Senior year beckons many new challenges, yet festivities as well, whether it be Grad Night or Senior Sunrise. However, an activity that might get brushed under the carpet is the annual, 5-day Senior trip to Yosemite National Park. With a history of 20+ years, the Yosemite trip is an amazing opportunity for Seniors to make lasting memories and take a break from the strenuous demands of school, all while enjoying the beauty and nature of Yosemite. Let’s take a look at how this year’s trip went.
The call time was 7 AM for the 18 seniors who would venture on this trip. So with sleepy eyes and bags of all kinds being carried, the lucky seniors (most of them) arrived on time to check in at the band room before getting ready to depart in the three SMUSD vans, which were driven by the trip supervisors/chaperons — Mr. Condie, Ms. Molina, Mr. Caire, and Mr. Jacobs (in a separate car). The trip to Yosemite was approximately 6-7 hours, with a stop in Tulare, CA for lunch. In Tulare, students had multiple options for lunch (McDonald’s, Mexican food, Popeyes, etc.) in order to fuel up before the last stretch to Yosemite.
As they neared Yosemite, the trip officially began with a stop at the Yosemite tunnel that gives a great view of the Yosemite Falls and the valley that goes through the park. From there, at approximately 5PM, students arrived at the NatureBridge campsite where they were welcomed and informed regarding the rules and schedule of the week ahead. So after dinner, students took to their tent-cabins, which held three people, to get some sleep before the next day.
“SAN MARINO!,” Mr. Condie would beckon from outside the tent-cabins around 8 AM for students to come out and walk together to breakfast at the dining hall. With a buffet-style breakfast, everyone filled up on everything they could lay their hands on before they hit the trail at 9:30AM. On the first day specifically, students met their instructor guides, Nessa and Zach. The 18 seniors were divided among the two instructors and from there would undertake different activities and trails, from mapping Yosemite to hiking to see El Capitan. The following 3 days entailed this “on the trail” time from 9:30AM-3:30PM.
“I really loved our instructor Zach because he would implement mindfulness in our hikes and activities, and he was just really down to earth, making our trip even more enjoyable,” Brian Heckman, 12, said.
After the trial time, students would have the opportunity to change and shower before dinner at 5:40PM. You might be thinking — what about lunch? Well, lunch was on the trail everyday, with everyone packing specific, packed foods and utensils to eat. Sometimes students would eat in civilized places like outside the museum, or sometimes not so much when in the snow on top of the ski slope. Circling back to dinner, everyone would stack up knowing it was the last meal they would have for the day (besides the numerous snacks everyone bought at the store).
Following dinner every evening, there would be a night activity that students would partake in. The three night activities on Tuesday to Thursday were: a night hike, a trip to the museum, and ice skating.
“Ice skating was definitely my favorite because I love ice skating in general, but to do it with friends surrounded by the mountains of Yosemite was a different experience entirely,” Nicholas Chua, 12, said.
So, after days of hiking, activities, and adventures, Friday morning unfortunately arrived as students made their preparations for the journey back home. With one last hike with their instructors Friday morning after breakfast, the seniors said goodbye to Yosemite, knowing that they witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So, seniors begrudgingly sat in the vans headed home, stopping in Tulare once again for dinner, and eventually reaching SMHS around 9PM.
Compared to years before, only a small group took the opportunity to go to Yosemite this year. Nevertheless, the Yosemite trip still stands as a staple tradition at San Marino, providing a chance for seniors to embrace nature and find themselves before they head back to their busy lives and eventually college in the fall.
