CHRIS

CLARA

DAN

DESIREE

DOMINIQUE

ELVIRA

IAN

JANICE

KHALED

NICOLE

Instructors

NICOLE

PERRINE

CHAPERONES

My experience hiking

Today was one of the best days of my life. My reason for saying it was one of the best days of my life is because I actually got the opportunity to do something I enjoy the most, which is taking challenges. I got the opportunity to conquer my fear. My fear is heights and we had to climb high rocky cliffs, which was a real scare to me in the beginning of the hike. Later on in the hike I began to lead the hike and do it without any fear(s). I truly enjoyed myself. This was my first time backpacking and hiking. If I was asked to do something like this again I would do so within a heartbeat!!!

Hite's Cove: Past, Present, and Future

Well, my name is Lucy Hite. I am the wife of John Hite. John and I lived in a wonderful house not to far from the South Fork [of the] Merced. John and I had a somewhat wonderful life together, but like most couples, we had fights/arguments. There was a lot going on when John was alive. There was the mining of the gold, the frowning of people (because John married me), and the dullness of our relationship (due to John being busy with the mining and all).

Anyway, things have changed now. The husband I once had and loved is gone now. Our beautiful town that was once here is gone. Good old Main Street has vanished. And Chinatown is nothing but "brick town." I'm still alive and healthy. I live in the Yosemite Valley now, which is not too far from where I used to live. Everything is different, even the name of my old town which is now called "Hite's Cove." It's weird, I'd never imagined my old town being named after my husband (and I). The people in Yosemite Valley are wonderful.

They've been informing me on what they plan on doing to "Hite's Cove" in the future. They've told me that they plan on making it how it was when John was alive. I truly hope they don't. If they do, it's going to be nothing but a whole lot of frustration and chaos. Hite's Cove and the rest of this area should stay exactly how it is, full of peace, beauty, and happiness!!!

What I loved and learned

I learned that people shouldn't judge things until they actually go there and see what it's really like and what it's all about. I also learned that people aren't the most important living things out there. In addition to all of this, I learned that there's more and even better things in life than a big city. Oh yeah, I loved getting to meet new people and getting to know who they really are. Also, I loved the fact that I can truly adapt to nature and appreciate it more. Life has a lot to offer and if you don't get off your buttox and search for it, you'll never find it!