The Parks

Are  Calling

Mark

(before Rainy)

As a kid, I was always enchanted with nature.  My grandpa taught me how to fish and I’d occasionally dip a line at Burke Lake, a local Northern Virginia fishing hole.   To this day, one of my favorite adventures as a teenager was a camping trip to Burke Lake with my 2 best friends, Cliff and Jamie.  Keep in mind that this is the late 1970’s and my prized tent was a beast, even though it was only 7’ x 7’.   I think it weighed 25 pounds and took up most of my hatchback with its metal poles and all.  Nothing like today’s lightweight chalet sized marvels that compress into a small backpack.  Anyway, we survived the night with typical teenager rowdiness and a complaint or two from the neighboring campers.  We got the morning campfire going and made a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, and more campfire smoke than I’ve seen to this day.  But we loved it.

40+ years after Burke Lake and still best friends.

Cliff and Jamie are still my best friends and we seemingly always recount this story when we get together.  So started my love of camping.  I kept that damn tent for years until a squirrel ate a hole in it on one trip.

A trip to Yosemite during my senior year at Stanford sealed the deal for me.  A group of friends decided that we should take a camping trip to Yosemite between finals and graduation (late May).   Sounded great.  Four of us hopped in my friend Mark’s giant 8 cylinder AMC Ambassador named Bessie and headed east from Palo Alto to this mystical place called Yosemite.  Truthfully, I knew almost nothing about the place and wasn’t even familiar with any of its iconic spots.  Equipped with lots of excitement, but not a lot of knowledge, we made it to Yosemite Valley.  I was in awe of the waterfalls, sheer mountains, and mind-blowing beauty.   But we had a small problem – no camping reservations.   Hmmm.  But wait, a ranger said that Tuolomne Meadows wasn’t formally open yet and we could go camp there for FREE.  Jackpot!  So we drove up to the campground there and set up camp.

How did we fit four into that small tent?

The high country is gorgeous.  It was a lovely afternoon, sunny and warm, and we ate dinner and prepared for the night ahead.  At 8600 feet elevation, even in late May, it gets COLD at night.  Although we all fell asleep quickly, we woke to the sound of someone’s teeth chattering.  What time was it?  Midnight!  Well, after a mostly sleepless night, we spent the next day hiking around the high country, jumping into glacier fed streams, seeing a badger, and enjoying the “rugged life” (Teddy Roosevelt).  It was awesome.  We were joined by a few more friends that afternoon and survived another night of near freezing temps.  Then after another day in the Valley, we headed back for graduation a very tired, but happy bunch.  And I was converted.

Now, years after all that, I’m even more enchanted with nature and so grateful that I can share it with the love of my life.  Everyone is different, but I hope others have similar opportunities to experience nature’s beauty (with minimal crowds which takes more planning effort, but is so worth it).  It’s made me a more patient, observant, and appreciative person.  Shoot me any questions if you want to explore, but not sure about planning what or where.  The Parks Are Calling.