When I was at U of Washington a bunch of us from the outing club piled into a station wagon and drove to Yosemite Valley for Spring break 1969. Being the smallest person, I was assigned to ride on top of the gear, with only a few inches for head room. We drank a lot of wine and climbed stuff - I really do not remember what!

I hitch-hiked from Lander Wyoming to Camp 4 in early April in 1971. I was supposed to meet a friend of my brothers to climb with. He never showed up. I found plenty of people to hang out with and climb with. The weather was horrid. We climbed Nut Cracker during one break in the weather. On one poor weather day a few guys asked me if I wanted to do the easy route on Half Dome- they did not tell me how long the "approach" was. Well, we did the cable route, sans cable, in a snowstorm, with ice on the rock. I had no idea it was a 16-mile round trip! I did not even bring a lunch. I also remember that a climber who was belaying me on "After 6" was stoned, and I slipped and he bascially dropped me all the way to the bottom. I did not have climbing shoes - just the old "klettershue" and 5-pound mountaineering boots. I hitched back to San Francisco to catch a bus to Spokane (my folks were worried and sent me bus fare). Sitting in the bus station holding my ice-axe for a weapon was scarier than hitching all the miles! Yes, those were the crazy days. We are lucky to have survived.