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Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Horsetail Fall-Quintessence-Aristotle

Posted on March 6, 2017 Leave a Comment

“So you went to the Louvre:

What did you see?

After the first Artist

Only the copyist.” - Renny Russel: “On The Loose.”

 

It is intriguing to wonder what the Ahwahnechee Indians must have thought when they observed Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall. It is quite likely that, because of when, where and how they lived, they understood the mysterious event better that the Greeks and modern scientists. Perhaps they thought “The Great Spirit” was offering them a gift of water that could morph into liquid gold, then into liquid fire and return to water.

Before the periodic chart was developed, Empedocles proposed that the known universe was made out of four “elements;” earth, water, air and fire. Aristotle added a fifth element, aether; it has been called akasha in India and quintessence in Europe. Quintessence emerged with a plethora of supporting synonyms, which include, heaven, spirit and soul. Perhaps not surprisingly, the concept of the five elements formed a basis of analysis in both Hinduism and Buddhism .

With that as background, it is not surprising that thousands of Nature lovers flock to Yosemite Valley each February, in hopes of being lucky enough to see the illuminated Horsetail Fall. Aristotle would have rejoiced and properly pointed out that the stunning spectacle was caused by the “5 elements,” earth (rock), water, air, fire and aether.

The potential of being thrilled by the beauty of the event is enhanced by the fact that it is a complex, illusive synchronicity. All five elements have to converge at a precise time and place in Yosemite Valley. The sky must be clear, atmospheric conditions must be ideal; the necessary amount of water present and the setting sun must be at the perfect angle of inclination. Typically, this can only happen during a few days each February when the illuminated water can cascade down nearly 2,000 feet to Yosemite Valley.

Early concessioners at Yosemite must have seen the February spectacle and lamented that it did not occur more regularly and thus attract more tourists. By 1872 a road had been built to Glacier Point and soon after, concessioners began building a huge bonfire each afternoon. They piled on large chunks of red fir bark, which is a natural insulator and somewhat fire resistant. By 9:00 PM each evening, the fiery embers were shoved over Glacier Point in what was called “The Fire Falls.”

This practice continued nearly 100 years, but was terminated in 1968. Although the show was impressive to many, to seasoned Nature lovers, there was an unsettling sense of ersatz about it. Simply put, it was impossible for a fire to spontaneously combust in the afternoon and then fling itself over a cliff after nightfall; not to mention the huge waste of logs and fir bark.

As camping, hiking, backpacking and ecotourism became more popular, YNP properly concluded that the Fire Fall had an unnatural, Disney Land, feel about it.

Perhaps, on a deeper level, they realized that it was impossible for man to “improve” Yosemite’s “quintessence.”

The people who flock to Horsetail Fall each February may or may not be overtly spiritual people. However, the mere fact that they are responding to one of Mother Nature’s more extraordinary displays suggests an inner sense of awe, wonder and spiritual curiosity.

I don’t recall John Muir mentioning the fiery version of Horsetail Fall. However, if he did see it, I can imagine him raising his arms to heaven, like a Baptist Preacher, and exulting, “Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever and ever, amen!”

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

[email protected]

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Horsetail Falls, John Muir, Yosemite, Yosemite Valley

John Muir’s High Altar

Posted on October 3, 2016 1 Comment

img_0957“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Many of the older Scots claim that they can communicate spiritually with deceased family members and friends by a process they call “kything.” If this is so, I am guessing that John Muir recently did the Scottish version of the “dance of joy” in his heavenly habitation (“God And The Angels Be True”).

Muir believed that Yosemite’s Half Dome was a high altar, appropriately situated at the east end of what he regarded as a natural cathedral, seven miles long by one mile wide. Altars are natural or man-made shrines that have been consecrated by the hearts of men for the purpose of religious or spiritual ceremonies or events. Muir expressed deep concern that many have forfeited their God-given gift of spiritual celebrations at these altars. Although regular church attendance in the US may be declining, for those who make the 5,000 ft. climb up to the top of Half Dome, it is not uncommon for them to triumphantly raise their arms.

