Post date: Mar 12, 2012 5:47:32 PM
March 12, 2012
Hello Parents and Friends,
We are enjoying a beautiful day in Yosemite Valley today. The sun is shining and everyone's spirits are equally joyful. We have groups today that will be visiting Mirror Lake, Split Rock, the infamous Spider Cave (no spiders inside, but don't tell anyone), and other hikes and activities in the valley. There are always many games and other special activities to get to know each other and establish trust this first day. I'll be attaching a picture of Yosemite Falls I took this morning that might show the beautiful rainbow near the bottom very soon. I had a brief call from Crane Flat last night (Rotation 1, the Trees) and all is well.
Last night we had a hike to the Visitor Center for our orientation on safety and preparations for the daily events. Leave it to Nature Bridge (was Yosemite Institute), to make even a safety lecture a blast. Security Sarah was reminding the kids about buddy promising, issues with food and other important information. The auditorium was filled with laughter and an attentive group of over 150 kids. Boy don't we wish we could always do that every day at school. Following the orientation we watched a beautiful movie titled the "Spirit of Yosemite". The imagery on the large screen and the deep-voiced narrator made me feel that I was at the base of Yosemite Falls almost enjoying the roar and the spray. After our hike back, the kids were quickly in bed, and surprisingly quiet for the first night.
Our funny story from last night was a renegade raccoon that was able to open a bear box that was ajar. This raccoon would not leave and was determined to enjoy the fruits of his or her labor. Thankfully all he got was a package of prunes, and a bit of lunch meat left from lunch before Mrs. Holtzapple swooped to the rescue. All other important smellables (like soap and toothpaste) were left untouched. When I talked with the group this morning, they were chastising one of their cabin mates that had sprayed the bear box with perfume so that it would smell better. Nothing like enticing a raccoon with Victoria's Secret. We'll have to see if we have another visit tonight.
Stay tuned for brief update via twitter later today.
All for now,
Mary Enright