Day #43 The Camp 4 Ritual

I got up at 4.20am and walked through darkness on roads and paths towards Camp 4. I got slightly lost and bumped into a huge, posh hotel compex – the „majestic Yosemite hotel“ or similar… I‘ll continue to dirtbag camp 😂 even though I’m now slightly less dirty after the shower of my lifetime.

On the way, lots of smaller animals scurried away into the bushes. At the ranger station there was already a line of people in sleeping bags waiting, some were dozing off on crashpads. It was the first walk-in day so I expected some people. It’s the ritual every climber or person who wants to stay at Camp 4 has to go through: queuing up! I was in the middle of the line, anxious to get a spot. I crouched down on a boulder in the freezing cold – stupid me didn‘t bring a jacket or blanket like everyone else did and there were still two hours to go until the sun came up. A girl gave me an extra sleeping back after she saw me shivering.

At 8am the ranger, dressed in beige and wearing a flat brimmed hat, showed up on a bicycle. She looked grumpy and the process of registering took forever, but a lot of people got in, including me 😀

I took the shuttle back to Curry Village, had an overpriced coffee, tried to send some messages out that I had arrived safely and got my stuff ready.

When I arrived back at Camp 4, I met Noemi at the restroom – an aquaintance from the Berlin performer scene – that was a funny coincidence and somehow I knew that I would run into someone I know. Then I saw the giant boulder sitting next to the restrooms and walked towards it. There was Midnight Lightning, Ron Kauks‘ ultra hard (and high) boulder testpiece – I couldn‘t believe I was standing in front of it!

When the tent was set up, I had to have a look at the message board – was there anyone ready for climbing? I noticed Anne‘s note and met her soon after, when I sat down at her campsite‘s table to draw/write a note that I‘m up for anything. She‘s a super sweet person and I was happy that I already found someone for the next day!

Then I went shopping – the mountaineering store had shoes on sale so I picked a pair of La Sportivas for 50$, a new helmet, a book about climbing in the 60ies in Yosemite and a T-shirt. When I went to the gift store and village supermarket, rain came crashing down. Seeing the Valley clouded with dense, white mist was definitely special – it looked like the clouds are touching the ground!

I made a simple dinner and met all the other climbers from my site – a funny Polish guy called Pavel, three Americans and two Germans. The next neighbors are German too. At Camp 4, you share your site with 6 other people and it is very international.

As soon as the sun went down, it got really cold. I got sleepy and felt exhausted, so I wrote my climbing partner request post in my tent. That‘s when Aourell, a French guy I met earlier, when we both stared at a boulder problem, called out – ‚Finn, do you want to come – we have some red wine and whiskey?‘

Of course I said yes. Sitting by the warming campfire and listening to a couple from Manchester who did the northwest face of Half Dome in 27 hours was a good evening program. Our small group shared many stories about hiking, climbing and Burning Man. During a lull in the conversation, a huge grey racoon showed up, danced around the bear boxes and climbed up a tree super fast! The animals are so present here, it feels wild even though the Valley is so busy with traffic and people.

It was a really nice and welcoming first evening at Camp 4. The spirits of climbing pioneers and the Valley‘s rich history are definitely hanging around and it‘s a diverse place! I imagined the Valley and Camp 4 a tiny bit differently but then, it all looks very familiar too. Anyway, I‘m off to sleep and super psyched to climb tomorrow!