[side note: I started this post after a hike on July 9th. Since it’s now August 1st, I figured it’s time to publish it. Yikes! ]

 

Passing by the lakes on the way up and down, Zack says, “America”.

Oh, we hiked here on the 4th of July? You, Jack and Molly came here on a 4th of July? Why do people keep writing ‘Merica?

No resolution to the confusion.

Then I posted some pictures on Instagram and Shane commented, Oh, Is that Young American (lake) in the foreground?

OH!!!! That’s what Zack was trying to say.

Here are a couple other pictures I took that day:

 

This all reminded me of our recent trip to Yosemite (or as Zack says, Sosemite; or as Chris said, Yollowstone). At the end of May, Chris messaged a link to the National Park camping reservation system with this message: June 17 Holm House Party
Question: Camp at Yosemite National Park June 18, 19, and 20???

I showed it to Zack, he agreed that it sounded fun and I responded: Yes! We’re in. We’re super excited to go camping (tent emoji) with you.

A couple weeks later I asked Chris if he had the permits. He responded: Can be permits National Park two Day after Holm house Party June 17? I’d Camping Permit Theodore Roosevelt NP, Badlands NP, Yellowstone NP late evening day as Aphasia Card.

I understood that he’d been getting his own permits with his National Park Access Card, I thought that he usually gets them the night before he wanted to go in, but I didn’t know if he’ gotten a permit for Yosemite. So I replied: I’m asking if you have the Yosemite permits.

He responded: I Don’t know.

I tried to rephrase: You do have a permit already for Yosemite camping?

Chris: No.

In part because of my delay in understanding who was getting the permit and in part because Yosemite is Yosemite, there was not a campsite to be found! Thanks to our AMC friend Clare who lives near a different western entrance to Yosemite, we found a spot at a National Forest (not Park) campground sort of near the Big Oak entrance.

Despite the long drive to the west side (because of all the snow this year, our usual east side entrance had not been plowed yet) and camping pretty far away from the Valley, we had a fantastic time!

Zack’s the King of the World. (Did you know that seeing Titanic in the movie theater in North Conway, NH was our first date?)

Chris was pretty adamant about the photo ops he wanted including this one where it appears he’s drinking the Falls!

Zack and Chris hiked from Glacier Point to Sentinel Dome. 

Our campground was up the road from the Holm Powerhouse! 

Zack and Chris’ aphasias are very different but I think we made a pretty good team. They each have lots of strategies to help them understand the world around them, even when it’s 100 degrees, incredibly crowded and even more beautiful!