She Was Just a Teenager But She Looked After Me Like a Mother

Day 5 National Parks 2011

Last night was a windy night.  I kept waking up every hour to two.  I woke up at 11pm, 12:35am, 2:35am, and 4:25am.  The sun rose at 4:45am.  At 4:55am I walked to the ranger station via loop A towards the meadow.  Elk was everywhere.  I wondered if they just lived here at the campground and then we moved in and took over their home?  It’s most likely so, these elks inhabited the land longer than humans.  5:15am I was at the ranger office to get on the 7am waitlist.  I wam already awake and up, so I just got a head start.  It was so cold, in the 30’s.  I brought hot water canteen, put on gloves etc..  It was a beautiful sunrise walk.  I would have missed it and the elks if I didn’t have to wake up to get on the waitlist.      

The elks crossed the road and starred at me, then continued to the other meadow.  It was fun watching them cross the road.  One elk stood in front of me about 20 feet away and looked at me for a long time with curiosity with head held high.  It was so beautiful to see.   I sat still so the elk would not freak out and move.  We both looked at each other for a long time.  Then the elk stepped aside and then crossed the road to join the herd. 

7am rolled around, people walked their dogs.  It is fun for me to watch people walk their dogs.  It is fun for me to watch dogs walk their people.  The list was out the window exactly at 7am.  I was the first to put my name on it.  I was told to return at 8:15am.  I walked back to camp and took down my tent and put things away.  I just shoved things in the car.  A ranger drove by to tell me they have one site for me for one night and wanted to know if I still wanted it.  I said yes and quickly finished up to go get the paperwork done. 

When I arrived Ranger Mychala was training an older gentleman on the computer.  It was fun to watch.  The chi of the mountain is in Mychala’s eyes.  She looks strong spiritually.  She sounds like Angela but is healthy, strong, full, happy to the DNA core. 

I got my new site #77.  It looks good with a good clearing.  I quickly set up tent and then felt like having hash brown.  I set the griddle and cooked outside the restroom.  This facility set up can use an update.  It is old, run down, and gross.  I shaved the potato, crushed rosemary, black pepper and got going on griddle cooking.  I ended up shaving a piece of my skin off on my right thumb.  I bled for a long time, it just wouldn’t stop bleeding.  Hashbrown took a very long time in the open air to cook.  It was crunchy with a bit of my blood in it.  It turned out not as how I had thought and planned. 

found this on my new picnic table

A neighbor across from me washed dishes.  The sink clogged and there was no where to put dishes except on the floor.  The two girls were sweet and kept on watching me.  I said to the girls, "my goal is to learn to start a camp fire this time."  Older one said their dad did this morning and it failed so they had to use a starter lighter.  They commented on what I was cooking looked good.  Their mother was frustrated with the situation of the sink and having to put cleanly washed things on the ground so she was a bit grumpy.  The girls were sweet, curious, playful, and having fun enjoying their camping experience. 

I cleaned up camp and got ready for the hike.  I didn’t want to do dishes in this facility so I did a wipe down on the griddle and packed it.  Then I complained in my head on why I brought this big thing.  The pissy habit of complain was creeping in on my trip.  

I pulled over and parked by the ranger station.  No one was there for me to ask questions on hikes.  So I returned to the car still feeling unhappy and frustrated from the hashbrown experience and then decided the problem was the car.  I can see the blind spots and the rear window.  I complained about how I didn’t know what I have and where.  That I didn’t like to have to adjust everything each time I needed just one thing.  I decided I needed to rearrange my car.  I ended up just reshuffling the chaos and somehow felt better and called it reorganizing.  The truth is, it so clear, I have to move this and that to get to one thing.  I have a car and not an RV. I chose to not pack light.  So this is how it is.  So get used it.  Get over it!

I drove out to Bear Lake Road.  I pulled into the parking lot at 12pm.  I decided to acknowledge how I was very tired and needed to rest.  I closed my eyes, sat in the driver seat, and slept this way for about 35 minutes.  This did wonders!  I was more fatigued, dehydrated, and disoriented than I had realized.  When I got out, all the emergency crew flashed into the parking lot.  An elder man was ill and needed attention.  I went to the ranger station to inquire about the trail.  They said ice and snow, slush and water, that I needed poles and would be better with crampons and gators.  These trail shoes had good tread and might work on this trail in combination with the poles.  I didn’t have snow gear for this trail.  I will work with what I have.  I went back to my car for hiking poles. 

