Yosemite

Arriving in Yosemite is like coming home for me. I was ten years old when I first visited Yosemite. To say that it made a big impression on me that first visit would be a major understatement. I think it would be more appropriate to say that it changed my life; it helped shape the person I am today. It instilled in me a deep appreciation for beauty and grandeur, as expressed in its mile high granite walls, its timeless sequoias, its ever-changing waterfalls, and its affect on all who enter its valley. When I was twelve years old and then again when I was sixteen, I climbed to the top of Half Dome. It was such an empowering experience for me that I chose to write about it for my college entrance essay. I do think writing the essay was far more torturous for me than the actual climb, but that’s another story.

Yosemite is my “happy place”. When I am in need of an escape from my present circumstances, I escape in my mind to one of a few particular spots in Yosemite. One spot is in a meadow in the valley that stretches out beneath Half Dome. It is a spot where many come to watch the evening light color the face of Half Dome as the sun sets each night.

At my "Happy Place" in 2007

Another spot I find myself escaping to is a pebbly beach at Mirror Lake (or now Mirror Meadow). This is a spot I found with my two best girls, Courtney and Ellen, while in Yosemite a few years ago. We hiked to the meadow, took off our shoes and waded across an icy cold stream to lounge on the sun-soaked pebbles on the beach. We watched deer cross the creek and simply basked in the gloriousness of it all.

At my second "Happy Place" in 2007

Gideon and I arrived in Yosemite on October 12th to meet up with my dad and step-mom (Paul and Sharan), step-sister and her husband (Polly and Aaron), and my brother’s wife (Amy). (Unfortunately, my darling brother Brad could not make the trip due to a last minute change of plans which he was unable to finagle his way out of... We all missed him terribly.) While waiting for the family to show up at our meeting place, Gideon and I had time to explore the BIG TREES at the Mariposa Grove. No matter how many times I see the giant sequoias, they will always take my breath away and slap me with an instant perspective check.


One of the great things about our time in Yosemite was the fact that my dad put us up in old-school cabins in Camp Curry, my favorite “village” in the valley. It’s not that Gideon and I were tired of our tent, it’s just that Yosemite and the surrounding area received many, many inches of rain over the first 36 hours of our visit. At first I was annoyed about the rain. I had become quite spoiled by the streak of luck we’d had weather-wise over the course of our trip. I let the rain slow me down a bit the first day. While Gideon, my dad and Sharan, Amy and Aaron headed out for a hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls in the rain, Polly and I stayed in the warm, dry cabin to play cards and down a few bottles of wine. Personally, I think we made the wiser choice. I tried hard not to laugh at those suckers when they came back to the cabin resembling drowned rats. But they seemed to have enjoyed themselves, despite the pouring rain. So, I think it’s fair to say a good time was had by all that first day.

Ahh, how could I forget? Night one in the cabin should have been great night. A warm bed, a hot shower, the sound of rain on the roof, coziness all around... What we didn’t know was that there was a skunk in residence under the cabin and for some reason, it decided to spray its eau du parfume in the middle of the night. The not-so-air-tight cabin was so seeped in stench, I instantly woke up and could not fall back asleep. All I could do was lie there in a cloud of fumes and feel my brain cells dying off by the millions. My only theory is that the skunk was not a fan of the snoring going on above its den. Too bad it wasn’t me who was the snorer; otherwise his evil plan may have worked.

To everyone’s great surprise, we woke to clearing skies on our second full day in Yosemite. And because of the great amount of rain that had fallen over the previous two days, all of the waterfalls in the valley were running full-tilt as if it were the height of spring. In addition, there were dozens of impromptu waterfalls flowing down the granite walls creating a valley I had never seen before. It didn’t take long for me to change my tune about the rain. I was darn glad we happened to be around for it.

Impromptu Waterfall

While the rest of the family took off to visit the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, Gideon and I decided to go for a short hike. By the time we got going, it was noon. We decided to do a hike to Columbia Rock, a lookout point about a mile up the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. With a few bottles of water, some snacks and the camera, we took off. We arrived at the lookout less than an hour later. I knew Gideon had really wanted to do a “big” hike in Yosemite, and considering how quickly we had arrived at the lookout, I suggested that we continue on to the top of Yosemite Falls. Gideon was ecstatic and we hiked on. To my surprise, we reached the top of the falls in another hour. We looked over the edge of the falls and decided to continue on to Yosemite Point, a perch about a mile beyond the top of the falls that has incomparable views of Half Dome and the valley below.

Looking over the edge of the falls

Top of Yosemite Falls

It was at Yosemite Point that I had the realization that I have really changed in some big ways over the past few years. I am not the frightened control freak that I used to be. I have accepted the reality that I really have no control over anything other than my own reactions (most of the time). As I watched Gideon bouncing from rock to rock like a mountain goat, mere feet from thousand foot drop-offs, I didn’t have a panic attack; I didn’t scream at him to move away from the edge. I did look away a few times, but all in all, I was not afraid. I felt a resigned sort of peace instead—a “what will be will be” sort of feeling. At one point Gideon was sitting on a high rock pinnacle with his feet hanging over the edge of the cliff.
Instead of swooning, I took a few pictures of him, and then I tried going out there myself. As you will notice, I was not as relaxed as Gideon, but I went out on the edge. I wanted to.
Then I made the mistake of lying on my belly to look over the edge. And then I freaked out a little. I kind of froze for a moment and had to ooch my way off the rock and breathe with my head between my knees for a few moments. But all in all, I was not afraid the way I have been in the past. And for me, that’s a big thing.

(Click to enlarge for a good laugh)

Gideon and I made it back down to the valley by 6pm in time for a big dinner with the family at the buffet in Camp Curry. I was marveling to my dad at how much easier the eight mile round trip hike to Yosemite Falls had been this time around, compared to the last time I hiked it when I was 16. He pointed out to me that I am probably in much better shape now than I was at 16, because as he put it, I “didn’t do anything” when I was sixteen. Um, Dad. I did theater. And it could be highly physical at times. Thank you very much. No respect...

Our time in Yosemite was wonderful. To be there with my family in the rain turned out to be a very unique experience. That’s the great thing about Yosemite; no matter how many times I go, it is always new to me in some way.