I was afraid for a long time -- of getting lost, of not having a place to camp, of being too cold if I can't start a fire, blah, blah, blah... But the time has come when I really wanted to go. What triggered me was when I dropped in at the REI store in Berkeley and talked to one of the staff there - Michael. He said that I can still get a camp site even without a reservation if I go there early... say before 9 a.m. and it's pretty safe to go alone. These campgrounds are Crane Flat, Porcupine Flat and Camp 4. So I got an idea and head out Saturday morning at 6 a.m. I took 580 toward Hayward/Stockton and took some other number before taking 108/120.
Great timing because the traffic was very light and I made it in 3 and a half hours. When I arrived all 3 of the said sites still had vacancies.. but I was pretty tired and a bit worried... The ranger said Porcupine Flat was another hour and I totally forgot about Camp 4... So I went to Crane Flat which is only 8 miles down hwy 120 from the East Gate. Here's my campsite.
And I also carry a small stove with me. Here I was, cooking on a bear-box -- where you have to keep all the food and smelly things here to prevent yourself from having bears staring down your throat at night. Here I am cooking my breakfast on the bear box.
