My first visit to Yosemite was in 2011 on my 49th birthday. It was also my first visit to any national park. My kids were students then. They had no knowledge of driving. My sister and her husband took the responsibility of taking us there. My son, as I mentioned before, gets very excited when it comes to going on such trips to see the natural places of the world. In his excitement, he jumped like a small boy of 10 years old, only to hit his head on a chandelier and crack his skull with blood flooding out and soaking his shirt. Cancelling the trip was in our minds, much to his dismay. I guess it was his firm determination and willpower to go on this trip that healed his skull in one day. My son was on an internship in a company and my daughter was visiting LA to attend a conference. Here I must appreciate my kids, sister and her family for the effort they took to make this trip happen especially when money and time were two constraints.
My knowledge about Yosemite was nil. I didn’t as much know the meaning of national parks. I associated national parks with the parks in India. I was an E-illiterate who has no knowledge of internet. Google search, a gateway to knowledge was beyond my comprehension. So, all the information that I gathered were firsthand information. I got introduced to Yosemite without any idea in my mind about it. It was all raw information.. as it is!
TIOGA PASS
My Brother-in-law took the route via Tioga Pass. During this trip I learnt that Yosemite is America’s most treasured place. We hiked up to Vernal falls, saw The bridal falls and went to the Glacier point. Yosemite had a lot of snowfall that year .The snow fed waterfalls were at the best of their elements. It was the wettest year of the decade. The lakes were full. The sound of gushing water could be heard from anywhere on the valley. The scenery was so breathtaking and colourful that I thought for a moment, I was in some other world. The road to Glacier point was opened only the previous week after winter. It had snow piled up on the edges. At the Glacier point, we sat on a rock from where Half Dome was very clearly visible. Half Dome is a granite dome located on the eastern end of the valley. The Granite crest rises more than 4737 ft above the valley floor. A ranger was explaining to us that this Half Dome which was “perfectly inaccessible” till 1870, later was conquered by George G Anderson in Oct 1875 making it “perfectly accessible”. He also told that now thousands of hikers reach the top each year following a trail from the valley floor And that the final leg of the hike was completed with the help of steel cables laid on the rock. My son was listening very intently. His mind was all ignited to do this hike sometime in his life. Hearing this my stomach churned and my heart started its usual job of beating rapidly. I told myself to postpone this anxiety and cross that bridge when the time comes. I had a wonderful 49th birthday. I felt that, i saw the Almighty’s Best creation.
HALF DOME
In 2014, That Bridge Of Anxiety was planted in front of me when my son and his friend decided to hike up the Half Dome. From June 2010, the National Park Services had announced that, a permit will be required to hike up the Half Dome via cable route on Fridays, Saturdays n Sundays. Being the protective mother that i was, I started to pray that they don’t get the permit. But God does not listen to such petty prayers and granted them the permit to hike the Half Dome. I thought I could stay away from fear by staying back. There is logic in that; you can distance yourself physically from fear by staying away from the scene. But my son, being a very stubborn boy, insisted that I accompanied them. He booked a tent in Curry village and arranged a valley tour for me when they went for the hike. I made enough parathas and pulihodarai rice for the journey. The boys packed their camel bag pack. On the eve of the journey, they rented a car to drive down to the valley.
After sincere prayers we took off very early in the morning. Contrast to my 2011 trip, this time my son was in the driver’s seat. He took the route via Tioga pass. He wanted to show me the beauty that the nature had to offer. My mind was swaying between the beauty of nature and the anxiety about the hike the boys were going to do. Anyway, mentally I surrendered to God and decided to enjoy the ride. I read that the best time to visit Yosemite was in summer, when the meadows are decorated with colorful wild flowers, lakes are filled with pristine blue water and peaks free from snow cover. Now that I had become an E-literate, I gathered enough information from the internet. Every bend on the road had something awesome to offer!! sometimes it was sandy brown mountains, sometimes it was lush green meadows or sometimes it was deep valleys with seemingly no floor. It was a very beautiful journey. At Olmsted Point, we were able to peer down into the valley and also catch sight of the curved, sharp pointed nose of The Half Dome. The sight of Half Dome sent a wave of shiver down my spine. I pushed that thought at the back of my mind and started to enjoy the view. Everything was so pristine and spectacular that I didn’t know what to capture. I was greedy to grab every detail of the the scene and store it in my memory.
