February Rewind

Need a Title

Words: Noah
Photos: Troop 333

As part of my Historian role on the staff on Troop 333, I’d like to introduce a new series: The Monthly Rewind. In it, I’ll be recapping all that went on in the month—the events we had, the things we learned, the highlights of the month overall, and how we showed Scout Spirit.

Night Hike

Klondike Derby

To begin the month of February, we had a very successful night hike at Twin Peaks. We hiked from the bottom to the top and back down, learning about hiking safety and practicing our orienteering skills along the way. We enjoyed a bit of hot chocolate at the top, prepared kindly by our adult leaders, which kept us warm and happy on the hike back down.

Flag Etiquette

Our next regular Tuesday meeting was solely dedicated to preparation for our Klondike Derby. Although very few Scouts —just Nikhil, Dashiell, Kevin, and I—ended up attending this snow camping trip, it was helpful to review snow camping skills as a troop. One fun and interactive activity involved each patrol dressing up one of their members in different layers for different conditions.

The Klondike Derby itself was a success even with a small crew. Dashiell and I spent a few hours building a snow shelter completely from scratch. We dug out an 8 foot long by 5 foot wide depression in the snow, then built snow walls on either side. We made a roof of sticks and covered it with frozen snow blocks as insulation. The shelter turned out to be so warm that we felt a persistent drip of water through the night. Otherwise we slept well and warm. Next time, we’ll add more ventilation.

On Sunday, the day of the competition, our patrol of four combined with Troop 29 to compete against other troops in simple games testing Scout skills. Although we won only a few titles, I think that we did an excellent job working together. With only four people on this trip, cooking, cleaning, and organizing camp was easy and efficient. We left on Sunday evening to avoid the bug winter storm that blew in early Monday morning, and returned to San Francisco before midnight.

Our final meeting of the month featured a lesson by Skyler on the United States flag code, its importance, and the respect that is expected to be given to the United States flag.

Following this, we had a “flag” activity of our own to finish the meeting. In the pouring rain, patrols used their knot tying and lashing skills to construct the tallest, free standing flagpole out of wooden dowels. The Turkeys patrol came out on top, but the other patrols did an great job as well.

A scenic view of a mountainous landscape with tall pine trees and a prominent granite dome in the background under a clear sky.

We woke up a little later than desired, and started hiking even later. We gradually gained more elevation as we hiked on an upward incline, and tackled more switchbacks.  

Day 2

A group of hikers walking on a dirt trail through a forested area with tall trees and clear blue sky.

The trek got temporarily easier when we started going downhill after rounding Olmstead Point, the spot where some of the most famous photos of Half Dome were taken. 

A hiker with a large backpack and a sun hat standing on a rocky trail in a mountainous forested area.
A peaceful forest scene with tall pine trees, a grassy meadow, and a distant snow-capped mountain under a clear blue sky.

We made our way through a small wooded area, only to make our way back up, yet again, to make up for the elevation we lost. We grew more tired as we strolled on towards Tenaya Lake, where we decided to set up camp. Skyler, having carried a 6-foot fishing rod for the entire trip, had no luck when attempting to fish during the evening.

A lake surrounded by forested mountains under a clear sky. Photo by Jonathan Yang.

Day 3

Today we started hiking an hour earlier than yesterday. The air was cool and the trail was finally flat as we made our way out of Tenaya Lake.

Topographic map with contour lines showing elevation, with labels for 3000, 2100, and 2600 feet.

But a mile later we started gaining elevation again. We climbed up countless switchbacks along the popular Clouds Rest trail, stopping frequently to catch our breath and talk with fellow hikers. It was the first day we met other people on the trail.

Two people sitting on a large rock in a forested area, preparing food or snacks with bags of food and camping gear around them.

We took a short detour to Sunrise lakes for lunch, where we soaked our crusty feet in nice, cool water and cooked overly salty pasta carbonara for lunch. Mr. Simmons and Jonathan encountered a rattlesnake. Skyler fished. None of them got any bites.

Person fishing in a lake with lush green trees and mountains in the background on a clear day.
A mountain scene with burnt trees and a mountain in the background during sunset.
A landscape of a mountain valley with many dead, burned trees and a clear sky.

The next part of our trek was the most remote and isolated. By this point we had hiked around to the back side of Half Dome. The trail was overgrown and hard to find at times. We had to climb over many fallen trees in the burned out landscape until we finally reached the junction with the famous John Muir Trail. I spotted a few deer along the trail as we hiked toward the sunset.

Then came one of the main highlights of the trip. I saw something moving in the bushes about 50 feet away from me in the burned out forest. At first, I thought it was another deer, until I saw the round, grayish ears. I realized it was a black bear. My heart skipped a beat. It looked right at me, and I looked right at it. It was a very memorable moment. I’m still shocked at being able to see a superior creature of Yosemite, and it was arguably one of the best moments of my life.

Two young men, one sitting on the ground and the other standing, in a forest with charred trees. They appear to be preparing hiking or camping equipment, with one holding a map and the other adjusting something on the sitting person's knee.
A hiker walking through a forest with tall trees, some with charred bark, on a grassy trail with mountains in the background.

Then came one of the main highlights of the trip. I saw something moving in the bushes about 50 feet away from me in the burned out forest.

At first, I thought it was another deer, until I saw the round, grayish ears.

At first, I thought it was another deer, until I saw the round, grayish ears.

I realized it was a black bear. My heart skipped a beat. It looked right at me, and I looked right at it. It was a very memorable moment. I’m still shocked at being able to see a superior creature of Yosemite, and it was arguably one of the best moments of my life.

We ended the night at peaceful campsite down in a hidden valley. It was flat and shaded with a gurgling brook nearby and room for a small campfire. We weren’t able to make it all the way down to Little Yosemite, where we hoped to stay, but I wasn’t complaining.

Person with a hooded jacket sitting on the ground in a forest, preparing a sleeping bag for camping.

This was our out day. We had an early start to our day, packing up quickly and leaving the campsite before breakfast. We hiked about 3 miles on empty stomachs, except for a small piece of dark chocolate, until we reached Nevada Falls, where cooked oatmeal by the rushing water.

Day 4

After breakfast, we continued our climb down huge granite stairs with a great view of Vernal Falls and a lot of day hikers. In all we descended more than 3,000 feet. As we pushed through the last stretch of our trek, we finally made it back to the valley where we started.

Two hikers walking on rocky terrain in a mountainous area with trees and cliffs in the background.

If I learned one lesson from this trek it’s that it's all about the journey, not the destination. We didn’t always make our goals, but we got there in the end and had some amazing experiences along the way.

Three young boys standing outdoors in Yosemite, with large rock formations and trees in the background, smiling and enjoying sunny weather.