2011 Testimonials

Catherine,

A quick note to thank you for arranging today. Robb was incredibly helpful and his passion for both Yosemite and photography was evident. He made it a memorable trip and I’m sure I’ll be back.

Regards,

Richard 11.11

Dear Catherine

I would like to thank you for your great job …. the Hiking tour was super – the nature in Yosemite is really amazing – totally different to what I saw so far. Tamara is a really lovely person and great guide, so please keep her 🙂

Have a nice day

Bye

Anja 11.11

First i will thank you for all the help to get a wonderful day i have joy every min from the day and Lindsay Black is a great guide and very nice, and it was a pleasure to take this walk with her it was a great day and your company is super, and someday in the futher i will come back and than i will again do a hiking tour from your company

Thank You

Mark 11.11

Hi John.

Thank you again for our day trip in yosemite. We had an amazing time. We are gonna try coming back over in may so will hopefully see you again. We might try a harder walk this time!!

Thanks again

Gemma + Paul 11.11

Hi Catherine…I wanted to just send a quick note to thank you for helping plan this trip with me. You really are great to work with. We had a wonderful time…it was certainly an experience and an adventure we will never forget. If you could please pass on to John as well that we thank him very much for taking us on the hike. He showed us so many things and really made it a day we both can’t stop talking about. Thanks again to you both!! Hope to see you again soon, next time we are there.

Thanks again.

Stacey and Kevin Kostue 11.11

We did have a very nice time hiking with Lindsay. She was very informative and a pleasure to spend time with.

Thanks Again – Mike 11.11

Thanks John! Tina and I had such a wonderful time… we will certainly be back again. You were such a wonderful guide and very knowledgeable.

Take care,

Jana 11.11

Thanks John. I had an absolutely awesome time in Yosemite with your guides. I learnt some good tips from Gabe and he took some amazing pics of me. Lindsay was amazing – her knowledge of the area – animals, birds, plants, geology – was fantastic and she conveyed it in a very easy to understand way. She was friendly, easy to talk with and very good company. My time in Yosemite with your guides is one of my two favourite memories of the US as I head home to Australia later today. Many thanks to Catherine also for making the process of organising and booking my adventures so simple.

Kindest regards

Trina 🙂 Corrimal, New South Wales Australia 11.11

Dear Mr. Degrazio,

You may recall that there was an elderly Chinese woman age 72(going on to 73 in Oct.) who was utterly grateful for your generous unsolicited assistance in rendering some free passes to go up the Half Dome. I did not know of the required permits till 6 months ago at which time all passes were issued and had no luck in getting any cancellations for the last 6 months , during which I called and went on Internet to obtain any cancellation passes, but in vain. Since it was going to be my last goal to reach the top via cable, I took a risk in getting up there without a permit. You were so kind to render 2 of your passes from your group members who did not want to do the last leg of the hike. I heard your instructions to your group and was most impressed with how patient you were in explaining all the safety issues associated with the cable assisted climb. I was also touched by your total trust in me by lending me the safety harness with carabiner. I am most grateful for your help and advice, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally.

Thank you. You are truly an asset to your company.

Rosemary Cheung 11.11

John,

Just wanted to thank you for such a great hike and experience. Truly a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. Again thanks for making my experience so great for me and the others that went with us on the hike. After I showed some of my pictures from Half Dome to several of the guys in my Sunday School class and talked about the hike, a number of them approached me about having a guys week in Yosemite with a Half Dome summit so there is a real good chance that within the next year (two at most) you will be hearing from me again as I told them I would gladly go back and make the hike with them.

Dean Burnett 10.11

Hi John,

I hope you are doing great. I arrived home safe. Just a quick note to thank you again for your above and beyond client service. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Many thanks again

Reba 10.11

Hi Catherine,

I want to thank you, John and Lindsay for an awesome hike last Sunday, Sept. 25. After I reached the top of sub dome, I decided not to climb the cables and my husband, Craig, was going to stay behind with me. John encouraged me to give the cables a try and if I wanted to come back down he would help me. With his and Lindsay’s encouragement, I made it to the top and am so glad I did. Thank you John and Lindsay!

Deb DeWitt 9.1

I can’t thank you enough for my Half Dome experience! You guy’s are WONDERFUL! Half Dome was such a great experience for me! I hope you saw my posts on Facebook as well as trip advisor (all great). If there’s anything else I can do to help you guys out, please let me know!

Take care!

Shelley 9.11

Hi John,

Once again thank you again, for a wonderful experience yesterday. I am positively sure, that I wouldn’t have been able to make it, without you. As Caroline said, you really are a rockstar! Again, thank you for a lovely trip – I’ll recommend you, to everyone I know! (And if you’re ever coming to Copenhagen, let me know!)

Jens Quitzau Copenhagen, Denmark 9.11

Hi John:

Just a note to give you my email address so hopefully you can email me those photos you took yesterday on top of Half Dome. Thanks again, I had a spectacular time yesterday – a day I will never forget. You may just have converted me into a fan of the great outdoors!

Steve 8.11

Of the places we visited in the USA during our short stay last year, Yosemite is still the highlight for me! Thanks again to John for a great experience.

Kym (Australia) 8.11

Hi John

I wanted to wait a few weeks to contact you so that I could reflect on what my first Half Dome climb meant to me at age 70. I cannot thank you and Jennifer enough for one of the most important experiences of my life. You both made it possible for me to do the impossible. I especially appreciated the patience you showed with me. I will always be grateful for the gift you and Jennifer gave to me.  Happy New Year to you and your family. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of our trip to Half Dome last July. Can’t thank you enough for what you gave me as a 70th Birthday present. BTW, I sure hope that I still hold the record as the oldest person you brought up to the top of Half Dome to kiss the face of God.