GLACIER POINT
We reached the Valley at 4 in the evening. We headed straight to the curry village to get our bookings registered. This village is situated right in the heart of the valley. From the village floor, one could see the majestic Half Dome and Glacier Point. Never before experience is what I experienced in this village. My son had booked a heated tent. I had no idea what the tent would be like till I saw it. I thought it would be like the guest houses that we have in India in Hill stations. Oh my God, but what did I see ???? TOTAL WILDERNESS!!!!!!! Only a canvas covered with a wooden frame and floor. The tent was equipped with 3 cots and beds blankets, heater and electric bulb. Wait!! What shook me the most were the Bear Facts!! No food was allowed inside the tent, for the bears are very sensitive to the smell of the human food and would follow the smell. Each cabin had a bear box planted outside the door of the cabin. This bear proof locker was for storing food stuff which had to be sealed in plastic covers. I marveled the person who designed the box, outsmarting the bears. Only when I learnt that there were some 200 active bears that visited the village each night, was I totally devastated. “How was I going to manage when my son will be hiking??!!”, this was the only thing in my mind.
Communication offers a great deal of security, but in Yosemite, mobile phones are beyond the reach of any signals. So mobiles are just dummies. I felt very insecure for a while, but then I gave myself some pep talks and was fine. The tent was comfortable but I was jittery. I was given the duty of winding up the cabin and leaving the keys at the reception the next morning. But first things first, our kidneys work overtime when in fear!! The washrooms were a few feet away from the tent and I was scared out of my wits to walk to the wash room. It opened with a magnetic card. The urgency to enter the washroom made me very clumsy. I kept dropping the magnetic card. The washroom had a row of toilets and shower rooms. It was well equipped with soaps, towels, etc..
But Finally, the night passed very safely with 3 gun shots by the ranger to shoo away the bears. The next morning, after my son and his friend left, I too cleared the cabin. There were deers everywhere. I too became brave when I saw a lot of people moving about. After my breakfast I left the key at the reception. I took a shuttle to Yosemite lodge, from where my valley tour was to start. My son and I decided that he will join me at this lodge after the hike. The previous night I had suggested that I could reach curry village where the car was parked, But this was not registered by my son nor his friend!!
The guided valley tour was in an open air car. The duration of the tour was 2 hours. A lady ranger introduced us to Yosemite’s most famous sightseeing spots. In her eloquent way, she briefed us about the history behind the development and preservation of this valley. Yosemite is recognized for the granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams and Giant sequoia groves. The development dates back to 1864, when the Granite pact was signed. She briefed us about it. The granite Rocks are as old as some 10000 years. During the tour, we were able to see the bridal veil falls and vernal falls with no water. Here I must make a point. 2014 happens to be the driest year of the decade and 2011 when I visited Yosemite, it was the wettest year of the decade .The scenery exhibited a great contrast then and now. Everything seemed dry and yellow compared to 2011..
BRIDAL VEIL FALLS
The ranger talked about the early natives who called themselves Ahawahneechees. It was very interesting to hear about the war that took place to claim this valley. Everywhere, let it be India or USA or any other country, it was and is just a power or money game. She talked about the rock climbers for whom this place is a paradise. She enriched us about the history, the animals, geology and plants of this valley. Our final stop was at the tunnel view, from where we could see the EL Capitan, Horse Falls Clouds Rest, Half Dome and Sentinel Rock. From there we were brought back to the Yosemite lodge. The time was 2 PM and I walked here and there in the Yosemite lodge trying to occupy myself. The thought that my son and his friend were hiking up the Half Dome was haunting me now and then. I kept telling my prayers mentally, for their safe climb. Around 4 PM I decided to go to curry village where our car was parked. I took it for granted that my son would reach curry village, without realizing that the change in the meeting point was not communicated to him properly!!! In the curry village I was eagerly looking into each shuttle to check if my son or friend were there. I started to get very restless by 6 PM.
