Part One: Hiking My Feelings in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne - Yosemite National Park
PART ONE // Check Your DMs
Meet the crew for this epic adventure:
Barry (@maker_of_vibes on Instagram) is my adventure buddy for life. He introduced me to hiking when we moved to SoCal in 2011, introduced me to backpacking in 2016, and has had a front row seat for all things #hikingmyfeelings since the start. He is the glue that makes it possible for me to do what I do. He's a former professional skydiver (how we met) and Wilderness EMT, and he plans our tours and adventures.
If you dig the band Stick Figure, you might be wondering how we started adventuring with Kevin Bong aka KBong (@kbongmusic on Instagram). Great question, easy answer.
We asked.
When our 2020 tour got canceled, we needed to come up with a new plan since our 220-mile hike around Chicago was postponed. Enter the Virtual Campfire, a place where our community could gather during the pandemic, learn from experts, and listen to live music.
I DMed KBong and asked him if he'd like to join us for storytelling and jams by the fire. Thankfully, he checked his DMs that day, and he sent me his email address. I emailed more info. And followed up. And followed up one more time. When you're an internationally touring musician, you're busy. And when I want what I want, I'm persistent.
Soon, he replied. He was in. Sweet. I invited him to the ranch for a visit so he could see the space. He was in. Double sweet. We went for a short hike that weekend and I loved that he stopped to look at ALL THE ROCKS. My kinda guy.
When Barry and I planned an adventure down the eastern Sierras in July, we invited KBong. Our first hike of the trip was a 12+ mile stomp through the Desolation Wilderness. This hike is hard, long, and hot in the sun, and he didn't complain once. His enthusiasm was encouraging, and we talked about thru-hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail together, dreamed of summiting Whitney, and agreed that we are all awesome at adventuring together. Seeds were planted, jams were played, life is good.
When Barry and I decided to backpack the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, a 55+ mile loop through the Yosemite backcountry, KBong was in. So here we are, at the start of this adventure, ready to see what this trail has in store.
🐻 Will we see a bear? Tune in to find out!