With this being so, Mark Salvestrin recently committed a personal rite of sanctification by simply raising his hands (and a book) to the heavens. The book was inspired by John Muir and written by over 700 very curious and very courageous high school students. In the letter previously posted he wrote:

“Some of the concepts we learned and the ideas we shared took shape as threads that would be intricately woven into the fabric of my life.”

Following John Muir (and a plethora of mentors) Mark has immersed himself in Nature, evinced by the recent pilgrimage that he and his wife made to the top of Half Dome. Two weeks later, they doubled up with a hike to the top of El Capitan. The views from “El Cap” are as impressive as those from Half Dome and can be reached without experiencing “Disney Land” throngs of people crowding the trails.

My best guess is that Mark chaperoned at least 10 Biodesign trips. He will deny it but, in a splendid irony, the book he is offering to the cosmos would not have been possible without his loving support and guidance.

Furthermore, what he did not mention was that he, and over 700 other students, added threads that were woven into the fabric of the author’s life. Soul building was part of what we were about, along with accepting Muir’s challenge to get as close to the heart of Nature as we could.

The photo of Mark holding up a summary of 24 years of wilderness adventures gave me goose bumps. None of the adventures would likely have happened without a very perceptive girl asking a simple yet profound question. As Muir feared, I could have missed over 30 celebrations at his High Altar and spent my career dissecting fetal pigs.

It is my sincere wish that some of the lessons that Mark and I and hundreds of others experienced on our wilderness excursions, will be shared to lift the spirits and gladden the hearts of readers.

Thanks, Mark.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

[email protected]

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Author Lowell Harrison Young, Bio-spirituality, Biodesign, Biodesign class, Biodesign Out For A Walk, John Muir, John Muir vision, Yosemite, Yosemite Temple, Yosemite Valley

SHERPA GUIDES AT YOSEMITE?

Posted on September 11, 2016 1 Comment
outdooradventureclub.com
Photo credit: outdooradventureclub.com

After Biodesign students explored Yosemite, Grand Canyon and the Mendocino coast, it was not uncommon for them to vow publicly (or privately) to return to one of the areas when they became adults. I have no record of how many achieved that goal, but I do know of one ex-student who has climbed Half Dome 8 times.

Therefore, I was not surprised when an ex-Biodesigner mentioned that he was joining a group that was going to retrace the hike that his class took over 20 years earlier.

His class rode a bus from Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point and as the bus approached Washburn Point, Half Dome loomed into view. I have seen that view approximately 40 times and each time it has left me breathless. The student responses were predictably gasps, oohs and aahs, however, on one occasion a student blurted out, “He’s freaking crazy if he thinks I am going to sleep up there!”

An orientation discussion included the major landmarks; Muir’s description that glaciation was the primary force that created Yosemite Valley and the current theory that Half Dome did not have another half, but was an atypically formed “pluton.”

After allowing time to absorb the sublime beauty, the group headed south, 1.4 miles to Illilouette Fall. Turning left at the waterfall, they ascended the Panorama Trail to Panorama Ridge.

[I agree with many veteran Yosemite hikers who regard the Panorama Trail as the most dramatic, and thus inspirational, trail in the entire Park. The trail is mostly level and the easier walk provides the opportunity to better appreciate the stunning new perspectives that appear around every bend.]

After approximately 2 miles the trail descended steeply downhill and joined the John Muir Trail, which originates in Yosemite Valley. A short walk to the top of Nevada Fall provided a great place to remove backpacks, relax and eat lunch. After a leisurely lunch, the students donned their backpacks and trudged 1.8 miles to their first trail campsite in Little Yosemite Valley.

The next morning, after breakfast and a briefing of the day’s activities, backpacks were hoisted and they began the challenging, 4-mile-hike up 2700 ft. to the top of the 8800 ft. Half Dome.

[A very dramatic narrative of climbing Half Dome can be found in, “Biodesign Out For A Walk,” chapter 6, “Cindy.”]

After sleeping on Half Dome, the group made the 10-mile descent back to their basecamp at Yosemite Valley.

After the ex-student returned, I contacted him with a request to hear about his adventure. He gladly obliged and filled me with wonderful stories and images. His group left their backpacks at Little Yosemite Valley and they hiked up Half Dome in time for a gorgeous sunset.

“It was a hard hike,” he said, “I don’t k now how our whole class made it with backpacks on.”

