Last fall my boyfriend Jeff and I took a much anticipated camping trip to Yosemite National Park to get a good dose of nature in our system. Our big plan was to ascend the southwest face of Half Dome via Snake Dike, an easy, technical 8-pitch trad climbing route! The weeks prior to this trip was filled with route laps at the gym as well as more one-day outdoor climbing trips. In preparation, I lead my first (sport) routes, learned to lead belay, practiced more anchor building, climbed my first multi-pitch on El Cajon Mountain in San Diego County and explored the crags within Holcomb Valley near Big Bear Lake--all of this outdoors (I've never even lead indoors, haha). I was definitely psyched--in a good and.... semi-scared way. As for Jeff? Well, he had already climbed Snake Dike the year before and he is already quite familiar with trad and sport climbs. So, I was am seriously fortunate to have a great mentor as a partner (TY Jeff!)!

Before I begin reviewing, I just want to highlight some of our goodies that really helped make this a somewhat successful trip (we'll get to the "somewhat" part later.) A few of these are new--see photo below--while the rest are part of our usual car camping basics!

Goodies & Gear!

• Patagonia Capilene baselayers
• 3L Hydrapak hydration system (which now replaces my very dated & not so great Camelbak bladders)
• 32 oz soft water bottle, the Nalgene Cantene
• UCO Original Candle Lanterns
• Neo-Air All Season Therm-a-Rest inflatable sleeping pad
• Neo-Air XLite Therm-a-Rest inflatable sleeping pad
• Two burner propane stove! (CAR CAMPING AIN'T THE SAME WITHOUT THIS, SEE THAT BACON?)

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It was early November; a perfect time and way to celebrate both of our birthdays (his on the 8th and mine on the 27th). Unfortunately, this is also the time of the year when temperatures begin to really drop, and on top of that, we had arrived just after a major storm.

Surely, we had the sufficient clothing and gear, and we didn't have to pitch our tent in snow, but that did not take away from the fact that the lows of mid 20°(F)'s and highs of 50°'s chilled our San Diego bones. Aside from beers and campfires, to keep warm we layered up A LOT--on hikes and especially while sleeping. Having the right type of clothing, base layers specifically, really made a difference between getting some actual shut eye, and calling the trip quits after night one!

KEEPING WARM:
I have a three-season down sleeping bag (Marmot Angel Fire) rated to 26°F and Jeff has a synthetic blend sleeping bag rated to 20°F (Kelty Light Year XP). We also brought along a three-person, three-season MSR tent (Thanks to Adventure 16, Jeff's employer) for a bit of roominess. Would that alone stop us from being cold at night? Nope. Our set up was kind of hilarious to look at, but it kept us warm! We laid out two crashpads (perfect for the tent!), then laid our sleeping pads, one thick blanket, our sleeping bags, then 2 more comforters--all atop one another in that order. I felt like the Princess and the Pea! We also hung up our UCO Candle Lanterns and let that burn throughout the night (they last for hours). At first, the idea of leaving a burning candle unattended seemed so sketchy, but after reading other users' reviews (aka evidence of their survival, haha) and methods for keeping warm, we decided to try it out. Some nights, we just let it burn for a little bit, enough to warm the tent, then blew out the flame before sleeping. It was pretty handy.

I brought along both my Patagonia Capilene 2 and Capilene 3 tops and bottoms. The Cap 2 is an extremely comfy lightweight baselayer which I like to use under hiking pants and sweats when it's a a little chilly out, around the high 40s-50s. I sometimes wear them at home like regular leggings/PJ's, too! I tend to get pretty overheated around my upperbody, so I don't wear the Cap 2 or Cap 3 tops unless I will be in a very cold, windy or snow-filled environment for hours at a time. For the past year and a half, I have been using my Cap 2's during nearly all my southern California winter/fall (outdoor) activities, but I picked up the Cap 3's right before this trip to test it out. I didn't think I would notice much of a difference between the lightweight Cap 2 and the midweight Cap 3, but the upgrade was just right for this. The wind didn't pierce through the Cap 3's material too much nor was it too stifling.

