Greetings from Yosemite National Park

My parents divorced when I was a toddler but I still got to benefit from their shared love for the outdoors. My mom moved us to Northern California when I was 8 and I’ll never forget my first visit to Yosemite where we camped for several days. I vividly remember the majesty of El Capitan and the glorious Bridalveil Falls. I remember the trees. The enormous amount of trees. That is the trip that single handedly gave me my own love of nature. I remember studying John Muir in school, even wrote a book report about him. We continued exploring the area for the following 4 years, heading to the ocean, Monterey Bay and the Sequoias. We even lived in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for 2 years. Those places are amazing in their own right but Yosemite is different. It stays inside you, shapes you, grounds you. I moved back to the Chicago area when I was 12. After high school, I took a pause in visiting the parks while life happened but would visit occasionally as finances and time allowed over the years. Now, things have changed. If there is anything positive about the pandemic, it brought nature back to the forefront for me. I visited my local preserves 2-3 times a week, even through the winter. I have always gone when I needed the break, searched for re-grounding or to release some stress but this past year has been different. It’s a part of me again. I find myself reflecting on and being so thankful for my short time at Yosemite 40 years ago. How it has stuck with me after all of these years. There’s a spark again. My family and I will leave for a trip to GSMNP next week which I plan to be the first of many as I teach my own kids about the gifts of these parks. Someday I’ll get back to Yosemite, where it all started.

Sincerely,
Christina