During the rush of the fall core last year, I missed the Redwoods Club’s annual trip to Yosemite, so I was thrilled not only to be attending this year, but to be organizing it. Berkeley’s access to places like Tahoe and Yosemite has been one of the highlights of my experience at Haas.
The drive to Tuolumne Meadows on the far side of Yosemite was a long one, but rewarded us with amazing views of Tenaya Lake, Cathedral Peak and deer grazing in the grassy meadows at dusk. My favorite moment from Friday evening was the emphatic arrival of a group of my classmates known as the Haas Angels, who rolled up to the campsite on their motorcycles after taking the scenic backroads across the central valley.
After a surprisingly cold night (which we warmed up with burgers on the campfire grill), sixty of us woke up on Saturday and divided into two hikes –a 14mi roundtrip hike to the storied Cloud’s Rest overlook of Half Dome, and an 8mi hike to Cathedral Lakes (9,290 ft). You couldn’t go wrong with either hike. Those of us hiking to Cathedral Lakes really felt the altitude, but it didn’t stop us from taking a plunge in the cold, clear lake. There’s nothing more refreshing than an alpine swim!
Of course, when I saw the pictures from Cloud’s Rest, I wish I could’ve gone on both hikes. I’m still impressed with my classmates who hiked those 14mi and thousands of feet of elevation—impressed not only by their athleticism, but by their willingness to try new things. A number of people who went to Cloud’s Rest were hiking for the first time ever!
Thanks to talents of Steve Backer and Dan Byrnes, two members of Haas 2012’s very own Jean Claude Van Band, Saturday night saw what must have been the greatest campfire singalong in the history of business school, complete with a light show courtesy of our LED camping headlamps.
Yosemite was a great opportunity for us second-years to bond with the new first-year Haasies, and I can’t wait for our next Redwoods adventure!
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