I've posted some material comparisons below, if that helps at all. Also, if you're looking into getting these bad boys, here's some size references: I'm 5'0", average build, with some extra love around the hips! Going between the different levels of the Capilenes also may mean a different fit, I guess due to how thick the material is/how much it can stretch. The Cap 2 & 3 tops fit me well in size Small without being too fitted (I like mine slightly looser). I have the Cap 2 bottom in size Small, and it's perfect for me; the length isn't even too bad for my stature! I got the Cap 3 bottom in X-Small because they run a bit big. They seem to fit me decently--until I eat like a pig and I can feel the pressure around my waist more. It also gets a little saggy and loose towards my ankles.

Bottoms: Capilene 2, Capilene 3 (black) - Tops: Capilene 3 (orange striped), Capilene 2 (black)

Capilene 2, lightweight (striped)

Capilene 3, midweight (black)

Most times, I only wear the bottoms under my Prana Halle pants, so the bagginess only concerns me when it's around the thighs and calves! Anyway, these guys saved me when it came to sleeping and just hanging around the campsite.

HALF DOME/SNAKE DIKE

Taking notes of technical parts of climb and mapping out our route

Petzl Elia helmet, Patagonia Down Sweater Vest, draws and webbing

Jeff, getting all the gear all neat and accounted for

Around 5:30 AM on our second morning, we each packed up about 30 lbs worth of water, climbing gear (helmet, shoes, rope, cams, draws etc.), food and other necessities, and started on our approach towards Half Dome/Snake Dike. The Nalgene Cantene was perfect for cutting down some ounces and also for easy "compactibility" when empty. This was just a little over the bare minimum [weight] we should have brought. We had extra snacks just in case, and I brought too many clothes--typical. WE ARE FOREVER LEARNING HOW TO PACK LESS. Jeff wore his Cap 2 top under a shirt and jacket and Cap 2 bottoms under his Prana Stretch Zion pants. He was quite comfy and warm throughout. I, on the other hand, sort of regret wearing so many layers! As cold and crisp as the morning was, trying to hike up quickly with some weight on my back really made me sweat. I wore my Cap 3 bottoms under my Halle pants which was perf. But I also wore a tanktop, Cap 2 top, AS WELL AS the Patagonia Sweater Vest, all UNDERNEATH my Atom jacket (Arc'teryx Atom LT). Safe to say, I was removing layers after 1 hour of hiking.

Handsome! He wore his Patagonia Ascenscion 35L pack, a perfect fit/size (but he had to rig his own hydration system)

Now, for the "somewhat successful" part: after all this layering trouble and my struggle to hike fast, we didn't get to climb. We should have known when we saw the weather report at the Visitor's Center. We should have known when saw visible snow atop Half Dome from our camp site. We were definitely unprepared (and inexperienced) for any ice climbing, and we don't* even have ice axes, yet we decided to try our luck, hoping the ice/snow would melt by the time we made it to the base of the mountain. We had already reached Little Yosemite Valley, just to where our trail would veer off directly for Half Dome, when we finally admitted to ourselves that this wasn't going to happen. The snow was too packed up top and we wouldn't have much sun left for the hike back down (the days were especially short between storms)--it was too sketchy for a wet, icy path... and not to mention THE FEARLESS BEAR ON OUR TRAIL, one that did not get off the path even with 5 of us whistling and clapping loudly.

Fortunatelyyyy (I guess) our path also coincided with the Mist, Vernal Falls, and Half Dome trails, so we did get to take in some amazing scenery--even if we had both hiked these once before. For me at least, it was a pretty good experience and a huge wake up call, urging me to significantly improve my endurance. It was practice, I suppose!

We didn't get to finish what we went there to do. I didn't even touch Half Dome at all! But being in the Valley really feels great on its own. Jeff and I ate yummy food (I cook a mean bacon-filled car camping breakfast!), kept each other warm, bouldered, and just enjoyed what the place had to offer: immense, awe-inspiring natural beauty.

Oh, and did I mention that we actually did get to hang on ropes on a mountain?! On our last day, we broke down camp, packed the car and made one last stop to swing off of El Capitan! Jeff had gone with friends the year before, and I had always hoped to do the same! I never thought I'd get on the swing so soon! I was ecstatic! It was definitely thrilling, amazing, crazy... with an insane view of the Valley. You know we had to do it more than once :)


You know what? I take back the "somewhat" part. This was definitely a successful trip!

- Ashley