Diablo, YV receive generous equipment donation this summer

Mt.

I’ve stood in Curry Village many times and stared straight up at the granite walls that make up Glacier Point, but as we moved past Moran Point, the trail took on a very different look. Granite, sand, rock steps and zigzagging suddenly became soft dirt, tree groves, greenery and a canopy of shade.

Mt. Diablo and Ygnacio Valley High School Patient Care Pathway programs got a boost this summer from a generous donation of supplies from Contra Costa College’s Emergency Medical Technology Department.

After the Mt. Diablo Unified School terminated its long-time involvement this spring with the California Partnerships Academy grant program which helped fund Academy programs at the two Concord high schools, Mt. Diablo teacher David Pintado began looking for other sources of donations and fund-raising.

He was directed to the Contra Costa College program by American Medical Response, a collaborating partner with the school’s CTE Career Technical Education. Pintado met with faculty members Aaron Bates, head of the EMT Program, and Chris Coughlin, NRP, PhD Paramedic Program Director, and they said they had overstock supplies they would donate.

“Our students will benefit tremendously from the supplies. They are great for educational purposes,” Pintado said. There were so many he split them with Sgt. Omar Edwards, his counterpart at Ygnacio Valley. Among the truckload of supplies were a FERNO extraction device, five prompt CPR, eight iron duck spine boards, auto pulse CPR device, vacuum splints, bandages, burn sheets, neck supports and slings.

Pintado added that he is confident this educational collaboration with Contra Costa College will continue.

We dunked our heads in a small creek just before the final push to the top of Glacier Point at elevation 7,214. The Glacier Point Overlook has some of the most aweinspiring views of Yosemite Valley, Nevada and Vernal Falls and, especially, Half Dome. We found some shade to grab lunch and rehydrate. (At the time of this hike, the road was closed to traffic, vault restrooms were open and no drinking water was available.)

We finished enjoying the view and retraced our steps back down Four Mile Trail. I’m still not sure if it’s easier going up or down, but this hike was worth the effort.

In researching this hike, the average round trip was 6.5 hours. With three teenagers of various ages, it took us about 2.5 hours to hike up and about 2 hours to make it back down.

Feeling adventurous?

From Glacier Point, try Panorama Trail to John Muir Trail and finish at Happy Isles Trailhead. Adds some mileage, but it’s some of the best real estate in the park and no one around. Get out there.

Yosemite’s Glacier Point via Four Mile Trail

Trail: Four Mile Trail

Trailhead: Four Mile Trailhead (Southside Drive), very limited parking, Shuttle Stop No. 11

Distance:10.54 miles (one way is actually 4.8 miles)

Elevation gain: 3,389 feet

Switchbacks: 41 by my count

Time: 5.5 hours

August 18, 2023