San Francisco and Yosemite, Part 2

The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco.
– Mark Twain –

In a matter of five days, my family and I conquered Northern California with exploration of San Francisco’s treasures including Coit Tower, Waterfront, Alcatraz Island, Lombard Street, Mission/Valencia Street, Haight-Ashbury, and countless cafés/eateries; Napa Valley; small town Mariposa; and Yosemite National Park.  We already talked about the first four, so let’s delve deeper into the uniqueness of the other areas…

I undoubtedly consider myself a hippie at heart.  I mean, I literally went on a scavenger hunt for the perfect tree to hug at Yosemite National Park (more on that later) and embrace the love the the world daily.  Thus, this district of San Fran was far from disappointing.  The first shop we walked into (LIFE) sold its own handmade incense such as LOVE and MEDITATION (I bought five of each). Cafés, book, and record shops line the street, which is decorated in artful graffiti and psychedelic designs. I stumbled upon Café International where iced coffee is chilled with coffee ice cubes (genius), Almond milk is accessible (rare), inviting couches line the walls, and a backyard atrium painted with flowers and various worldly images created a perfect environment for coffee sipping.  Other shops including natural herbs, tie-dye clothing galore, gems, and punk/rock T-shirts made for a vintage and rare feel in this area.  It was one of the first times I actually got a vibe from an area in San Fran.  Most other areas felt a wee bit too tourist-driven for my taste.While walking back to the car, I was struck by a powerful sight truly worth highlighting.  A young man in his wheelchair (I am unsure, but he appeared to have bilateral lower extremity amputations) was receiving Spiritual healing from a passerby.  In this bus stop station, appropriately behind a sign MAN*KIND, you can see the hand above the man sitting in the wheelchair.  You cannot see his face clearly, but as I walked by, I saw his peace and engagement in this process.  Here he is being ENABLED–healed–and BLESSED with the kind nature of another man.  Sometimes, human nature truly strikes me as beautiful.  This is one of those times.  Thank you.

Humbling in its beauty, Yosemite National Park is somewhere I will return to for further appreciation of its immaculate beauty.  As we drove past the campgrounds, I envisioned myself there in the future, sleeping amongst the stars and natural wonders.  In this chapter of Yosemite Adventures, however, rock climbing was the main objective.  Yes, ROCK CLIMBING IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK.  Okay, I’ll say it again: I went rock climbing in Yosemite National Park (with my hardcore brothers & father).  No, I didn’t conquer El Capitan or Half Dome, but the mere fact that I was touching and scaling natural rock at such a prestigious location was enough for me at this point. I learned to belay a lead climb, and then took the gear out as the first to ascend the climb.  I achieved a 100-foot, level 5.10A with impressive difficulty in some sections.  I learned to trust the friction of the rock, sometimes not even finding a foothold to use for propelling upwards using my legs.  I accepted extra challenges by subtracting easier holds from set paths.  I engaged my inner SpiderWoman and loved every second of it.  During rest periods, we lounged in my ENO DoubleNest Hammock between two sequoia trees.  Hours of active climbing with our chill and knowledgable guide, Miranda, led to unavoidable bruises on my lower extremity, ultra-sensitive fingertips from gripping scalding hot rock and crevices, and a sense of accomplishment/domination.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude for nature throughout the day, and nearly lost my breath when standing in a field beneath Half Dome.  At this time (~4:30pm), there was a gridlock of cars stopping along the valley’s road to snap photos at various vista points.  I did not feel this was an appropriate or necessary way to pay homage to nature (except for our Half Dome viewing), so we created a new goal: FIND A GIANT TREE! Apparently, the two sites within the valley to see the massive, well-known sequoia trees are CLOSED for preservation.  I understand the idea of preserving the trees and actively waking them back up from the horrific California drought.  But.  The trees are CLOSED? When is nature ever closed? It’s always irked me, for example, that beaches on Long Island, NY close after dark. IT’S A BEACH – IT’S A TREE – IT’S NATURE! Mother Earth should be accessible to us at all times. Perhaps the people who do not respect Gaia are ruining it for us all.  They plague the land with lack of appreciation, and leave destructive trails where they walk.  But I digress.  My mission to hug a giant tree was engaged, and if I couldn’t do it in the valley of Yosemite, I was going to find one elsewhere.  We left the valley to drive along The Big Oak Flat Road and stopped Tuolumne Grove to walk along self-guided nature trails.  My brother ventured into the forest with me where we found a huggable tree, got some tree sap on our arms, and happily walked away smelling like pine.  Curiosity struck me to ask a passerby if even bigger trees were anywhere within the confines of this particular area.  They pointed my brother and I down the concrete path, stating the sequoias were a mere half mile away.  We SPRINTED down the hill (not considering the hike up, and definitely averaged a mile away rather than 0.5 miles) until we saw it.  It was God-like.  It literally stopped me in my tracks, and I approached slowly and gingerly as not to disturb it.  Its bark was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, probably the size of my torso.  It reached toward the sky with magnificent power.  The sunlight shone through its branches like light from heaven, showering the forest’s grandfather tree with fruitful love to encourage abundance of life and prosperity.  Signs surrounding the divine representative of Gaia warned to maintain a safe distance to support continued efforts of preservation.  Despite my desire to touch the tree, I respected its wishes and blessed it with gratefulness for its existence.  With kind eyes, I deeply wished upon the tree a lifetime of fertility. Sadly, nature has taken its course in California as previously green areas are turning brown.  The drought has severely affected Mother Nature, but I am praying and meditating on the fact that nature will transition from lack to abundance.  Help if you can! Make it rain!

Special thanks to Northern California’s natural beauty and the best family in the world for making this a memorable trip.  Until next time, my traveling friends.