Yosemite National Park, the most beautiful place on earth
The world is full of beautiful places, and proclaiming one the most beautiful is, I’ll admit, as capricious as crowning one person the most lovely. Still, Yosemite National Park has to rank near the top.
My husband and I visited in October of 1995, on a side trip from San Francisco. After a four-hour drive through rolling, brown hills, we arrived in Yosemite Valley and were simply overwhelmed by the golden autumnal light, tawny grasses, deep-green firs, and above all the soaring cliffs.
I was about three months pregnant with our first child and still fighting nausea. Unaccustomed to the physical demands of pregnancy, I continually overestimated my stamina and nearly got into trouble on a long hike the first full day of our visit.
My husband, ever the intrepid explorer, mapped out a long, descending hike that ended in a stunning vantage of Half Dome. After several hours of steady plodding downhill, I had just about reached my limit, but we foolishly pushed on “just a little further” for the best overlook.
Here I am, resting up and enjoying the view, but beginning to worry about getting back up the trail. Who could guess that a growing baby, not even showing yet, could sap your energy and leave you gasping for air? Or maybe it was the altitude. At any rate, I struggled back up the trail, my DH actually towing me up the steepest parts. The sun slipped behind the mountain and it grew dark. We envisioned having to spend the night outdoors with the bears and mountain lions. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.
The next day, we were at it again with a marathon bike ride around the valley floor.
Whoo, check out those short shorts! Speaking of bears, when you arrive at Yosemite you receive sternly worded warnings from the park rangers about being bear-safe. As you check in, videos show footage of black bears ripping open locked cars like tins of sardines just to get a stray French fry under the floor mat. We had reserved a cabin rather than a tent, so we were allowed to keep our bags of groceries and cooler inside with us.
The very first night we were awakened by a rustling noise, which we soon realized was coming from inside the cabin. It was pitch dark and cold, and we huddled under our blankets, unable to see anything and afraid to move. We knew that a bear had gotten inside and was rummaging through our grocery bags. What should we do, we whispered. Finally we resolved to face the intruder. We threw back the covers, jumped out of bed, and felt desperately along the wall for the light switch. In the suddenly blinding light we made out several pairs of round ears!
Mouse ears. Half a dozen mice scurried back under the door, and we fell onto the bed, laughing with relief and a sense of extreme foolishness.
Yosemite in October was very fine. The crowds were light, the grasses in the meadow were in full feathery bloom, the air was crisp and the days sunny. We spent one afternoon watching ant-like climbers pull themselves up the sheer face of El Capitan, pictured above.
Yosemite is truly majestic. Go see it.
This post is part of a week-long bloggers’ celebration of the National Parks. Please join in with a post about any park you’ve visited and leave your link here.
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Great pictures. I went to Yosemite with my parents, when I was 12. That’s been a couple years ago..haha. You’re right. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Thanks for sharing your memories.
My pleasure, Linda. Not that it’s been that long, but you are overdue for another visit to Yosemite, don’t you think? I know I am. —Pam
Now whose talking about stamina. I think I slept through most of the first 3 months of my pregnancies. The hike was certainly worth the wonderful view, but I know all about those downhill and then back up hikes! Followed by a bike ride! and your bear story or rather your mouse story. You are brave too. It is rather scary hearing all that rustling in the night. At the Black Canyon I had a pot of basil in the window and the window was open. Guess who came calling. Fortunately he knocked over our solar panel which scared him off but I woke up and saw him disappearing into the night. At Yellowstone this year we got a notice from the campground host for leaving out our little barbecue! They are very serious about keeping those bears out of the camp sites.
Yes, and at Yellowstone you have to think about not just black bears but grizzlies. I wouldn’t have guessed that a pot of basil would be so appealing to a bear, but they have an incredible power of smell. —Pam
Between you and Ken Burns I have a burning desire to see these wonderful parks. Great pictures Pam.
Thanks, Janet. That’s exactly how I felt after watching his series. The next best thing to going is to read about other people’s best trips, so that’s why I initiated a bloggers’ celebration. I’m learning about some parks I didn’t know anything about; it’s wonderful! —Pam
My husband and I were married in Yosemite, October of 94. These photos bring back many fond memories.
Getting married in Yosemite would be like getting married in a cathedral. It must have been beautiful, Lisa. So are you going to share a few wedding photos with us? —Pam
Fond memories for me, too — my husband and I visited Yosemite on our honeymoon. In fact — it looks like you were there the month before we were!