Then suddenly I caught sight of my son’s friend walking slowly, as if in pain. I was very happy to see him. My son was not with him. My son had taken another route to reach me as fast as he could. Only then did it dawn to me that there might have been some confusion about the meeting point. His friend too was not aware of the fact that I changed the meeting point. Oh my God!! What a grave mistake was committed from my side!! But all is well that ends well. My son came to curry village to take the car to search for me. He was panic attacked when he didn’t find me in Yosemite Lodge. Poor Boy! he searched for me in all the stores and the lounges in the lodge. When he saw me at the curry village, he shot words like bullets at me and was in tears. I too wanted to tell him something comforting but failed. He looked so tired and shrunk in size. I was very sad to see him like that.
After everything was calmed down, he told me how fast they hiked up to the final leg, after which they had to use the cables to reach the top of the dome. The same rope was used to climb up and down. The right side of the way was for the hikers coming down. It is common sense to give them the way. The traffic on the cable path had got congested when one hiker due to fear of heights or fear of hikes or whatever be the reason, blocked the path by neither graduating up nor giving way to the hikers climbing down. As a result my son being very tall had to hang on in an awkward position for a long time. Suddenly he had developed cramps on his upper and inner thigh paralysing his movements. The top of the Half Dome was so near yet so far for him to reach in that condition. I believe he sat there in pain not able to move for an hour or so. He had drunk all the water he had carried with him. His friend had then given him some tablets to relieve him of cramps. He had gulped down all the bananas he had, compensating the last four years of not eating bananas. Then had Chanted 2 to 3 rounds of Hanuman Chalisa to gain strength. After a big struggle his muscles had relaxed and loosened. Then he had gathered his strength and made it to the TOP. The boys had taken a lot of Photographs on top. Top of Half Dome was like Top of The World for them. Yes, they deserved it for they had trained each day for this day. My son also had every reason to be mad at me. But as i already said, all is well that ends well. He forgave my lapse.
The boys treated themselves with T-shirts which had the wordings, “I MADE IT TO HALF DOME”, waiting for the right moment to wear it to impress the girls!!!! We sat in the car and headed towards Fresno for our dinner and night stay. Next morning after breakfast we headed home with a song in our hearts. Boys Hiked and I was Tired!!! I realized that this trip was going to be like an undeletable stamp in my memory. Now, i am looking forward for yet another trip to Yosemite, to star gaze at the Glacier point!!!
- Mrs. Bhooma Sundararajan
Pics Source : Google
My knowledge about Yosemite was nil. I didn’t as much know the meaning of national parks. I associated national parks with the parks in India. I was an E-illiterate who has no knowledge of internet. Google search, a gateway to knowledge was beyond my comprehension. So, all the information that I gathered were firsthand information. I got introduced to Yosemite without any idea in my mind about it. It was all raw information.. as it is!
My Brother-in-law took the route via Tioga Pass. During this trip I learnt that Yosemite is America’s most treasured place. We hiked up to Vernal falls, saw The bridal falls and went to the Glacier point. Yosemite had a lot of snowfall that year .The snow fed waterfalls were at the best of their elements. It was the wettest year of the decade. The lakes were full. The sound of gushing water could be heard from anywhere on the valley. The scenery was so breathtaking and colourful that I thought for a moment, I was in some other world. The road to Glacier point was opened only the previous week after winter. It had snow piled up on the edges. At the Glacier point, we sat on a rock from where Half Dome was very clearly visible. Half Dome is a granite dome located on the eastern end of the valley. The Granite crest rises more than 4737 ft above the valley floor. A ranger was explaining to us that this Half Dome which was “perfectly inaccessible” till 1870, later was conquered by George G Anderson in Oct 1875 making it “perfectly accessible”. He also told that now thousands of hikers reach the top each year following a trail from the valley floor And that the final leg of the hike was completed with the help of steel cables laid on the rock. My son was listening very intently. His mind was all ignited to do this hike sometime in his life. Hearing this my stomach churned and my heart started its usual job of beating rapidly. I told myself to postpone this anxiety and cross that bridge when the time comes. I had a wonderful 49th birthday. I felt that, i saw the Almighty’s Best creation.
