Hetch Hetchy

When you're trying to organize a Los Boyz trip with the crew coming from Oregon, San Luis Obispo, Orcutt, Los Angeles, and San Diego, convenience becomes a virtue. Enter Hetch Hetchy, the overlooked corner of Yosemite National Park—a place rich in history, spectacular scenery, and surprisingly unexplored by the Boyz.

The logistics looked like a military operation. Mitch and Snyde flew in. Doug drove down from Oregon in his sprinter van, a rig that would later prove invaluable. Egg was embarking on an extended tour through the Eastern Sierra in Big Red and planned to cut across Highway 120 to meet us. Eric graciously volunteered to play chauffeur and pick up Mitch and Snyde in Fresno.

Everything was going perfectly. Naturally, that's when a storm showed up.

A cold front rolled across the Sierra, dumping rain and snow and forcing Egg to reroute his drive. It added hours to his journey, but if there's one thing Los Boyz know, it's that adversity is just part of the itinerary.

Once everyone finally arrived at Diamond O Campground, the weather was forgotten. Beers appeared. Eric broke out the martini shaker. G&Ts materialized. The reunion was officially underway.

Then came camp setup.

Mitch pitched his tent in about five minutes, looking like he'd been training for the Tent Olympics. Snyde's experience was... different, even though he’s a seasoned pro.

For reasons still not fully understood by modern science, he became completely baffled by the relationship between the tent, the rain fly, and the poles. What should have been a simple setup evolved into a full-scale engineering crisis. At one point he actually snapped a tent pole.

After an extended struggle involving confusion, frustration, and outright floundering, Snyde was forced to call for reinforcements. Doug, Eric, and Egg rushed in to save the day while Mitch thoughtfully documented the entire debacle on video for future generations.

With camp finally established, Eric took command of dinner. Thick steaks dusted with Montreal rub hit the grill and were topped with Glynis's world-famous chimichurri sauce. Add a salad, a bottle or two of wine, and a gathering of old friends, and you've got a meal worthy of the occasion.

The rain politely waited until dinner was over before unleashing itself. It poured all night. And all the next day.

Rather than fight Mother Nature, the Boyz wisely declared a weather delay and settled in for another night at Diamond O. As luck would have it, the EvergreenLodge was only a mile away and quickly became our headquarters for beer, burgers, and strategic planning.

It also became the venue for an important celebration. After years of legal battles and hard work, Snyde had finally secured a long-awaited payout and was officially embracing retirement. A dinner reservation was secured. Toasts were made. Kamikazes were ordered - several rounds of them. Best of all, Snyde picked up the tab!

The next morning, the rain finally broke.

We packed up our soggy camps, crossed the Hetch Hetchy Dam, passed through the famous tunnel, and hiked six beautiful miles to Rancheria Falls. The overcast skies only added to the dramatic scenery.

Camp was established, the scotch emerged, and Mitch’s “go-to”, Frito/rice/bean meal was on tap for dinner. Nothing fancy, but always tasty in the backcountry.

The following day was everything we'd hoped for. We explored the falls, wandered the area, played a few rounds of backcountry bocce. Night two dinner – Snyde’s renowned egg/bacon burritos. . . and this time with hot sauce!

A surprise was on order, as darkness settled in and the campfire crackled, a young woman wandered into camp looking for advice on where to collect water. Egg immediately rose to the occasion. Ever the gentleman, he offered to personally escort our wayward trail angel to the best water source and explain the finer points of backcountry hydration. His guidance was apparently quite thorough. Not only did she find water. She also left with Egg's phone number.

By the time we hiked out, it felt like this trip had delivered something for everyone: snowstorms, steaks, martinis, retirement celebrations, backpacking, bocce, scotch, waterfalls, and even a little romance.

Not bad for a trip that almost got rained out. Just another chapter in the 25^th Anniversary of Los Boyz.

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