Got up and caught the bus into Yosemite National park, about and hour trip. We got there and headed to the tourist information centre to see what this place had to offer. They gave us a map with a heap of the hiking tracks on it. We couldn´t choose between the advanced trail or the medium advanced trail. We tossed a coin to decide, it came up advanced, but then we read it took 8hrs round trip and that we would miss our bus back to the hostel so we decided on the other. We should have known better than to go against the will of the coin, it would get it's way in the end.
Started off on a hike that should take about 4hrs round trip, to an elevation 900ft above the valley floor. We set off at a fair pace, stopped at a viewing platform about an hour in, had some sandwiches and continued on. About half and hour after that we stopped for a drink and started talking to a couple of people. Rees commented that it looked like we were more than 900ft above the valley. Turns out the viewing platform was where we were meant to stop and we were heading for the top of Yosemite Falls, the advanced hike. Seeing we were making good time and looked like we were already half way there, we decided to go on. About half an hour after that I started to hurt. The hot summer sun was taking it out of me and each step was an effort. Rees was powering on ahead of me. Here we were, Rees, who has been in full time traning for 6 months and just represented Australia in a fitness demanding sport. Me, who hasn´t trained for anything over the last 12 months and was lucky to make into the Visual Jazz soccer side, heading up this 2700ft mountain in 35 degree Califorian heat. We stopped for a drink, which we didn´t have much left of, and took our pulses. Rees timed me and I counted 30. I thought to myself, 120 beats per minute, that´s pretty fast, then Rees told me it was for ten seconds, my pulse was at 180 beats /minute! From there onwards I found it quite hard. Not long after that we ran out of water. It got to the stage were we would walk for about 10 mins and I´d have to stop. As soon as we would start again I wanted to stop. Finally we got to the top and found that there was a river, only just a trickle this time of year and rock pools. I´ve never been so glad to go for a swin and jumped in and drank heaps of the refreshing water. The view was awsome and well worth it, as we looked over the green valley with the river running through it, cast against the grey 2700ft granite cliffs. Had some lunch and headed down to a bigger pool were there was a hiking group. They were all using tablets and special filters before they drank the water, which worried me a bit. In typical Rees fashion, he found the biggest ledge he could and jumped off it. It was probably 9m high which wasn´t the problem, it was he had to clear a large boulder that was sticking out into the pool. He made it, to an applause from the group of hikers. We then headed down the mountain. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get down and was glad to be off it. Caught the bus back to the hostel, were sat down and had a beer and relaxed after a very fulfilling day.