In 2014, That Bridge Of Anxiety was planted in front of me when my son and his friend decided to hike up the Half Dome. From June 2010, the National Park Services had announced that, a permit will be required to hike up the Half Dome via cable route on Fridays, Saturdays n Sundays. Being the protective mother that i was, I started to pray that they don’t get the permit. But God does not listen to such petty prayers and granted them the permit to hike the Half Dome. I thought I could stay away from fear by staying back. There is logic in that; you can distance yourself physically from fear by staying away from the scene. But my son, being a very stubborn boy, insisted that I accompanied them. He booked a tent in Curry village and arranged a valley tour for me when they went for the hike. I made enough parathas and pulihodarai rice for the journey. The boys packed their camel bag pack. On the eve of the journey, they rented a car to drive down to the valley.
After sincere prayers we took off very early in the morning. Contrast to my 2011 trip, this time my son was in the driver’s seat. He took the route via Tioga pass. He wanted to show me the beauty that the nature had to offer. My mind was swaying between the beauty of nature and the anxiety about the hike the boys were going to do. Anyway, mentally I surrendered to God and decided to enjoy the ride. I read that the best time to visit Yosemite was in summer, when the meadows are decorated with colorful wild flowers, lakes are filled with pristine blue water and peaks free from snow cover. Now that I had become an E-literate, I gathered enough information from the internet. Every bend on the road had something awesome to offer!! sometimes it was sandy brown mountains, sometimes it was lush green meadows or sometimes it was deep valleys with seemingly no floor. It was a very beautiful journey. At Olmsted Point, we were able to peer down into the valley and also catch sight of the curved, sharp pointed nose of The Half Dome. The sight of Half Dome sent a wave of shiver down my spine. I pushed that thought at the back of my mind and started to enjoy the view. Everything was so pristine and spectacular that I didn’t know what to capture. I was greedy to grab every detail of the the scene and store it in my memory.
We reached the Valley at 4 in the evening. We headed straight to the curry village to get our bookings registered. This village is situated right in the heart of the valley. From the village floor, one could see the majestic Half Dome and Glacier Point. Never before experience is what I experienced in this village. My son had booked a heated tent. I had no idea what the tent would be like till I saw it. I thought it would be like the guest houses that we have in India in Hill stations. Oh my God, but what did I see ???? TOTAL WILDERNESS!!!!!!! Only a canvas covered with a wooden frame and floor. The tent was equipped with 3 cots and beds blankets, heater and electric bulb. Wait!! What shook me the most were the Bear Facts!! No food was allowed inside the tent, for the bears are very sensitive to the smell of the human food and would follow the smell. Each cabin had a bear box planted outside the door of the cabin. This bear proof locker was for storing food stuff which had to be sealed in plastic covers. I marveled the person who designed the box, outsmarting the bears. Only when I learnt that there were some 200 active bears that visited the village each night, was I totally devastated. “How was I going to manage when my son will be hiking??!!”, this was the only thing in my mind.
Communication offers a great deal of security, but in Yosemite, mobile phones are beyond the reach of any signals. So mobiles are just dummies. I felt very insecure for a while, but then I gave myself some pep talks and was fine. The tent was comfortable but I was jittery. I was given the duty of winding up the cabin and leaving the keys at the reception the next morning. But first things first, our kidneys work overtime when in fear!! The washrooms were a few feet away from the tent and I was scared out of my wits to walk to the wash room. It opened with a magnetic card. The urgency to enter the washroom made me very clumsy. I kept dropping the magnetic card. The washroom had a row of toilets and shower rooms. It was well equipped with soaps, towels, etc..
But Finally, the night passed very safely with 3 gun shots by the ranger to shoo away the bears. The next morning, after my son and his friend left, I too cleared the cabin. There were deers everywhere. I too became brave when I saw a lot of people moving about. After my breakfast I left the key at the reception. I took a shuttle to Yosemite lodge, from where my valley tour was to start. My son and I decided that he will join me at this lodge after the hike. The previous night I had suggested that I could reach curry village where the car was parked, But this was not registered by my son nor his friend!!
The guided valley tour was in an open air car. The duration of the tour was 2 hours. A lady ranger introduced us to Yosemite’s most famous sightseeing spots. In her eloquent way, she briefed us about the history behind the development and preservation of this valley. Yosemite is recognized for the granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams and Giant sequoia groves. The development dates back to 1864, when the Granite pact was signed. She briefed us about it. The granite Rocks are as old as some 10000 years. During the tour, we were able to see the bridal veil falls and vernal falls with no water. Here I must make a point. 2014 happens to be the driest year of the decade and 2011 when I visited Yosemite, it was the wettest year of the decade .The scenery exhibited a great contrast then and now. Everything seemed dry and yellow compared to 2011..