However, when I casually asked him how they handled the trail meals, he looked a bit sheepish and said, “Our guides took care of all of that.” I was not aware of such services, but quickly connected the dots and blurted out, “I HATE YOU!” Of course he knew that I was kidding and we shared a hearty laugh.

He obviously had not forgotten that a major chore for the Biodesign trips to Yosemite was preparing trail meals for a group of 30. Rather than packing 15 small backpack stoves, we took three MSR Rapidfire stoves. Each one sounded like a small jet airplane, but could get six quarts of water boiling in about 10 mins. We carried 3, 6-qt. pots and each pot provided enough hot water for 10 hikers.

He continued, “Only some of us had some equipment and rather than spend a lot of money on equipment that we would probably never use again, we hired two guides. They supplied all the equipment, cooked all meals on the trail and filtered all the water we needed.”

When I shared this with Christie, not unkindly, she burst out laughing and said, “I didn’t know that Yosemite had “Sherpa Guides!” LOL

My curiosity was piqued and so I went on-line to research “Yosemite Sherpa Services” (just kidding) and found a plethora of options available. The guide service that I Googled charged $900/per person for a three-day backpack trip similar to the one we took. At first, I was a bit shocked, but quickly recovered and concluded that the price was reasonable for what most participants would call, “a-once-in-a-lifetime-experience.” The $300/per day for guide, food and equipment seemed like a bargain compared to the $450/per night for a room at the Ahwahnee Hotel. Furthermore, it pleased me that our 6-day Yosemite trip cost our students $50. (with confidential scholarships readily available.) When I apologized to parents about the cost, they frequently dismissed my concerns and said their kids cost them more than that when they were at home. ;o)

John Muir hiked mostly alone at Yosemite and was happy with a single wool blanket and pillowcase with some dried bread balls and some tea. However, I truly believe that he would both approve and marvel at the evolution of the latest backpacking equipment and trail techniques, including professional guides. After all, he himself guided many Yosemite visitors, including President Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was so impressed with Muir’s wilderness that, after returning to Washington D.C., he ordered 230 million acres to be protected and formed the foundation for the US National Park Service and the US Forest Service.

Sherpas in Yosemite? Why not?

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

[email protected]

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Author Lowell Harrison Young, Bio-spirituality, Biodesign Out For A Walk, Half Dome, Half Dome climbers, John Muir vision, soul, spiritual growth, Yosemite, Yosemite Valley

“I CONQUERED YOSEMITE’S HALF DOME!”

Posted on July 11, 2016 Leave a Comment

Half“Loren Eiseley is less concerned about man conquering nature than nature, in the form of God, conquering the human heart.” Time Magazine.

AFTER nearly 75 years, I have concluded that life is mostly (if not totally) a journey into mystery. E.g. how could I have possibly guessed that a simple, innocent question from a student would eventually guide me to climb Yosemite’s Half Dome over 30 times? Each visit was unique and not unlike meeting a long-lost friend with lots of catching up to do. Intriguingly, most of my trips were with students and seeing Half Dome through their eyes provided some of the most glorious moments of my life.

“I Conquered Half Dome” was the title of a Biodesigner’s post-Yosemite essay, and why not? Tom described the “emotional blood,” sweat and near-blisters that were required for him to hike the 10 miles from Yosemite Stables to the top of Half Dome in one grueling day. The altitude gain was nearly 5,000 ft. and YNPS listed the trail as “extremely strenuous” (and that is without a backpack.) It is a safe bet that his 50-lb. backpack made the trek at least twice as difficult.

Tom meticulously recorded the events of the day including moments of inspiration, and frustration; stops for snacks, water and lunch. He also described the logistical demands of stopping to filter water and apply “Mole Skin” to hotspots before they became debilitating blisters. He noted the high level of camaraderie and playful banter that helped ease the fatigue induced by the steep switchbacks. He marveled at how everyone worked together with the stronger hikers quietly taking sleeping bags or tents from classmates who were struggling excessively.

This hike occurred in the early years of the Biodesign program when the trip was only four days. It involved a 4:00 AM departure and 5-hour drive to Yosemite Valley; one very demanding day to hike to the top of Half Dome to spend the night; one very long day to return to The Valley and the 5-hour return trip home. Due to the very demanding 4-day journey, it was quite reasonable for Tom to feel that he had indeed conquered Half Dome. However, the latter part of his essay took on a very different tone.

