OVERVIEW:

The month of June began hectically for the crew of Yosemite I. After finally retrieving a tool stash off at the Yosemite Falls trail, camp was broken down and we moved to the Stanislaus National Forest. Arriving at the beautiful Emigrant Wilderness, the crew set up camp at Kennedy Meadows and began rock work. Thanks, for once, to the ever present snow, the crew did not have to do maintenance because Lower and Upper Relief Valley’s were both buried. A multitude of waterbars, retainers, walls and rip-rap have taught the crew that stretching in the morning is important.

The crew was very lucky to participate in blasting operations. We used Tovex Fire Breaker II to remove some boulders within a section of rip-rap. Peter Martinez was lucky enough to "push the button." Although there was a limited amount of weekends, the crew was still able to go on some great hikes. Leavitt, the highest peak in the Stanislaus, and Kennedy Peak, were summated in one weekend by Steven Bishop, Alex Bryan and Chris Villegas (CCC—Tahoe).

Our crew was able to visit the Stanislaus crew to celebrate summer solstice. Food, music, and whiffle ball were had by all. It was amazing to see 30 young adults gather and have fun without drugs or alcohol. Although we did go through 8 pots of coffee. Thanks to the Stanislaus crew for their hospitality. We do apologize for beating you on your own field. The crew is happy to announce the graduation of Jeremy Rodriguez (CCC—Fortuna), from John Muir Charter High School. We remember the past, look to the future, and live in the present. Jeremy Rodriguez, Luis Reyes (CCC—Fortuna), and David Hernandez (East Bay CC), were the first hikers to make it from Tilltill Valley to Lake Vernon this year. They hiked about three miles through the snow with no signs of a trail. Many people followed their tracks to make it to Vernon, including six people from the Yosemite II Crew. The river crossing was pretty flooded over and they almost lost David crossing. Lucky for David, Luis was right behind him and Luis grabbed him. Jeremy jumped in and they both pulled David out. It was a very close call for the three of them.

Hooray! We are now all Certified Life-Savers (the Tropical, multi-flavored kind of course).

"Bring us your bleeding, burning, and broken pedestrians yearning to be saved." – That’s right folks; we began the "Beginning of Summer" in June with an extensive course on CPR and First-Aide, led by none other than former CCC Corpsmember Tim Esquivel (Inyo, 1985). The session was a much anticipated, highly relevant training session that we were all excited about, (though we’re hoping, as the climatic "Injury-Frantic July" approaches, that we will not have to practice on a fellow crew members). Oh Yes, and remember your ABC’s people, they will improve your emergency responsiveness much more than your spelling.

Hooray! Corps member classes have commenced. On the third day in our new habitat (Kennedy Meadows, Stanislaus National Forest) the Brave and Valiant Juan Vigil (CCC Alumni—Pomona), took the reins eagerly (if somewhat apprehensively), to lead the pack into the onslaught of Corpsmember led curriculum. His theme? – Well, Friendship of course; friendship tied into knots, to create a bond of colorful ‘Life-Savers! His medium?-Tangled lumps of rainbow colored string. His vision?-Friendship bracelets!! Vois-La! Thanks Juan for your creative inspiration. A few days later we were invited to "take a breather from granite-crushing" and attend the Summit Region’s Annual Kick-off and Safety Meeting. Where we not only met the eccentric staff of SNF, learned about several important issues including: hazardous trees, backcountry ethics, law enforcement announcements, sexual harassment policies, Hispanic equality in the workplace, and noxious plants (not short for Obnoxious). We also managed to squeeze in enough time to devour a Smorgasboard of delicious Mexican Cuisine. Thank you Stanislaus National Forest for your hospitality. The next Corpsmember class was led by none other than Rachael Moody (CCC—Fortuna). She enlightened our family on the finer points of Resume building and writing. Not necessarily critical at this stage of "tent habitation" but definitely crucial afterwards and for the remainder of our lives. Good Job Rach!

Lastly, (though most certainly NOT the least) our one and only camp "Sweet-thang", Nate "Sexy" Harris (CCC—SLO), blew our minds away with a fabulous presentation on dessert preparation and baking (using the intriguing Dutch Oven techniques). His use of the term "sexy little brisquettes" was uncontrollably hilarious, and his strawberry-cream cheese-whipped cream cakes, was to die for. – Thanks Nate-Dog! So, that wraps up classes for June. It flew by too fast to fathom; hope we can hold on a little longer to July………See you there!

PERSONNEL CHANGES: None

INJURIES: None

Thanks go to our sponsors, Alisha Hyatt (Stanislaus 2002), David Whitley (Stanislaus, 1993), and Donna Tomlin, for the great instructional food. Not to mention, calling the Porto-potty company every day for a week. (Things were reaching the top) This month also saw many visitors:

• Chris and his son Tyler visiting Peter Martinez
• Mindy visiting her boyfriend Nate Harris
• Ryan visiting his girlfriend Stacey Matthews (CCC—Chico)
• Arvind Ramamoorthy (Yosemite I, 2003) by chance
• Aleah Fraley (Inyo, 2001) and her friends Amelia and Hazel before accepting jobs with the Stanislaus to contract out to Tahoe
• Cesar Medina (Stanislaus, 2003) by chance on a hike to Kennedy Lake.

Trail Maintenance: Huckleberry Trail    — 1 mile

Retainer bars:        — 60 each

Waterbars:        — 8 each

Causeway        — 15.7 linear yards ( 47 lin. ft.)

Trail Tread Rip-Rap:       — 36 linear yards (108 lin. ft.)

Multi-tier Retaining Wall:      — 14 square feet