The ranger talked about the early natives who called themselves Ahawahneechees. It was very interesting to hear about the war that took place to claim this valley. Everywhere, let it be India or USA or any other country, it was and is just a power or money game. She talked about the rock climbers for whom this place is a paradise. She enriched us about the history, the animals, geology and plants of this valley. Our final stop was at the tunnel view, from where we could see the EL Capitan, Horse Falls Clouds Rest, Half Dome and Sentinel Rock. From there we were brought back to the Yosemite lodge. The time was 2 PM and I walked here and there in the Yosemite lodge trying to occupy myself. The thought that my son and his friend were hiking up the Half Dome was haunting me now and then. I kept telling my prayers mentally, for their safe climb. Around 4 PM I decided to go to curry village where our car was parked. I took it for granted that my son would reach curry village, without realizing that the change in the meeting point was not communicated to him properly!!! In the curry village I was eagerly looking into each shuttle to check if my son or friend were there. I started to get very restless by 6 PM.
Then suddenly I caught sight of my son’s friend walking slowly, as if in pain. I was very happy to see him. My son was not with him. My son had taken another route to reach me as fast as he could. Only then did it dawn to me that there might have been some confusion about the meeting point. His friend too was not aware of the fact that I changed the meeting point. Oh my God!! What a grave mistake was committed from my side!! But all is well that ends well. My son came to curry village to take the car to search for me. He was panic attacked when he didn’t find me in Yosemite Lodge. Poor Boy! he searched for me in all the stores and the lounges in the lodge. When he saw me at the curry village, he shot words like bullets at me and was in tears. I too wanted to tell him something comforting but failed. He looked so tired and shrunk in size. I was very sad to see him like that.
After everything was calmed down, he told me how fast they hiked up to the final leg, after which they had to use the cables to reach the top of the dome. The same rope was used to climb up and down. The right side of the way was for the hikers coming down. It is common sense to give them the way. The traffic on the cable path had got congested when one hiker due to fear of heights or fear of hikes or whatever be the reason, blocked the path by neither graduating up nor giving way to the hikers climbing down. As a result my son being very tall had to hang on in an awkward position for a long time. Suddenly he had developed cramps on his upper and inner thigh paralysing his movements. The top of the Half Dome was so near yet so far for him to reach in that condition. I believe he sat there in pain not able to move for an hour or so. He had drunk all the water he had carried with him. His friend had then given him some tablets to relieve him of cramps. He had gulped down all the bananas he had, compensating the last four years of not eating bananas. Then had Chanted 2 to 3 rounds of Hanuman Chalisa to gain strength. After a big struggle his muscles had relaxed and loosened. Then he had gathered his strength and made it to the TOP. The boys had taken a lot of Photographs on top. Top of Half Dome was like Top of The World for them. Yes, they deserved it for they had trained each day for this day. My son also had every reason to be mad at me. But as i already said, all is well that ends well. He forgave my lapse.
The boys treated themselves with T-shirts which had the wordings, “I MADE IT TO HALF DOME”, waiting for the right moment to wear it to impress the girls!!!! We sat in the car and headed towards Fresno for our dinner and night stay. Next morning after breakfast we headed home with a song in our hearts. Boys Hiked and I was Tired!!! I realized that this trip was going to be like an undeletable stamp in my memory. Now, i am looking forward for yet another trip to Yosemite, to star gaze at the Glacier point!!!
- Mrs. Bhooma Sundararajan
Pics Source : Google
So descriptive. Makes you feel like you are actually there. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for appreciating and encouraging our writer :-)
DeleteMa'am blogs written really well !!!
ReplyDeleteTook me to another trip to the Yosemite national park :), Loved reading every line of this blog.
The pictures are really good , definitely 2011 was a good year I suppose pictures look very lush and green.
Regards,
Lakshmi
Thanks for appreciating and encouraging our writer :-) But the pics source are Google, as we couldn't get the proper, actual trip pics.
Delete