California has never been much of a draw for me. Or maybe I should say, Southern California has never held much appeal. I have traveled to the Los Angeles area a few times in my life, and always left wondering what the allure was about. Sure the weather is pleasant enough, but the traffic, the desert landscape, the lack of public transit, and the lack of architectural character leave a lot to be desired. While I have visited some lovely art galleries and flea markets in LA, and I could certainly get behind a tour of the stars’ homes, it mostly feels like a manufactured city. Portrayals of Southern California in the media leave the impression that it is full of superficial people, or those who are full of broken dreams.
When I tell someone that I grew up in Illinois, the immediate assumption is that I’m from Chicago. But I hail from the cornfields in central Illinois, which are a world away from Chicago. It took me some time before I realized that I was making this same assumption about California. California is not just Southern California and LA. Once we finally took the time to explore what the rest of the state has to offer – the central farmlands, the coast, and of course, the Bay Area – we were hooked.
A favored stop for us during our California road trip was Yosemite, and it is hard to find the words to explain how stunning the sight of Yosemite Valley truly is if you haven’t had the opportunity to see it for yourself. All the pictures I’ve ever seen in books, on-line, or on television, truly don’t do it justice. When you stand there and look across the valley, the grandeur and beauty of the natural wonders are genuinely awe-inspiring.
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant in 1864 which, first and foremost, protected the Yosemite Valley from development. In later years, naturalist John Muir lobbied to include the surrounding mountains and forests within the protected zone making Yosemite the precedent for the U.S. National Park system. Today Yosemite National Park is roughly the size of Rhode Island and averages more than 4 million visitors each year.
Todd and my travels brought us to Yosemite in late April, so the weather was pleasant during our stay and the crowds were manageable. As a majority of park visitors do, we spent most of our time in Yosemite Valley, an area of about 6 square miles. During winter and spring, roads in the upper elevations of the park are closed due to snow and ice cover, and we happened to visit during the three-year restoration project that has closed Mariposa Grove, a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California in the southern area of the park. The restoration project is scheduled to be complete in June of 2018.
During our stay in Yosemite, Todd and I stayed in Camp 4 which is a “walk-in” campground where spots are first-come, first-served and cost $6 per person, per night. A parking lot is located adjacent to the campground and all equipment must be carried into the camp sites. The campground is fairly primitive and not much to look at, although there are bathrooms with running water and flush toilets. Recognized for the importance it played as the center of the development of the sport of rock climbing in the years following World War II, Camp 4 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The campground continues to draw many rock climbers who use it as their home-base while climbing in the park, and many of our fellow campers could be found bouldering in the immediate areas near Camp 4 at all times of the day.
Camp 4 has thirty-five shared tent-only sites each accommodating up to six campers. Four bear-proof food lockers are provided at each site along with a fire ring and two picnic tables. Todd and I arrived in the late afternoon, and although the camp was fairly full, we found an open spot easily enough. Since it was off-season, we self-registered that evening, then had to register for the remainder of our stay with the park ranger who came on-duty the next morning at 8:30 a.m. During high season and especially over holidays, it is important to arrive very early in the day to secure a campsite in Camp 4.
What I loved most about Camp 4 is the communal style camping. Todd and I shared our camp site with two young couples. Both couples were several months into extended travel adventures. The first couple had just finished working the ski season in Vail, Colorado and were on their way to Alaska to work the summer season with a tour company. The second couple was young professionals who had quit their jobs to take some time to see the world. They had recently accepted jobs working the forest fire season in Oregon to earn more money to continue their travels. They were slowly working their way up to Oregon in the coming weeks with several more National Park stops along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed our few evenings spent with these young friends around the campfire talking into the wee hours and drinking wine. Both of them happened to have recently traveled to Thailand. We enjoyed hearing stories from their trips, and we shared with them about our time spent in Europe just a few weeks before.
One thing that struck me on our first evening with our young friends was a discussion about firewood. Park regulations forbid picking up firewood in the park forests. They also forbid bringing in firewood from other places – there is a danger of insect infestation and disease. Firewood must be purchased locally. Both young couples mentioned that while they had been out shopping for supplies, they had passed over firewood because of the expense. In the store, Todd and I gasped at the purchase price, shrugged, and bought the firewood. Who wants to camp without a fire – right? It made me think though: I truly admire the adventurous spirits of both these young couples. While Todd and I have been indulging in a bit a wanderlust these last few years, and intend to do so for the foreseeable future, we are doing so after decades of professional life and from a place of more financial security. Todd and I had kids very young, and for us, quitting a job to see the world was not an option when we were in our twenties. But otherwise, I wonder, would we ever have considered taking such a leap of faith in our youth? Would we have wanted to? Is there one stage of life when travel is more fulfilling than at other stages? Hmmm… What I do know is that at this place in our life we’ve adopted a budget traveler style, but we can also afford the firewood when we want it…. and I appreciate that in our travels.
One of our favorite days at Yosemite was spent hiking the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. A historic trail in the park, it was built between 1873 and 1877, and climbs to the top of Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America. It’s not an easy climb and I have since read that not only is the trail long – over 7 1/2 miles round trip – it’s the equivalent of climbing a little more than TWO Empire State Buildings. Todd and I were fortunate to be at the park in spring when the falls are full from the runoff of the melting winter snows. By late summer, the falls can dry up completely, however.
While on the trail, I appreciated and reflected on the amount of work it must have taken crews – given the tools and technology in the late 1800’s – to carve out such a trail. Several areas had stair-steps carved into the granite, and I thought about what it would have been like to be a tourist on this trail so many years ago when it was new. Certainly Todd and I would have hired men to carry our supplies for us. Our trip to enjoy Yosemite would have likely included an entire traveling party instead of just the two of us, and our picnic lunch at the top of the falls would have been a much more elaborate affair. The other ladies and I would have been climbing in our period dresses with our sturdy boots, and carpets would have been brought up with us to lay out on the ground before we sat down to enjoy our meal – an ordeal indeed! (To see images of early tourists at Yosemite click here. )
All trails in Yosemite Valley can be crowded, and while we had plenty of fellow hikers along with us to the top of the falls, it really didn’t diminish the experience. I enjoyed the sense of community along the trail as we hiked. Because of how strenuous the hike is, there was a good deal of both mutual grumbling and mutual encouragement expressed by everyone along the route. My legs were burning on the climb up and my knees were sore on the way down. But as we descended, I appreciated a certain sense of accomplishment as I was finally able to be the one who could tell the tired and doubting climbers that it would indeed be worth the effort once they reached the top – the VIEW!
Yosemite is truly a one of a kind gem in the U.S. National Park system. It took Todd and I a long time to give California a chance. But with the grandeur and stunning natural wonder of Yosemite waiting for you…get out there SOONER rather than later.
(For complete information about Yosemite National Park click here.)