National Parks Journal: Yosemite is a Granite-Green Reminder of Our Connection to the Earth
Yosemite National Park will make you proud of our parks system and will create a sense of stewardship for the earth. There’s something magical about Yosemite; the pine and fir trees take on their own unique magnificence contrasted against the vivid granite.
Yosemite, along with Yellowstone, was key in building the parks system we sometimes take for granted now. The man nicknamed “Father of the National Parks” was first inspired by his solo tromps through Yosemite. Among John Muir’s extensive writings on Yosemite is a single passage that sums up the feeling one has while in the valley, surrounded by sparking granite walls, sharp green firs and torques waterfalls: “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds in attached to the rest of the world.”
As you stand on the Yosemite valley floor and admire the granite and green walls surrounding you, it won’t be long before you find within yourself a truth that maybe, as you grew older, slowly faded: you aren’t simply an observer of the world around you, but a part of it. One cannot fully appreciate the wonders of the natural world without first appreciating the wonder they are; to forsake the care and preservation of one’s home is to forsake the care and preservation of oneself.
To the human eye, the magnificence and grandeur of Yosemite is a mere reminder of one’s full potential; be it fully realized, growing, or planted by their first visit to the park
Hikes & Other Stuff
We first visited in August 2019 for only one day. We hiked Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point; 10 miles round trip and an elevation gain just over 3,000. We’d already hiked over 40 miles through six parks across 12 days when we arrived at Yosemite. All of that hiking was under the burning heat of the southwest, making the Yosemite Valley a welcome reprieve. Although you can drive to Glacier Point, don’t be lazy — it’s more rewarding if you hike.
Our next visit, earlier in Feb. 2020, gave us a chance to experience the park in one of its most scenic states. When we visited in August Yosemite Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America at 2,425 feet, was all dried up (this occurs often during late summer).
The falls were on full display this time around and we spent over five hours hiking 11.5 miles up 3,232 feet to the top of it (that’s the distance if you walk from the lodge). The Upper Yosemite Falls hike offers sprawling views of the valley floor throughout and its series of switchbacks enclosed by two canyons walls will make you feel like you’re taking the hobbits to Isengard.
We were there for two full days this time around (still not enough!) allowing us to climb to the top of Vernal Falls via the mist trail as well. This trail offers a unique and technical granite staircase, steeply winding and curling around falls. Although you might not get a glimpse of Half Dome on this hike, you will see a beautiful Yosemite Valley less seen on postcards and Instagram.
