By: Elena “Cedar” Lev, Trip Leader
During Summer 2026, a group of rising 6th and 7th graders took Yosemite by storm!
This epic Yosemite adventure began with two nights of camping at Tamarack Flat, then backpacking into Cascade Creek, where we spent another two nights lulled to sleep by the murmur of the creek next to our campsite. After backpacking out, we spent a final night at Tamarack Flat, then drove back to the bay! It was a whirlwind six days, full of adventure, Jewish community, and lots of laughter. Read on for all the details!
Day 1
Questers arrived with their big backpacks to the morning meeting point. We started out with some get to know you games to break the ice, then jumped in the cars and headed into the mountains. After a few stops for food and supplies, including some much appreciated ice, we made it to our campsite and set up camp. For dinner, we roasted hot dogs, veggie dogs, and stone fruit over a fire. Raq and quester Max worked together to build the fire; Max became our resident fire expert, and had lots of suggestions about how to build and light the best possible fire. After dinner, we sang the questers to sleep as they looked up at a wide open sky.
Day 2
The next morning, we woke up and headed into the valley to go play in the Merced River, under El Capitan’s watchful eye. The campers built a tadpole sanctuary, floated downstream in the cold current, and jumped off of logs. After picking up our backcountry permit, we headed back to our campsite to chill and get ready for our backpacking trip.
Day 3
On our third morning, we woke up early, packed up our backpacks, and headed deeper into the backcountry. Simon, Max, and Isaac used the Sierra Nevada field cards to identify the local plants and flowers. As we hiked, Simon kept calling out, “Let me know if you see a flower!” We arrived at Cascade Creek in the afternoon and set up camp, including giggling through the infamous Backcountry Poop talk. The campers played in the creek, we had a delicious dinner of tofu, veggies, and rice noodles, and went to sleep under a sky full of stars.
Day 4
The next morning, we hopped upriver (much to the questers’ delight) and arrived at a secluded, gorgeous water spot: 15-foot jumping rock, deep water, and a natural cave with a small waterfall inside. We were all in backcountry heaven! The group was committed to jumping off the jumping rock as many times as they all could. Miles told us, “Before this, I was a little boy that only dipped his toe in the water. Now, I am a man who jumps off of cliffs!” Gabriel started smashing rocks open to find geodes, and quickly developed a rock-selling business that most of the other questers became involved in. This was a complex venture that entertained Gabriel, and many of the other campers, for the rest of the week.
After a rock-jumping competition, cave exploration, and a new dam built (and then deconstructed because of the guideline, Leave No Trace), we headed back to our campsite for pasta dinner and a talent show. The campers (and staff) shined in unexpected ways: Jackson MC’ed a rap battle between Arjun and Quest Leader Cedar; Simon showed us his impression of a girl teenage pig, a boy teenage tiger, and other animal combinations; Maya and Anna tried to get us to make them laugh; and Trip Leader Raq taught us a song that would be stuck in all of our heads for the rest of the trip. After many giggles and witnessing some shooting stars, we headed to sleep.
Day 5
The next morning, we packed up our backcountry camp and headed to Tamarack Flat. We were tired, thirsty, and hot by the time we returned, so we were elated to find that the watermelon we had left in the cooler was still fresh and cold. Everyone ate about five slices, and then we played in the creek for a while. In the later afternoon, we went to “the playground”, aka the massive rock formation by our campground, where Miles taught a parkour class and Anna and the other rock climbing experts showed off their bouldering skills. We came back from rock exploring to eat an amazing dinner of nachos, have a beautiful closing campfire with s’mores, write our memory sheet, and go to sleep.
Day 6
On Friday morning, we hopped back in the cars and drove back down to the bay! Compared to our drive up to camp, these car rides were full of so much laughter, giggles, inside jokes, and singing. We were sad to say goodbye to each other, and at the same time, so grateful to have gotten to spend a beautiful, connective, silly six days together. As a trip leader, I feel extremely lucky to have gotten to spend the week with a group of such silly, adventurous, friendly campers. It was a blessing to have gotten to connect with each camper individually, and watch them come together shine as a group. See you next summer!
In summer 2027, seven unique Quests will be offered. Learn more and get ready to register here!
