The Magic of Yosemite

It's hard to describe what I felt during my 4 days in Yosemite Valley. I can honestly say that the last 4 days have been some of the best days of my life. The immense beauty of the Valley took my breath away. The sunrises and sunsets brought me to tears. The waterfalls cleansed my spirit. And the mountains and huge granite rocks grounded me. I arrived at my campsite in Lower Pines Campground and was greeted by a young man named Travis, in the site next to me, who helped me back my trailer into my spot. Even though I can now back up confidently into just about any tight space, I never turn down a friendly spotter who's willing to help. To my surprise, there is always just this kind of help awaiting me at every turn.

On my first full morning in Yosemite, I hiked up to Vernal Falls and further on to Nevada Falls on the Mist Trail. It was an 8 mile round trip, with challenging elevation. There was so much snow melt that the falls were bursting with water and spray. The Rangers told us this was one of the best years in a long time for the waterfalls. In a few months, some of the falls would be much smaller and less impressive. Rather than go back the same way, I decided to take the John Muir Trail back down to the Valley. It was a more gradual descent with sweeping views of the valley below. The best part of the hike was meeting an older man in his mid 70's named John. He had been hiking in Yosemite for over 40 years and knew the Valley like the back of his hand. He wore a Tilly hat, old leather hiking boots, and a worn out backpack that looked like it was 100 years old. He was soft spoken and kind and looked like he was from another era. He told me he worked for the Parks Service as scientist and then became a high school teachers, teaching chemistry, biology, physics, geology, and history. Every year, he would take students into the Valley to introduce them to the natural world. As we hiked together, he told me about every plant, every insect, every bird, every rock face. He was a treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge. The two of us hiked and talked and told our life stories to each other. He was in amazing physical condition and was able to navigate the challenging parts of the trail much better than I was. My REI hiking pole was my lifeline on some of the steep areas and over big rocks, but John didn't use any poles. I was surprised by this and said, "John, I notice that you don't use a hiking pole. You must have really good balance or you've hiked this trail a lot." He laughed and said, "Both!" After we had been hiking down the trail for about 2 hours, he stopped and turned to me and said with the kindest smile, "Well, my dear, it has been a delight to hike with you. I told my grandsons I would meet them at the trailhead by 3:00 PM, so I need to get moving." It was then that I realized that I had been holding him back and he was going to speed up his pace to get down the trail faster. I gave him a warm hug and said, "John, I feel so lucky to have crossed paths with you. Thank you for your companionship." He smiled and wished me well on my journey. Then he took off like a mountain goat, dancing over the rocks and running down the trail, as if he had done it 100 times. As I watched him, I thought, "What an inspiration he is. Then it hit me. . . . I think I may have just met the spirit of John Muir, on the John Muir Trail."