip. At 2000
m we are here taking a quick tea break. The wind is
blowing, the waterfall is now bellow us. The civilization
seems far away. We made it.
The way down is a little bit faster as the way up.
Carrefully we put step by step our feet on the sleepery
floor, taking in account the danger that we encour
if we miss a step (broken leg ? Death jump 2000 m
down? Get lost and be eaten by squirrels ?). But we
arrived at the camp, where no Rangers where waiting
for us. So we decided to buy a little of food and
install the tent under the threes. The night fall
and let the nice star roof shine, we make a firecamp,
eat something, spoke until the sleep bring us into
our dream. Coooool will say Fonzie.
Next day, next trail.
An
easy walk into the forest in the valley. We go allong
the river until the dirt road splitt in two ways.
In the middle of the way a sign with some strange
info about what to do when we meet a mountain lion.
Hmmm I took the photo of that unbelieveble sign. It
says that if we see a lion, we have to stay calm and
if this one is going to attack us we have to fight
back. I immagine the scene...Me against a lion.
Well?!*?>@%#$
But you know what is the most strange?....no sign
about the cute and gracefoul Sciurus griseus. I think
you guess that I m speaking about the grey squirrel.
Yes what to do if a squirrel bites you? They didn
t write anything about this dramatic situation. Why
that? I mean I can see more squirrel than lions so
why the hell didn t they write down the step by step
method of the fighting technic against a squirrel
attack? Did they ever mention that when this silver
grey fury animal are attacked by the human, tousend
of his friend will jump out of the hollow trees to
defend his friend. Yes, think about it before you
hit a squirrel. One squirrel hide an other one that
hide a other one....What? If I m squirrel-phobic?
No ways...Okay I should continue my Yosemite article.
But once the world will hope they had listen to me...Squirrel
can be dangerous...Remember the Greemlings. Nobody
listen to this old chinese man until a disaster appears.
What should I says know? We went to the Miror Lake
called so, guess why? Yes because the environment
reflect perfectly into the water. Did you make your
MBA ?
OKAY I M TO TIRED TO WRITE SOMETHING IN ENGLISH NOW...GO
TO SLEEP ...BYE BYE KEEP IN TOUCH. I can t get this
squirrel thing out of my head.
