Massive slate gray jagged masses of granite jut out of the ground like giant walls keeping watch around a fortified city. Long and thin strips of waterfalls cascade over their edges like someone pouring a steady stream of salt grains out of the box. Enormous Sequoias tower overhead making one feel like a small child. This is Yosemite. This is the Sierra Nevada. This is the American wild. Experiencing natural beauty and rugged landscapes on such a grand scale like this helps one realize why so many people are driven by the call of the wild to explore this place. This is what a group of 18 Pepperdine undergraduate graduate students and staff did the weekend of Oct. 2 to 4 during a Department of Campus Recreation-sponsored trip to Yosemite National Park in central California. The group left for the park on Thursday and settled themselves at Crane Flats campground around midnight. The next day began early with a hearty breakfast of eggs bacon and hash browns in preparation for the most strenuous hike of the itinerary. The approximately 10-mile round-trip hike included sights such as Vernal Falls and The Emerald Pool Nevada Falls and the base of Half Dome – the park’s most recognized landmark. The hike was so strenuous that the group stopped often for short breaks. “The hike was really hard on the first day said Ember Strand, coordinator of Pepperdine fitness programs. Many students did not know their limits. Your body can do so much more than you think it can you just have to let your mind take over.” Sophomore Robin Orsi went on the Yosemite trip last year and said it was quite inspiring. “It’s an awesome experience that I would recommend to anyone Orsi said. It’s the best thing I have done at Pepperdine so far.” According to Orsi last year’s trip was a more intense version of this year’s trip. The group went backcountry backpacking instead of staying in a more traditional campground like this year. The weather dropped quite drastically and it snowed. “My favorite part was just sitting on the edge at the top of the falls laying next to the massive stones and feeling their coolness next to me Orsi said of the group’s stop at the top of Nevada Falls. Orsi said one of the most unique parts of the trip occurred when a few members of the group stumbled upon a wild bobcat. The bobcat crossed their paths just after leaving the relatively high traffic area at the top of Nevada Falls. However, no one was harmed, as the cat did not approach the group and went on its way without confrontation. Senior Alejandro Sangiovanni was the student trip leader for the expedition this year. He said Campus Recreation offers trips such as these throughout the year and stressed the benefits students get from attending them. Students learn the importance of preserving the most wild of areas in this country he said. It’s a great way for students to get out of L.A. and going on these trips is a healthy way of centering yourself.”