Ok, so this is where the big trip is really beginning. I'm having to write this in hindsight as there is no Internet for blogging in the wilderness so I'm playing catch up with the next few entries....I arrived in San Fran after 2 flights, both delayed, about 24hours travel time, was looked at oddly by the air hostess for asking for wine at every opportunity and you had to pay for gin on board (outrage-that's AA btw for those of you who might think twice about flying sans gin)! then had to jump the barrier at the other end of the BARTS hoping I wouldn't be caught on CCTV as the lovely conductor man had held the last train for me as said I didn't have time to buy a ticket. Then wandered around downtown Sanfrancisco for a while amongst all the down and outs in the early hours trying to find my hostel as I went to the wrong one. Finally got to my bed and spent the next day trudging round SF going to the supermarket and picking up and sorted all the freeze dried food packages out etc....the only thing was ups have a rule that you cant package anything within the store, so I had 2 weeks worth of food for 2 in my rucksack that I was forced to take out and package whilst sitting on the pavement right outside the store- it took me an hour, and a homeless man asked me if I was giving handouts. The next day I made my way by train to yoesemite. I then waited up all night from 10pm in freezing until 11am the next morning to get our wilderness permits for the John Muir Trail but was first in line...phew...so all Good (otherwise that would have been one over-organised short trip). Met dad, and our journey began the morning of 24th August after a giant American breakfast of just about everything you can think of (veggie of course) covered in syrup.