Five guys plus one

On Monday afternoon, two of my great-nephews were about to have the time of their young lives hiking the Hetch Hetchy, a hidden gem in Yosemite National Park’s peaceful northwestern corner. No Starbucks here, dudes. No tour buses or campers and RVs. This is what’s known as off the beaten path. Often called Yosemite’s “secret” valley, Hetch Hetchy’s glacial valley has been inhabited for more than 6,000 years, with its towering granite cliffs and cascading waterfalls. Pioneer conservationist John Muir called it a “remarkably exact counterpart” to the now world-famous Yosemite Valley, about 15 miles south. To Muir, this carved, U-shaped glacier was one of the earth’s most beautiful places. As it often happens, current events dictate our history. Before the 1850s when the first U.S. settlers arrived, this ancient homeland belonged to a dozen Native American peoples who were stewards of this special place. Often called Tuolumne Yosemite, the pristine valley was once a flat, meadow-filled Indigenous paradise. The name Hetch Hetchy Valley – “hatchhatchie” – is likely derived from a Native American Miwok word meaning “edible grasses.”

In 1906, a devastating earthquake caused fires in San Francisco that destroyed 25,000 buildings across 490 city blocks. The area was in desperate need of a water source.

In 1913, Congress approved building a dam and filling Hetch Hetchy with water by damming the Tuolumne River, despite attempts by John Muir and other naturalists to stop construction and preserve it.

Some labeled the damming project “San Francisco’s Original Sin.” Damn.

Can you imagine building a dam inside a national park today?

Please don’t answer that.

Dammed and flooded by the 430-foot-tall O’Shaughnessy Dam, the project was completed in 1923. Hetch Hetchy is the primary water source for about 2.7 million residents of the San Francisco Bay area – described as some of the cleanest water in the nation.

Today, however, two young adventurers and their motley crew of four brothers in arms, began a 70-mile hike over six days.

According to Andrew, soon to be 17, they were starting with an 8.5-mile round-trip hike from the Chilnualna Falls “up to the clouds,” then back down the valley returning to the falls.

Around noon Eastern time, I checked my phone for Andrew’s location, which he and his brother Michael had kindly shared. They were in the Wawona area of southern Yosemite near Chilnualna Falls. “Up in the clouds,” as it were.

Tourist booklets say the five-to-seven-hour hike offers solitude, along with spectacular views of the scenic granite Wawona Dome, rising to nearly 6,900 feet. Degree of difficulty: “Strenuous but rewarding.” Crowd factor: “Light but not lonely.”

The falls are composed of five cascades, including one that is 50-feet fall, followed by a series of pools and a 100-foot cascade, followed by a 240-foot capper of a cataract.

I have no idea what that all means, but it sounds pretty impressive.

Other than poison oak and rattlesnakes, there’s really nothing to worry about, they said. I read that there are outhouses along the way, but I suspect these experienced hikers won’t use them when nature calls.

As my sister Sandy, the boys’ other antsy aunt, texted them yesterday: “Just stay focused when you hike!!” (Adding an extra exclamation point for good measure.)

The boys’ grandmother, my sister Corky, was more direct, sending them a simple “hair on fire” emoji. No words, but I’m thinking she wasn’t concerned about deer.

Let’s hope the guys have plenty of water, snacks in their packs and a flashlight. Can’t wait to see more photos and hear their stories. It’s something they won’t forget.

Since departing southeastern Michigan last Friday, the five guys in a tricked-out white Mercedes Sprinter van that apparently leaks from the roof during torrential rains (surprise!), traveled more than 36 hours without stopping to sleep in the comfort of a hotel.

Incredible. And a little crazy if you ask me. They picked up the sixth man at the airport in Fresno, California.

Over the weekend, their first night of civilized rest was camping under the stars in the Mojave Desert, where triple-digit high temperatures held steady well after sundown.

“It was 102 at midnight,” Michael, soon to be 22, texted.

Remember that 2018 documentary film “Free Solo” where a rock climber attempts to scale El Capitan (the main image on this post) and the massive granite monolith known for its sheer vertical face reaching 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley? It’s mecca for world-class rock climbers.

Yeah, that guy. Alex Honnold. In June 2017, he climbed it without a rope or safety gear in 3 hours and 56 minutes. A “free solo ascent,” it’s called.

Honnold is still the only person to free solo a full route on El Capitan. Let’s keep it that way, OK, guys?

(Photo credits: main El Capitan and Andrew free solo by Michael Tasco. Chilnualna Falls and group shot by Andrew Tasco. Others, you know who you are. Thanks.)

(YouTube video: “A Horse with No Name” is a 1971 folk-rock song by the band America whose meaning centers on a peaceful escape from modern life, a literal-minded traveler’s log of the American Southwest, and a spiritual journey into nature. Before they left for their trip, both of my great-nephews assured me they would play this song once they hit the desert. I have no doubt they did just that.)