Stan Kowalczyk 8.11

John,

Just wanted to thank you for the great hike on Wednesday Aug 3rd 2011, Kevin and I thought it was a life changing experience. I am going to try to get out there once a year to do something new and will definitely use your company. You guys were great.

Michael S. Riley 8.11

Hi John and Catherine

I’m back in the office (sadly), but wanted to thank you again for your assistance in arranging the Taft/Sentinel hiking adventure (Catherine) and for your guidance on the trip itself (John). I did enjoy myself. Hope to find myself up there again during the coming year, seeing Yosemite during a different season which I’ve never done outside of summer. The possibilities are endless. Just wish I lived closer – oh well! Meanwhile, thank you again….

Cheers, L 8.11

Hi John,

Lily and I wanted to personally thank you for the guided hike through the Mist Trail and JM Trail a few weeks ago (June 22, 2011). Your knowledge and expertise made the hike far more enjoyable and by far the highlight of our trip. We also felt extremely comfortable and safe with the Y Explore team throughout the hike and would recommend your services to anyone visiting Yosemite. We also have to thank your for the Whoa Nellie Deli recommendation – amazing fish tacos after the most scenic of drives through Tioga Pass. Thanks again for making our trip memorable.

Best,

Lily and Mike 7.11

John:

Thank you for getting my butt up half dome on Tuesday. I was able to overcome my fear of heights through your comments on trust and the straps. My wife was amazed that I did it. She saw me get white as a ghost during a cliff climb in Acadia National Park.

Matt 7.11

John,

I am developing the Half Dome photos which brings back alot of memories.. You and Thomas did a great job and WE ALL are very appreciative of your efforts and skills to get us to the top. I can delete the trip from my bucket list and put a positive check in the column by the event. Say hello to Catherine and Thomas.

Tre Neu 7.11

Hey John! Lisa here from the Yosemite hike on July 3. Thanks again for the awesome hike and conversation! BTW, EXCELLENT footage of our bear on U-tube! Also, FYI, Jeff and I searched Yosemite and Stanley Cup on Utube (that’s how we came across your footage:) and found a newspaper / Utube clip of our voices! Jeff is chanting about Pittsburgh winning the Cup in 91′ and then praises the guy who carried the cup saying, “good job!”! I’m in the background saying “Wow…….!” So funny!

Cheers,

Lisa 7.11

John and Catherine:

Just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for the great experience. I certainly needed the all the advice and encouragement that I could get to reach the cables (not to mention broken-canteen-carrying and backpack-duct-taping!)

Peggy 7.11

Catherine:

I want to tell you how pleased we were with John as a guide. My sons were very impressed and had a terrific time. I know now that I made the right choice.

Thank you. Steve Moyer 6.28

John

Want you to know could not have made it without your expert help! Thanks for trip of a lifetime!

Bill & Julie 6.11

Hi Robb,

Just wanted to drop you a note of thanks. We thoroughly enjoyed the workshops in Yosemite with you. Your choice of locations and technical help is much appreciated. Thanks again for making it so memorable for me.

Usha 6.11

Dear Catherine and John,

Again I wanted to thank you for providing another level of experience for me as a photographer. Both Robb and James made the workshops very informative and interesting. Both are very committed and passionate professionals. My visit to Yosemite was more productive because of the workshops and my pictures will…

Thanks,

Usha 6.11

Hi John,

Thank You once again for a wonderful days hiking on 21st may 2011. Angela and I will never forget the tremendous views at lunchtime at the top of Nevada Fall. We really enjoyed your company for the day and will certainly be walking with you again on our next visit to that area of the USA.

Thanks again,

Mick and Angela Foulston (Skipton, England) 6.11

Hi Cat,

We had an awesome time on our hike. John was great. Thanks again!

Linda 6.11

John,

Obviously, today is a huge reflection for us and our conversation about the day – Though each of us has our own story, you don’t know what yesterday meant to me. I can definitely say that it “changed Amy’s life” – but the time and placement in my is a very surreal story. And even better yet, the overall experience, your patience, certainly your knowledge and passion for the trade, the park, it’s surroundings, etc…..pours through every second…And made it just the best day! We really think you are “more than perfect for what you do” and couldn’t have asked for a better “lead” for the day.

Be well brotha….jp and aim 5.11

Hello Catherine & John,

John- Thank you so much for our fun & informative family tour of Yosemite last Wednesday. Thanks for being part of our memorable engagement as well! I was shocked and certainly didn’t expect it during our hike of the park. It was a beautiful experience all around. Thanks again and we will be sure to recommend our family & friends to you.

Respectfully,

Sandra Sandoval 4.11

Hi everyone there at Y Explore,

We are safely home in Brisbane, Australia and just wanted to say thanks to John for taking us on an amazing hike up to the Yosemite Falls and sharing all his wonderful knowledge with us. John you will also be pleased to know that Tim and Charlotte can still tell us the 7 principles of Leaving no Trace! What a great lesson for them to learn- thankyou. You will always be part of our memorable time in Yosemite and it was such a wonderful place to spend time with our family – we’ll treasure our memories forever.

Thanks again,

Robert, Louise, Tim and Charlotte Carius 4.11

Thank you so much for the delightful photo Robb Hirsch took of Bryant and I. We had a wonderful time with him as our photo guide and have recommended your services to friends. Have a great New Year.

Barb Nelson 4.11

Thank you for arranging the photo op with rob. He did an outstanding job. I really enjoyed the time spent with him. learned a lot about composition and got a few good shots as well.

Thank you very much

Charlie S 2.11