Yosemite would be a lovely place for a honeymoon. It must have been much colder though in November? Lots of opportunities for snuggling by a roaring fire, right? —Pam
Glad to see these pictures Pam. Hubby and I have never been here, and it is at the top of the list. Your pictures assure me that is where it belongs. I’ll be showing this post to husband! Thanks!
My pleasure, Linda. I hope you make it out there one day. —Pam
How nice to re-visit the parks with you. I’ve not been to Yosemite but hope to go there someday. I guess I should put that on a list somewhere tangible. How old is that baby now? Time flies.
Put it on your list and go, Layanee. That is, after you get back from trekking to Nepal! The baby is a teenager now; time does fly. —Pam
I’ve never been to Yosemite, but I had an aunt and uncle who lived in Modesto and used to go there all of the time to camp and take pictures. My aunt said my uncle probably had 1000 pictures of the falls there, and that was from the days when they used film in their cameras!
Tonight I joined in your festival of parks by posting about the Cape Hatteras National Seashore run by the National Park Service. http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2009/10/cape-hatteras-national-seashore.html
I visited Yosemite back when we used film in cameras too and only wish I’d taken a lot more pictures. I wasn’t as shutter-happy back then, it seems. Thanks for letting me know about your Hatteras post. I’m off to check it out. —Pam
I enjoyed reading this post, Pam! Yosemite is on my list of places I hope to see one day!
I hope you get there one day, Robin. —Pam
Most amazing valley in the world. The Tuolumne area of the park is my favorite spot anywhere. A place as great as the valley, everyone needs to see it, and I try not to get cranky when I’m there in July and it seems like everyone is indeed seeing it. Love the El Cap photo.
You are very lucky to have been there multiple times, Ryan. Thanks for sending your links and participating in this celebration of the parks! —Pam
I have never been but have always wanted to visit. I enjoyed reading this and looking at the amazing views in your pictures. -Jackie
Thanks, Jackie. The pics are old and not so great, but they remind me of the views that are imprinted in my memory. —Pam
Ok…I’ve never been, maybe it’s time…
Your travel list is growing, Loree. And I thought you didn’t care for national parks. 😉 —Pam
We’re going close in a couple weeks, sort of (not really). I can’t wait! We used to go when I was a little kid every summer, sometimes twice. I haven’t been back as an adult, but it’s on our to-do list. Funny about the mouse-bear. My most memorable wildlife encounter there was a water snake that slithered across my path on the way to the outhouse at our campground. I was about 10 years old. The snake was a mile long.
I bet it was! I had a close encounter at about that age with a snake at a campground too, but mine was in S.C. or Georgia.
I can’t believe you live so close to Yosemite but haven’t been in all your adult years (though I’m sure those are very few). 😉 If you’re going to be close in a few weeks, you might as well go all the way and see it again. I’ll be glad to enjoy it again vicariously through your posts. —Pam
We visited Yosemite in the spring of 1996. We had not planned on stopping there but friends in Sacramento said we must. Even if it was only for a day. It was enough. The view of El Capitan rising above us as we entered the park was worth it. The image and feeling of its immensity and power will stay with me forever. Photographs are beautiful, but they cannot really suggest the scale and magnificence.
I agree, Commonweeder. Nothing substitutes for standing there and seeing it for yourself. You have good friends who knew what was best for you when they insisted you stop there for a viist. 🙂 —Pam
Pam, I really want to go to Yosemite! What a beautiful park! For the last dozen years, I’ve graciously stepped aside for my DH and son to go on father son camping trips! Guess who got to go to the great national parks! So my iphoto program is empty. But I am loving the visits! Let me see if I can find a photo or two of parks I’ve visited that can be scanned! gail
Gail, you are gracious indeed to step aside during all those fabulous camping trips, but it’s your time now! I hope you get to go this year to one of these amazing parks—and perhaps stay in more luxurious accommodations than a pitched tent to make up for it. 😉 —Pam
Yosemite is one of the few national parks I’ve been to (twice no less but my in-laws live in northern CA.). It truly is a remarkable place. Must have been stunning before there were cabins, picnic tables, etc around there. I can imagine how tough that hike must have been for you but it looks like you had no problem. I also have to say, I think I had the same glasses back then. 🙂
Ha, you had the glasses and Robin had the jacket (she tells me in a comment elsewhere). How lucky that you’ve been to Yosemite twice. I’d love to return one day. —Pam
enjoyed reading your blog. It’s hard to rank a certain place as ‘most beautiful’ but I think Yosemite is an excellent choice. I’m not particularly religious, but Yosemite looks like it was built by the Gods.
It truly does. Thanks for commenting, Tim. —Pam