When I got back to the trial head I chatted with two elder female rangers.  They looked so good.  They looked mountain strong.  Their eyes light up strong and bright, super capable, amazing spirits in human body.  I chatted with others at the entrance and people told me about the trail, what to do and what to avoid.  Those fresh off the trail tips were all very nice to have.  

I started on the trail with my mesh trail shoes hoping when the water get in, it can get squeezed out as I walked.  Hoping it will not be stuck inside with non-breathable water proof boots.  

I miss snow.  I miss the cold air.  I stayed on the trail of foot prints packing down the snow.  These prints are the only clue to where the trial is.  The actual trail is buried by the snow.  I was traveling slow, learning to use my poles on the snow with these shoes.  I took my time and let others pass.  I stopped for pictures.  I was happy and having a lot of fun.  



It occurred to me my wishes are coming true.  I had long wished for this and forgotten about it.  I have wanted to return to Yosemite since eighth grade to hike in the snow again just like this but just haven’t made it happen.  And here I am instead, this was just wonderful, just as I thought it would be, fun.  I am so happy. 

On the trail I met Dawn and two girls and their dad.  They are all very sweet.  We seemed to travel in similar pace and stop accordingly for photos.  Both Dawn and the father were into photography.  The girls were in their teens, both growing into beautiful women already, still innocent on the relationship end.  The younger was the more adventurous one, the scouter, the innovator.  The older one was the considerate thoughtful one who is kind.  She continued to take care of me the entire trip looking out for me and waiting for me, making sure I was included and having fun.  I don’t’ know their names because they didn’t tell me or call each other names except calling Dawn.  I don’t know where they are from because they didn’t tell me that either.  I didn’t pry.
 

Nymph Lake was okay.  Dream Lake was breath taking, beautiful.  I went around the left side to get a better view and fell through the snow with a branch holding me up.  It took me awhile to get out of the hole as the hole was at least three feet deep with the tree branch stopping and catching my fall.  After this incident I clung onto the family and stuck by them for security. 

Dream Lake to Emerald Lake was just another 25 minutes of hiking in the snow with tennis shoes on.  It felt longer than that because the trails were confusing.  We had to cross over a lot of boulder and that was a bit tricky.  Some parts of the trail were steep decline down into the frozen lake with about a foot wide to walk on.  How very adventurous it was and scary too!

Emerald Lake was majestic.  I laid on top of a boulder and rested.  I had a headache of fire the whole way here.  I think that is why I had to cut my thumb and bleed.  The headache if progressed to worse would have put me in a state of passing out on the trail.  Cutting my thumb relieved a bit of pressure from my head. 

I asked the mountain, the lake for a healing from the pounding and throbbing fire ring.  I laid for 25 minutes.  The girls both joined me.  It was late and quiet, so we had the whole place to ourselves.  Their father commented how he would like to bring a significant other here one day.  I commented, "you just did with two daughters." 

On the way back their father slipped and the girls showed support by slipping too so that their father wouldn’t be the only one who slipped.  Their father showed love by keeping the girls safe from harm of falling into the frozen water.  His girls showed love and tested his love by attempting recklessness on the trail. 

Another family passed and a single mother with a boy and two men.  One man was very verbally abusive to the toddler boy who was just testing love and security by going to the edges of the water and seeing when mom would run after him or when a adult would notice, was all he needed to know.    

The older girl is amazed on how I traveled a lot.  I think it was a trip of admiring each other’s beauty and amazingness.  I admired how the father was a mother too, filling in for the maternal role as a single father.  I admired the girls for their simplicity and all the beauty they hold, as light as breathing.  I trailed behind them, the older one waited to make sure I did make it out onto the parking lot before she took off in their car. 

Miles hiked 4

Time on the trail 5.5 hours

For dinner I was back at the 100 campsite area.  Site #102 did leave early and someone else took their site.  I parked my car in front of the restroom.  Noah a 9 year old boy from Arizona played at the site.  He told me he did a trail halfway and had to stop because it was just too cold for him.  He was so cute. 

Pretty Cool Set Up

Dinner was baked beans, beets, tomato, and key lime water.  It was all very yummy.  I washed in the facility of this area.  It has a better setup.  I cooked in the restroom and made tea too.  I waited to shower again in the family room.  No shampoo, made the process easier and faster.  It’s just too cold to stand and wait to re-boil more water to rinse out the shampoo. 

This entire area, just like that over just a day, totally changed into a family camping area with lots of toddlers.  The Quebec family left and they only spoke French, with their two young daughters headed to Arizona, Utah, and California.          

Wishes come true.  What else did I wish for?  I forgot them because I didn’t think I can make it come true.  What else did I wish for?  What else shall I wish for?  I better be careful.  I should of kept in touch with them.