He wrote:

“I had never been so exhausted but I could not sleep due to the thousands of rapid-fire mental images of our long hike. Earlier in the evening, we huddled in a circle as you read John Muir’s story about his adventure with the ‘wee little dog Stickeen.’ Muir described their near-death experience in a storm on an Alaskan glacier. The ordeal lasted 18 hours and, although they were cold, wet and exhausted, they were happy to make it back to camp.

Muir wrote:

“We reached camp about ten o’clock, and found a big fire and a big supper. A party of Hoona Indians had visited Mr. Young, bringing a gift of porpoise meat and wild strawberries, and Hunter Joe had brought in a wild goat. But we lay down, too tired to eat much, and soon fell into a troubled sleep. The man who said, ‘The harder the toil, the sweeter the rest,’ never was profoundly tired.”

He continued:

“Before the trip we discussed the geology of Half Dome and I was now aware that I was trying to sleep on rock that was over 100 million years old and was there when dinosaurs roamed the earth and perhaps some bird-like forms flew over Yosemite Valley.

I finally gave up trying to sleep and grabbed my flashlight and down jacket. I moseyed out to the “Eye Brow” and carefully dangled my legs over the edge. Interestingly, due to the darkness, the 5,000-foot drop was not as scary as in the daylight. I remembered you saying that Native Americans and “mountain men” could tell time using the “handle” of “The Big Dipper.” I was facing north and looked up to see the giant cosmic-hour-hand above me. And then, IT HAPPENED! A massive surge of adrenaline super-activated every nerve in my body. I was ecstatic, but it was not sublime. I was paradoxically exhilarated, but terrified and quickly began to suffer a panic attack. I could not move! I thought, ‘This is not a good place to be in the middle of the night.’ The panic seemed interminable, but either God or my “reptilian brain” took over and I noticed my hands and thighs slowly begin to inch my body back from the edge. When I stood, I was badly shaken and, with wobbly knees, returned to my sleeping bag.

If I live to be 100 years old, I will never feel the same degree of warmth, safety and comfort that my sleeping bag provided. And then the second major epiphany occurred! What a fool I was to think that I had “conquered” Half Dome! God, Mother Nature or karma allowed me to ascend Half Dome, however; there is still enough mystery and intrigue to last another 100 million years.”

At the youthful age of 17, Tom discovered that he was being conquered and not the conqueror, something more and more people will live and die without discovering.

I don’t think it is elitist for people who have climbed to the top of Half Dome to recalibrate their personal biography into “Pre-H-D” and “Post-H-D.” I don’t think it is possible to climb Half Dome and not have a life-changing experience, however, as John Muir noted about spiritual revelations, there are no earthly words to define them.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

www.facebook.com/biodesignoutforawalk
www.biodesignoutforawalk.com
www.linkedin.com/LowellYoung
www.goodreads.com/BiodesignOutForAWalk

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Bio-spirituality, Biodesign class, Half Dome, John Muir, Lowell Harrison Young, mystery of life, soul medicine, spiritual growth, Yosemite, Yosemite Temple, Yosemite Valley

Yosemite—Rainbows and God’s Excesses

Posted on October 5, 2015 Leave a Comment

Screen shot 2015-10-05 at 12.06.15 PMThe Excesses of God

Is it not by his high superfluousness we know
Our God? For to equal a need
Is natural, animal, mineral: but to fling
Rainbows over the rain
And beauty above the moon, and secret rainbows
On the domes of deep sea-shells…
- Robinson Jeffers

In his wonderful poem, “Excesses of God,” Robinson Jeffers accuses God of being superfluous: [Lavish, superabundant, over-the-top.] I am upping the ante by suggesting that He can be a flamboyant showoff. I am not challenging God, but if a bolt of lightning strikes me, it will prove my point. How else can we explain what happened at Yosemite Valley on Wednesday, 9-30-15. Yosemite NP was celebrating the 125th anniversary of becoming a National Park. I am sure that rangers carefully planned the event, however, what they could not plan was the amazing and mysterious appearance of a double rainbow that arched over Yosemite Valley.

