I'm in the very early planning of my first trip to Yosemite and have a ton of questions. My plan is to attempt to get a campsite somewhere in the valley for a week in late july, maybe early august. And trying to hit all of the major day hikes in the area. I'll be flying in to whatever major airport i can get the cheapest flight to from the NY area, and wonder about getting all of my gear out there with me. What's the easiest way to take care of this? If airlines weren't charging $25 bucks for your second bag, i'd probably have two 50 lbs bags per person (my girlfriend and I), but round trip that would cost us an extra 100 bucks. Is there an easier way, such as shipping to a local post office? Do they even allow that? I know out here on the east coast you can have mail drops when hiking the AT. Is there a popular town to have this shipped to?
Another question, is what is the best place to stock up on stuff that couldn't be shipped? Fuel canisters and food? I'm wondering about the availability of fresh food inside the park, are there grocery stores where we would be able to pick up meat/fruits and vegetables during our stay, or is it pretty much just what we bring in with us if we want to eat at our campsite?
I'm just at the very early stages of planning, but man i'm exicted. My girlfriend and I decided to skip our annual summer scuba diving trip for this one and i can tell already it's just going to be amazing. Now just to make sure i'm able to get a campsite in July, i guess i better be logged on first thing in the morning the day registrations open. I've read that the Valley campsites fill up within 5-10 minutes, is that true?