Other lessons were learned on long descents in the dark using headlamps and on routes where we were at times out of sight and sound of each other. Erik's blindness might provoke some to criticize the sighted members of the team for taking these risks and for not having every inch of each climb memorized before going up with him. These are valid considerations but the spirit of this adventure and the HighSights idea is that a blind person can be an equal partner in a team effort including the learning process itself. After our experience on Serenity Crack the team headed to the high country for cooler climbing. Tuolumne Meadows is an area of Yosemite several thousand feet higher than the Valley and is characterized by numerous large granite domes or batholiths formed during the last period of glaciation and now covered with hundreds of climbing routes.
Wildlife is abundant, and the bear population is particularly healthy.
We discovered this first hand when on the second night of camping out, a bear smashed in the driver's side window of Hans' car looking for stashed goodies. Every climbing area has it's own traditions regarding they way routes are established and rated. In Tuolumne, one finds many long runouts or long stretches on a route with no bolts or protectable cracks. Depending on the degree of risk a route may receive an additional rating of PG, R or X. PG merely indicates a particularly exciting climb, perhaps with a few runouts or airy traverses across blank granite faces. An R rating means that many sections have little or no reliable protection to stop a fall.