Scientists, secular humanists, skeptics and human Eeyores will dismiss the event as a spiritless, “random act” involving weather and light refraction. Really? Science is supposed to be based on facts and predictable results, neither of which applied in this situation. Common sense dictates that there were zero odds that could allow for the event to occur at the perfect time. To prove this, how many non-believers (or believers) would have bet money that the event would happen? The truth is that that the double rainbow was a splendid synchronicity, with no known causation.

John Muir considered Yosemite Valley as a natural cathedral. The millions of transcending experiences that Yosemite has generated bear witness to the wisdom of his contention. These events occur when people temporarily escape human limitations and transcend to higher levels of spiritual awareness. With this being so, imagine what park rangers (and visitors) must have felt, standing amidst Yosemite’s multiple natural iconic wonders, celebrating their 125th anniversary, when a brilliant double rainbow arched above them. It reminded me of a similar event that occurred in the Biodesign Class of 1980.

In the late 1970s, several successive Biodesign classes experienced beautiful rainbows on their Yosemite trip. It led me to become a little smug. Foolishly, I predicted to the class of ’80 that they would see a rainbow. However, the first two days were uneventful and by the third day a few of the guys began to heckle me about my boastful prediction. By the morning of day 5, our last full day there, I resigned myself that I would have to “eat crow” and apologize for my excessive pridefulness. I decided to wait until our evening class session and accept my well-deserved ribbing.

Excerpt: Biodesign Out For A Walk, chap. 24, Synchronicity and God:

After lunch, this class elected to go out into the nearby meadow and play a game that was a blend of rugby and human destruction-derby. I watched for a few minutes, but when girls began launching their bodies into the scrum, I left. I had much to do, cleaning and storing all of the kitchen equipment in preparation for a morning departure. As I worked, I noticed the increasing cloud cover, but smiled confidently. We were not on the Dome or on the trail so it was of little concern. About 40 minutes later, however, I heard a bloodcurdling yell from the meadow.

Denise screamed, “Mr. Young, come quick!”

I pictured a broken arm or leg or maybe worse. Hurriedly, I dried my hands and raced up the trail toward the meadow. Denise met me halfway, grabbed my arm, and dragged me along. When we reached the meadow, no one was huddling over an injured student; instead, all were standing and staring skyward in total silence. One of the most beautiful rainbows that I had ever seen arched across the sky, with Half Dome perfectly positioned below the arc. I joined the silence and was stunned and embarrassed at the same time. After a few minutes, one of the hecklers edged over and whispered, “OK, how’d you know?”

I shook my head in denial and said, “I didn’t, and I won’t make that mistake again.”

William Wordsworth wrote:

“My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky…”

I am certain that many hearts leaped up at Yosemite’s 125- year anniversary celebration. I am also quite sure that Robinson Jeffers, William Wordsworth and John Muir would agree that the beautiful double rainbow was a miraculous, ephemeral signature of God, claiming responsibility for creating one of the most beautiful valleys on planet Earth. His timing simply could not have been more perfect!

Note:

I don’t know if the current YNP Superintendent saw the double rainbow or what he thought about it. I do know that the entire Class of ’80 stood rapt (and wrapped) in awe and silent wonder. No one spoke. Instead, after a few minutes, the students quietly dispersed into The Valley, perhaps to contemplate what they had just witnessed. People will draw their own conclusions, however, I am convinced that, especially under the circumstances, I had seen a miracle.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

www.facebook.com/biodesignoutforawalk
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www.linkedin.com/LowellYoung
www.goodreads.com/BiodesignOutForAWalk

 

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Bio-spirituality, Biodesign, existence of God, intelligent design, soul medicine, spirituality, Yosemite, Yosemite Valley

“The Rarest Courage Is The Courage Of Thought.” - Anatole France

Posted on June 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

HD ClimbersOn only two of the 20 Biodesign Classes that got to sleep on top of Yosemite’s famous Half Dome, rock climbers “topped out” the same afternoon we were there. Our students were fascinated by the climbers and went over to the edge to welcome them. I was about 100 yards away, busy with other tasks, but in the cool mountain air their voices could be easily heard. One of the climber’s voice came across the way crystal clear: “Your whole biology class is up here? Far out! Your teacher must have big balls.” I burst out laughing. The phrase was not new to me; I had heard our guys, and a few girls use it, but never directed at me. Although I found it a little crude, I understood young people’s desire to communicate intensity, passion, even spirit, when they found words like “courageous” trite and obsolete.

