Yosemite is such a popular park that much of it is too crowded…almost as bad as Disney World. Fortunately, there are less-traveled spots. The high country in the eastern part of the park is exquisite and lonely, especially if you are willing to leave your car and hike a little.

Backpacking Yosemite's High Country with Dick and Rick

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 7/24/1981 Posted: 7/28/2010		Page Views: 2,452
Hashtags: #YosemiteNationalPark #California #Camping
I recall my first visit to one of my two favorite places in the world.
Estimated reading time: 10 minute(s) (2254 words)

Just over 29 years ago, I made my first trip to Yosemite National Park. This was combined with my first trip to San Francisco. It's almost hard for me to imagine how untraveled I was before this trip, and how many places I've gone since. And yet, Yosemite is still one of my two favorite places in the world.

Solo Backpacking in Yosemite

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 10/1/1993 Posted: 1/22/2016		Page Views: 1,598
Hashtags: #Yosemite #Backpacking
All the photos from my solo campout at Yosemite's Dickey Point.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (383 words)

In 1993, I was traveling all over the country teaching Windows programming to corporate mainframe programmers. I taught several times at the headquarters of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California; at the conclusion of a particularly tough class (one of the programmers was blind, which doesn't really lend itself to programming in a visual medium) I decided I needed some time and space to myself. Luckily I had brought my backpacking gear with me; so I decided I would head out to Yosemite National Park, which I had visited just once before with friends.

Yosemite with John

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 6/14/1995 Posted: 7/29/2010		Page Views: 1,670
Hashtags: #California #Travel #YosemiteNationalPark #MtDiabloStatePark
I recall the trip taken with my son, John, to Yosemite National Park and other California locations in 1995.
Estimated reading time: 6 minute(s) (1333 words)

My wife of 20 years and I separated in 1992. That year, I took my oldest daughter on a trip, just the two of us, to Grand Canyon. The next year I took my second daughter to Canada; the following year I took my youngest daughter to Key West. Finally, in June of 1995, I took my youngest, 19-year-old John, on a week-long tour of California (with Grand Canyon thrown in for good measure). I met him in Virginia, where he lived, and we flew together to San Francisco for our first-ever major trip together, with just the two of us.