Male caucasian students and their japanese ladyfriends.

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Yosemity Valley, Sunny Side Campground.
23-10-2002.

I wake up early reluctant to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag. It's still dark outside and walking over to the public toilets I can feel the early morning cold of a fast approaching winter. This campground is covered with tall and broad trunked Jeffrey's Pines. Apart from the Sequoia Trees I saw yesterday at Merced Grove, these must be the biggest and tallest trees I've ever seen.
I feel a bit like a little mouse scurrying around creosote bushes walking among these giants of Mother Nature.
Returning to my little tent still shivering and fully convinced to get back into my sleeping bag untill the first rays of sun will have warmed up the earth a bit, I hear a half screamed voice "Hey Dutchy, fancy a coffee?". It's the climbing group I share the campground with. They are sitting around a small fire wrapped in old blankets and steamy mugs of coffee in cupped hands. The delicious smell of strong coffee invading my nostrils pushing out the sweet smell of pine boughs.
Cans of tuna go around, a good substitute for breakfast. They are all young people, male students of the japanese language who have all been on a recent study trip to Tokio.
I remember I was wondering yesterday where these caucasian blokes got all these asian ladyfriends from, now I know.
While their boyfriends proudly introduce their ladies to me trying to show off as much japanese as they can muster, these sepia skinned asian beauties watch me from under long eyelashes with selfconscious smiles curtseying me politely the japanese way.
Since this is my first real day in the valley I plan to walk around and will try to get my bearings before the serious hiking I've come out here for will start.

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Photos

Blue Heron...
in the Merced River in Yosemity Valley.

Short-Eared Owl
in Yosemity Valley.