After all four climbers reached the top they ate a snack, drank some Gatorade and quickly began reorganizing their “haul sacks.” The amount of food, water and climbing gear needed for the 5-day ascent was stunning. They divided the packs evenly, with each one weighing about 60 pounds. We were shocked to discover that they were going to descend the cables and make the 10-mile trek back to Yosemite Valley; the final few miles in the dark. It was hard to imagine a hiker carrying a 60-pound load for a short distance, let alone 10 miles. As they prepared to leave the leader asked me for a favor. The ascent had taken one day longer than planned and, mysteriously, all of their flashlights had dead batteries. He wondered if we could spare a couple flashlights. Our students reacted quickly and each climber was given a light. We told them where our base-camp was and they assured us that they would leave the flashlights there. After they departed, in an uncommon cynical moment, one of our guys snorted, “Any bets we will ever see the flashlights again?”

Later on in the night, the climber gave me pause to reflect and what I discovered was intriguing. In leading the students up the cables to the top of Half Dome, I did not feel that any particular body parts were larger than normal. Translated; I did not feel particularly “courageous.” I felt more like Sir Edmond Hilary who stated that he climbed Mt. Everest “because it was there.”

And then I experienced yet another Half Dome epiphany. The young climber was not referring to the courage of climbing a mountain; he was referring to the courage to face our gravest fears. For me, this was not leading a group of students up the cables of Half Dome, it was leading classes on an educational adventure that may have been the only one of its kind in a public high school. We were truly in the spiritual wilderness with no charts or maps and at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Anatole France’s words came to mind. “The rarest courage is the courage of thought.”

Richard Bach wrote in, Jonathan Livingston Seagull:

“Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip… is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body, too.”

Breaking the chains of well-established thought patterns can be as difficult as breaking a well entrenched habit. However, the greatest difficulty is often overcoming the fear of believing something new. Mark Twain understood this perfectly when he wrote:

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

The work I was doing could be both threatening and provocative to traditional thought patterns of students, parents, colleagues, administrators and school board members. Although numbers of antagonists were typically small, they could be very vocal. Comments like, “Biodesign is NOT a science class;” “Young is a frustrated preacher;” “What he is doing is not only illegal, but evil,” were whispered, or even expressed verbally. For several years, one school board member did every thing in his power to have the Biodesign Class banned and me fired. When confrontations did occur, I was shaken to the depths of my soul. I had no book or lesson plan to refer to. Aside from my wife, I had no one to confer with to offer guidance, support or encouragement. Of course, I was keenly aware of the perils that Socrates, Jesus and Galileo faced for encouraging people to “break the chains” of their thought patterns. In the end, I had to rely on the wisdom of my support team. Men like Socrates, Aristotle, Galileo, Newton and Einstein. I regarded what I was attempting was “good” and Plato warned me, “if you ever doubt the power of evil, try to do something good and see what happens.”

One of the primary goals of writing Biodesign Out For A Walk was to offer guidance, support and encouragement to teachers, in general, but specifically biology teachers, to “break the chains” of restrictive traditional teaching methods and set their students free. It may be scary at times, but it may also be a matter of a student’s spiritual life or death.

Note: When we returned to our base-camp, all four flashlights were lined up in a row, on a table with a “thank you” note written on a piece of a grocery bag.

Lowell Harrison Young, Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Anatole France, breaking the chains, courage, established thought patterns, Half Dome climbers, Lowell Harrison Young, restrictive traditional teaching methods, Yosemite Valley

Eco-warfare In Yosemite Valley

Posted on April 10, 2014 Leave a Comment

Mob II

 

 

 

Controversial issues can not exist without at least two conflicting points of view. Although John Muir’s primary vision for Yosemite Valley was a place for spiritual renewal, he also described it as a place to play. In a discussion about whether to allow automobiles into Yosemite Valley, he reluctantly agreed that it was probably a necessary evil. As brilliant and far-seeing as he was, he could not have imagined 20,000 people being admitted to The Valley on a given day.

