The Waters of Yosemite

It will probably be a few days before I have internet access and this gets posted, but for the moment, I’m sitting beside a lovely gurgling stream on a big rock in the sun. Ahhhh…..it doesn’t get much better than this. 


It is peaceful and quiet here compared to the chaos and noise of yesterday. Yesterday I did a 6 hour hike in Yosemite Valley. The valley is absolutely beautiful with mountain peaks, domes and waterfalls every direction you look. The only problem is it is wall to wall people. Actually that’s kind of fun, especially when English is just one of many languages you can hear.  It is great to see so many people excited and awed with the natural beauty of this place. There is something to be said for collective wonder.

Vernal Falls along the Mist Trail

It was also pretty impressive to run into a group of 29 fourth graders hiking to the top of Vernal Falls. Some even went up all the way to Nevada Falls. You have to understand this hike. It was basically going up the side of a mountain. We had an elevation gain of 2400 feet in just about 2 miles. That’s some major steepness! Not only were these young kids out on this intense hike, but there were also some very determined elderly people making their way up the steep switchbacks that eventually got you to the top of the world. I was in some pretty amazing company on the way up.

Rainbow along bottom of Vernal Falls

With all that said though, I have to be honest. There were just too many people on the trails, especially to the top of the first waterfall, Vernal Falls. It cleared out on the second leg, but still, I missed being able to just sit quietly by the roaring Merced River. It was often hard to get that scenic shot because there were always people in the way. I’m chuckling as I write this. With all the traveling and camping I’ve been doing alone, you’d think I’d love opportunities to be with others. I do, but on my own terms.

I often felt like these people were invading my space. And sometimes they were. There are a lot of people with no trail etiquette and they think nothing of hogging entire trails or cutting into spaces that you’ve been waiting to clear. Always in a hurry; don’t get in their way. I guess it’s a bit like real life where everyone is looking out for their own interests and needs; myself included. By the time I had reached the top of Nevada Falls, most of the poor etiquette hikers were gone. They were out for joy rides; this hike required some heavy work. Things were much calmer and quieter (people wise) at the top. Probably because we were all exhausted and we still had a 2½ mile hike ahead of us to get back down to the trailhead.

Nevada Falls from the Mist Trail

Nevada Falls from the John Muir trail

    

It was pretty amazing though, up there on top of the mountain, Half Dome right next to me and El Capitan at an almost eye level view. The scenes before me were absolutely stunning and the opportunity to experience the mighty Merced River coming out of the higher mountains and plunging 1000’s of feet below was breath-taking. It carries the same force as those giant breakers crashing into the Pacific shoreline. I could feel my whole being just humming with the power of that river. I don’t know how to describe the feeling, but if you’ve ever been by big, powerful, fast moving water, you know what I mean. It’s exhilarating and it’s as if the blood coursing through your body is in rhythm with flow of the water. Yes, it makes my heart beat faster and gives my body and spirit this intense energy and sense of power.

Lake Tenaya along the Tiago Pass, Yosemite

Today I’m on much calmer waters and in much less crowded areas. I kayaked on Lake Tenaya at about 6000” elevation, in the middle of some magnificent mountain tops. I was the only boat on the water. It’s a small lake compared to most, but beautiful and smooth, at least until the cold mountain wind blows. Woohoo! Made for some good paddling and made me very glad to have my drysuit.

It’s calming and exhilarating at the same time to be on such a lake all by yourself; just me and the  common mergansers that I stirred up. It’s was beautiful and wonderful, and I was right smack in the middle of its grandeur. Wow…  Now I’m up in Tuolumne Meadows, an Alpine area. Again, no huge crowds. There’s people, but much less. It’s like going from big city Chicago to small town Elkhart Lake.   Much easier pace; people seem more relaxed and less frantic to get places. I’m only doing a short hike here so there’s actually a chance to just sit on a rock, in the sun by a gurgling stream.

I prefer the quieter space and the calmer pace. It’s easier to soak in the beauty and just give a sigh filled word of thanks to the Creator of it all. It is good. K’tov!


May 23, 2012