ETA at A.C. Stelle 4:20 PM.
-Just leaving lunch in Fresno at 12:50 PM.
-Leaving Curry Village at 9:00 AM.
I will update this page throughout the day with our timing and ETA to AC Stelle during our stops. Please be patient because it will only happen at our planned stops.
Here is a preview of our day tomorrow:
Wake-up, breakfast, check out of the tent cabins.
Leave Curry Village around 8:30 AM.
Rest stop in Wawona for fresh air.
Lunch in Fresno.
Rest stop in Lebec for fresh air.
Arrive at AC Stelle between 4-5 PM.
10:30 PM
What a whirlwind day today! After our Fiesta Night dinner of beef taco meat, refried beans, corn, rice, and CHURROS, we came back to our cabins to change for our walk to the night program. After our 1.2-mile walk, we joined a few other schools for an introduction to NatureBridge and Yosemite. The valley was so clear tonight, and we are hoping it will be tomorrow because the view of the full moon will be spectacular. When we came back to camp we had just enough time to freshen up and get ready for bed. We are lucky to have a late breakfast time, so we get to sleep in until 7! The chaperones are really excited about that. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures tomorrow!
5:45 PM
We arrived today at 3:30 PM. The students have moved into their tent cabins, and we have just sat down to dinner. More updates later this evening.
8:30 PM
Good evening Spartan families! WOW. What an amazing first day on trail! The students met their NatureBridge educators, played some icebreaker games, and practiced being a part of a team where everyone contributes. Each member of the trail group carried a part of lunch for the group. Some of the places that our groups went were: Bear Caves, skipped rocks in the Merced River, participated in a reflection walk, journaled, visited Yosemite Falls, and learned about fire ecology with "fire boards".
We had an Asian themed night of teriyaki chicken, rice, and veggies. Currently, we are in our night program, where the students are creating skits with different themes, all focusing on "Leave No Trace". After the program, we will walk the 1.2 miles back to camp to get ready for bed. The students are TIRED and are ready for some much-needed sleep so we can wake up and do it all over again!
8:00 AM
Good morning Spartan families! We all woke up ready for our first day on the trail. We are currently eating our breakfast in the dining hall. Once we are done, we are going back to our tent cabins to get ready for our first day on the trail. The students are so excited to meet their NatureBridge educators. Check back later this evening for an update on our first day on the trail. More pictures coming soon!
Please note... where our tent cabins are located, we are in a dead zone. With that being said, we will try our best to upload pictures when we are in wifi and cell service areas. Again, thank you for your patience!
10:30 PM
Today was another wonderful day on trail! Our students went to the west end of the valley. Some places that our students visited today were El Captain and the Merced River. When the students arrived back at camp, I always had them tell me a high and low of their day to earn a sweet treat. Today, most students enjoyed walking in the west end to see the spectacular views of the entire valley and taking their shoes off to feel the ice-cold Merced River. There went many lows except for HOW cold the water actually was and tired feet!
All students were able to visit the gift shop today, and you will notice some cool Yosemite merch coming home on Friday. For dinner tonight, we had Mediterranean chicken, rice, veggies, salad, and fruit cobbler. They are really enjoying the meals! We can tell by all the seconds and thirds they are taking! Tonight we had our night program right by camp, which was a welcome treat for their tired feet! We learned about echo location, played a few games, and stargazed.
*More pictures will be uploaded tomorrow evening when we get to the auditorium in the Visitor Center because we have cell service there.
9:15 AM
Good morning Spartan families! We woke up to another beautiful morning in Yosemite. The weather is fantastic! We had a hearty breakfast, and the students just left for their second day on the trail. They are learning how to manage their own water consumption and to fuel their body with healthy food. Everything is going so smoothly! Check back later this evening for an update on today's activities. Have a wonderful day!
8:30 PM
WOW... what a great day all of our trail groups had today. Three of our groups participated in their Challenge Hike. Two groups hiked the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, and then to Clark's Point. The other group hiked the Yosemite Falls trail to Columbia Rock to see both Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls - they were as high as Washington Column (1,800 feet from the floor of Yosemite Valley). The students could not stop talking about the views. The other group will take their Challenge Hike tomorrow, so stay tuned. The other group was able to visit the Bear Caves and study the insects that make their home in the Merced River. They also did some rock scrambling and playing in the ankle-deep water, which was freezing.
Today's lunch consisted of pita bread, hummus, cucumbers, cheese, turkey, and cookies. On trail, we send the students off with snacks to keep their energy up throughout the day. We have been so impressed with the upkeep of each student's water intake. They have been keeping up with their hydration, which has really helped boost their energy levels. Tonight for dinner, we had hamburgers/cheeseburgers, chips, potatoes, salad, and fruit cobbler. Right now, we are in the Visitor Center Auditorium, competing with each other in a game of Yosemite Trivia - all without technology! They are doing so well and having a great time!
I have a feeling that they will all sleep really well tonight! Stay tuned tomorrow morning for another update.
8:00 AM
Good morning, Spartan families! We had a great night's sleep, despite some of our students hearing raccoons scavenging around last night. Luckily, they did not get into any of the bear boxes! We are currently eating breakfast in the Curry Village Dining Hall. After breakfast, we will return to camp to prepare for the day. Today is supposed to be a pretty warm day, and we can already tell because we didn't need jackets this morning!
Looking forward to another great day on the trail! Stay tuned this evening for more pictures. We will be in the auditorium at the Visitors Center, and we have cell service and good wifi.
*I have received a few emails from parents regarding missed calls from Yosemite Valley. Those are from your student using the payphone in camp. If it were me or NatureBridge calling, we would have left a message and followed up with an email or text.
10:20 PM
Another day of unforgettable memories we made! Like I mentioned earlier today, our last trail group hiked Yosemite Falls and fell in love with the view. Our other trail groups stopped at various sites around the valley. They journaled, painted with watercolors, and learned more about the geological history of the park. The students were sad to leave their NatureBridge educators, but they were so happy to have met and learned from them.
When they returned to camp, the students had A LOT of packing and tidying up their tent cabins for our very early check out tomorrow. We had a dinner of pasta with red sauce, veggies, chicken/gluten-free meatballs, salad, breadsticks, and our choice of a few desserts. After dinner, we joined AC Stelle for our last night program, a campfire. The trail groups created a skit of their favorite memory on the trail, and the students thanked people who made this week memorable for them. Many of the students said they were thankful to their families for allowing them to spend a week in Yosemite. They all went to bed early because we have an early wake-up call tomorrow to begin our journey home.
9:09 AM
Good morning, Spartan families! We woke up to the coldest morning yet.... brrrr! We had a warm breakfast, and all groups are just about to head out for their last day on the trail. We have our last group hiking Yosemite Falls for their Challenge Hike, and the other groups will be stopping in different parts of the valley. Check back later tonight for our last daily update.
*Tonight we have our last night program outside. We will not have cell or wifi service this evening to upload pictures. Whatever we can't upload on the trip, we will be able to upload when we have better wifi and cell service. I appreciate your patience.
9:02 AM
Good morning Spartan families! We have eaten breakfast, checked out of the tent cabins, and just loaded the buses. Next stop Wawona for a fresh air break!