JOHN MUIR'S YOSEMITE

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Yosemite — the beginning of something great.

As I drove north on California Route 395 toward Sacramento, I was shadowed on my left by the magnificent Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mountain ranges that are so tall that wisps of snow still clung to the tops of ridges even on that warm, late August evening. I knew that somewhere, hidden behind the facade of towering cliffs and jagged mountain ranges, I would find one of the most majestic of the American National Park System — Yosemite National Park. It was a place that I had read about in school and heard about but had never had the chance to see. I was so close that I could have driven past my reservation in Mammoth Lakes and just turned into the Park but the sun had already dipped below the Sierra Nevada horizon and, by the time I got to my hotel, it was dark. I checked into my room, opened up my cooler and ate a sandwich while I studied the Yosemite Guide that I picked up in the Lobby. I only had one day to see the place that John Muir dubbed “the grandest of all His special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter…. the sanctum sanctorum of the Sierras.”

The next morning, after checking out of my hotel, I drove around the small mountain town of Mammoth Lakes. In the summer, it caters to outdoor enthusiasts including hikers, bikers and mountain climbers but, in the winter, it hosts skiers and snowboarders. It was pretty early and I had read that there was a Schat’s Bakery in town — a smaller version of the gigantic parent bakery located in Bishop, off CA Rte. 395, south of Mammoth — so I stopped in for some coffee and breakfast. I stopped at a gas station for some very expensive gas and then headed for Yosemite. Once I was back on CA Rte. 395, I headed north and drove about 40 miles, past June Lake, until I reached the junction at the small town of Lee Vining and the 120 Road. As soon as I turned onto 120, leading into the park, the sun peered over the peaks of Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs and the Beatles sang “Good Day Sunshine” on the radio and a rush of elation spilled over me at the synchronicity of that amazing moment. I was experiencing more excitement than I had felt in many years — and I wasn’t even in the Park yet.

I drove through the Tuolome Meadows and over the Tuolume River — the River that spills into the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir created by the O’Shaughnessy Dam — a dam that was built in 1913 — that John Muir and the Sierra Club fought so hard to prevent. They say that, although it is documented that Muir died from a short illness in 1914 — most likely pneumonia — some say it was from a broken heart over the building of that dam.

I watched hikers head out on the John Muir Trail between Fairview Dome and Cathedral Peak and continued past Tenaya Lake which was named after Chief Tenaya of the Ahwahneechee Tribe — the “first people” who lived in Yosemite Valley. It was named by Major James D. Savage of the Mariposa Battalion of volunteers (put together to gather up the tribes and move them to a reservation) but Chief Tenaya told him that they already had a name for the lake — Py-we-ack, lake of shining rocks.

“Yosemite” means “grizzly bear” -- or “those who kill” --and it was a name they gave the Ahwahneechee. “They were a peaceful tribe that, when confronted, would fiercely defend their homeland.” — Salcedo, Tracy. Historic Yosemite National Park, Lyon Press.

Further on is Olmsted Point, named for landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a good friend of Muir. Olmsted was instrumental in the protection of Yosemite in the 1860s, as he worked with Senator John Conness of California to designate Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove as public lands under the protection of the State, preceding the procurement of its National Park status. Frederick Law Olmsted is known for his design of Central Park in New York City among other famous sites..

Yosemite was the impetus for the preservation of wild lands -- thanks to so many people that brought attention to the area. Muir set a precedent with his many writings as well as his treks into the wilderness, guiding such prestigious men as existential writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, Architect Frederick Olmsted, Horace Greely, publisher of the New York Tribune, President Theodore Roosevelt and President William Howard Taft (about the dam at Hetch Hetchy) to name a few. It started with the Yosemite Grant Act that put Yosemite Valley under the protection of the State of California, signed into law by Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864. The Mariposa Grove Act encompassed 2600 acres of the giant sequoias. After Roosevelt’s meeting with Muir, he sanctioned the recession of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove from the State of California to the new National Park status in 1906.

Muir is known as the father of the National Park Service, influencing the establishment of seven National Parks and Monuments including Yosemite, Mount Ranier, The Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon and Muir Woods. He co-founded the Sierra Club in 1892 and served as its president until his death in 1914. He died on Christmas Eve.

After driving the entire length of the Tioga Road to Big Oak Flat Road, I followed it through a tunnel and, just as I was exiting the tunnel, I stopped to take a photo at Tunnel View — one of the most scenic outlooks in Yosemite with an incredible view of El Capitan. Eventually, I ended up in Yosemite Valley and tried to find a parking place so I could check out the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center and Theatre but, by then, the Park was so crowded that finding somewhere to park was impossible. So, I turned around and headed to the main road and back to CA Rte. 395. I was disheartened by the crowds but, after seeing Yosemite, I understand why it attracts so many tourists.

Later in November of last year, my family and I were invited by my brother and his wife to visit Yosemite with them during the so-called off-season during Thanksgiving. We rented a house in Oakhurst, California and entered the Park from the southwest side on the 140 Road. Because of several snowstorms the week we were there, we had to put chains on our tires (something that is required in California) so our drive in was slow and bumpy — but the views of snow-covered peaks and ridges were spectacular. We ventured into Yosemite Valley and hiked along the Merced River with views of Half Dome in the background. The crowds weren’t nearly as bad as my previous visit that summer but it still took a while to find a parking place at the visitor center.

According to the statistics from the Yosemite website, there were 5,414 visitors in 1906 when the Park was first established. In 2018, there were 4,009,436. When I visited the park in August of 2019, I was one of 584,664 visitors. In November, there were 230,598 — that is considered off-season. I guess they all paid attention when Muir wrote: “Climb the Mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of autumn.” — John Muir

Yosemite may be crowded but, thank goodness, no one is taller than the mountains. The majestic views make the trip worth it. Next time, I will head further into the woods and experience more of Muir’s “sanctum sanctorum.”

The Mountains are calling and I must go and I will work on while I can, studying incessantly.”

— John Muir.

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