Nevertheless, his vision of national parks was worthy and spread globally. In some cases it has evolved into privately owned preserves that welcome eco-tourists. The combined efforts may be the only hope that many African animals have for escaping the perils of hunting, poaching and habitat displacement.

Carefully planned eco-tourism is not only good for animals and their environment, but it provides sustainable employment. Few objections have been raised against people like Lawrence Anthony (The Elephant Whisperer) who have established eco-tourist game reserves. His Thula Thula reserve, in Zululand, is a widely respected model. Before he died he and his wife welcomed up to 30 guests to stay for as long as a week and take daily safari tours around the 5,000 acre reserve. The area is about 7 times larger than Yosemite Valley and obviously, if he had allowed 20,000 visitors a day, his reserve would have quickly been destroyed.

Just like over-fishing and over-hunting will deplete game reserves, uncontrolled eco-tourism can be exploitive and harmful. Surely, even cold, calculating bean-counters must see that, especially in summer months, Yosemite Valley has become a socio-cultural, environmental disaster not unlike a war zone.

The attached photo of Half Dome was taken in 2010. Again, John Muir could not have imagined over 2,000 hikers, from ages 8-88, making the challenging, 16-mile round-trip trek to the top of The Dome and back to The Valley floor. After years of abuse, YNPS finally imposed a limit of 400 permits per day. The situation has been greatly improved.

During the 1970s, when the Biodesign Classes arrived each fall, there was only one campground open and it was half empty. There were only sparsely scattered hikers on the Half Dome Trail and we seldom saw anyone on the cables. The overnight accommodations were not sold out and The Valley floor exhibited a relaxed, dreamlike quality. It was John Muir’s favorite time of year to be there.

Those days are forever gone, but surely Yosemite lovers and intelligent YNPS leaders understand that the first step in solving the eco-crisis is restricting the daily number of Park visitors.

Posted in: Uncategorized | Tagged: Eco-Warfare, enviromental disaster, John Muir, Yosemite, Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Temple Destroyers

Posted on April 9, 2014 Leave a Comment

Mobs

 

 

 

“These temple-destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar.” John Muir

The Fb photo of Yosemite Valley and the quote, “We love being the third most popular National Park,” was posted by, “Yosemite Nation.” I have seen many of their posts without knowing who they were. A quick check on their website reveals exactly who they are and what they are dedicated to:

Yosemite/Mariposa county bureau of tourism.

John Muir would properly observe that they are dedicated to the “Almighty Dollar.” How else could they claim to “love” the fact that 20,000 visitors are encouraged to enter Yosemite Valley each day in August? This number does not account for 1800 YNPS summer employees who live in The Valley or commute from Mid-pines, El Portal, Mariposa or Foresta. It also does not reflect the nearly 2,000 Delaware North employees or Yosemite Conservative volunteers who live in The Valley. There appears to be about 10,000 potential beds and sleeping bag spaces at DNC hotels, lodges, and campgrounds.

I don’t k now if there is a known peak daily total number of humans in two square miles that includes YNP headquarters, Yosemite Village, Yosemite Lodge, Curry Village, the stables and Ahwahnee Hotel, but the number is probably in the mid-30,000 range. Historically, these numbers only occurred on the three summertime national holidays, but are now common on most August days. The results include terrible traffic jams, trails with hordes of people that look like masses flocking to rides at Disney Land. Daily garbage is no longer measured by cans, but tons, and human sewage and waste-water is pumped to lower elevations in millions of gallons per day.

John Muir disliked crowds of people, hotels and crass commercial development. Yosemite Nation, Yosemite Conservancy and Yosemite NPS, have converted The Valley that Muir called a cathedral into a huge cash cow and desecrated his memory and vision.

The Ahwaneechee and other Native American tribes lived in the Yosemite Valley area for an estimated 3,000 years. There are a growing number of YNPS critics who point out that some of the damage they are doing may be irreparable and will surely not survive another 3,000 years.

Posted in: Uncategorized | Tagged: John Muir vision, National Parks tourism, Yosemite, Yosemite Temple, Yosemite tourism, Yosemite Valley

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