Hiking is Like Life.

So Yosemite was amazing. I am so grateful that I got to take a trip there.
We left Chula Vista at 2:30AM on a Monday and arrived in Yosemite around 10:30AM. We were straight up overwhelmed by the VAST beauty of it all. The first day, I just kept saying, "It looks fake!" That doesn't mean much but I felt small, in awe and so incredibly excited. After pulling off by a meadow to eat lunch, we ziplocked all our food and covered all our coolers, locked the car and ran off to frolick in the valley meadows, river beds and "hike to mirror lake". 


We saw all kinds of beautiful birds, bushy-tailed squirrels and adorable little chipmunks and a deer! I say "Hike to mirror lake" in quotations because it was a paved road with little incline and then...mirror lake was empty. So we did what any four girls would do, we climbed rocks and trees while singing songs from Pocahontas, took pictures of ourselves and read every sign or posting about bears, mountain lions and historical facts that we could find!

We were so excited! We left to find our way out of the park to our cabin and the grocery store.

Every turn was an adventure. Especially since my friend happens to drive a little too fast. ha! We glamped it up and called it a night really early..after s'mores and star gazing, of course. It sounds too perfect, huh? It kind of was. I'm still in shock. I truly felt unworthy to take it all in. The great outdoors, the sweet fellowship, the hysterical laughter and memories, the vast forests and stars and the grandeur of nature in a different way than I've ever experienced it (i.e. the ocean). There was so much grace, so much visible goodness, just so much and for little me just the same. 

The Second Day we woke up at 3:30AM, got to the park by 5:30, went to the bathroom, took more selfies and started our long, long journey at dusk..a little after 6AM. It was cold and perfect. Mentally, I knew that the first 5 miles of our journey would be the most difficult. I recalled the little squiggly switchbacks that I saw on so many maps and even had a mental image of what views I ought to be looking for as I made the assent that would take me to 32,000 feet in elevation in just 4.6 miles! It was tasking and fun. I found myself winded a few times, but in awe at every clearing that stared out in to the sprawling mountains and mossy trees. I knew I could do it for some reason because ultimately, what's five miles? The last 20 minutes of our hike started to make me hangry, but I refused to stop. We did in fact, finally make it to Glacier Point. And it was so worth it. The sense of accomplishment, the breath-taking view, the prospect of new journeys, the greeting of the warm sun on my face, the delicious peanut butter and celery I snacked on.

I brought out my memory verse card and we all sat in silence for sometime after eating. And then of course we took more selfies and found the bathroom! We all agreed it was worth it and that we were able to go on in our journeying back down to the valley via the Panorama Trail to the Mist Trail to Happy Isle and back to Swinging Bridge. Most maps and guides suggest you start on that end because the inclines and slopes make more sense logistically and give you an easier finish. We felt that the view of the sun kissing the mountain tops would be more agreeable earlier in the day and it certainly was agreeable. I couldn't find many descriptions of the Panorama Trail itself except for "strenuous" or "difficult climbing out of the Illilouette Creek"..whatever that means. We went for it. The first 2 miles of this hike we all found ourselves separated for a bit. It was nice alone time taking in the changing colors and hearing the sound of the Illilouette Falls/Creek running in the distance. It was long. By the time we made it to the Nevada Falls and the connecting Mist Trail, we were marveling at the many types of terrain on one trail in one park in one part of the world. It was awesome. Each section of forrest was unlike any section before it.Yes, similar and green and beautiful. But the inclines were different, the direction of the sun, the terrain of the trails. Some boasted slippery steep rocks, some dusty dirt that tortured my lungs, fall leaves and then evergreens that climbed beyond what I could see, running creeks, burnt trees, muddy ground, ground laden with branches and stumps and bumps. It was all so different but each section of trail leading up to whatever point you were at seemed to lead you there. duh. But the textures and difficulties themselves seemed to prepare me for the difficulties I still had to face. Though, that was only knowable after we finished. I decided that hiking was a lot like life. It required a commitment and vision to finish. Ultimately, in the middle of a 20 mile loop, we discovered it doesn't matter if you want to keep going or not, you have to get back to the car. Additionally, the trail can be hard, you can be tired and it can, in fact, be one of the most beautiful experiences of your life. Even more so, if you're sharing it with others...There are even more hiking analogies to come, don't worry.

 From the Nevada Falls to the Vernal Falls there were more switchbacks. Yaay! Except these switchbacks weren't on a trail per say. It was just a steep hillside of large and medium sized rocks that you scurryed down parallel to the 317 ft waterfall just East of you. I feel like what I imagine a bunny would feel like if it were hanging out with spritely little chipmunks. Three points of contact at all times. We had just finished discussing that "one unfortunate spread of rocks climbing out of the Illilouette Creek" when we got to rocks that presented a far greater challenge: don't die. I managed to snap this picture of the waterfall when I pulled over to let the people who listened to the hiking books that were going UP this way rather than down pass me... Lesson learned. We got to the bottom. Hannah only minorly hated me at this point. To be fair it was only because our lunch was interrupted by scary squirrels that wanted to fight me for my food. Everyone was feeling the hunger. We took a quick break to eat some cliff bars when we happened to spot a baby mountain lion (or a bobcat) honestly, I didn't get close enough to tell the difference and happen to avoid all cats- domesticated or otherwise.
We gave him a few minutes to travel the path ahead of us before the large group of conscientious hikers waiting with us decided it was safe to proceed. Then we were at the top of the Vernal Falls. It was a sweet relief to know we were almost done as I could feel my legs starting to fatigue. Somewhere I had it in my mind that the 1.7 miles from Vernal Falls to Happy Isle was "easy". Maybe...going up with fresh legs and hiking boots is easy..maybe. doubtful though. We started by climbing down well-formed granite stairs. Mind you, I'm side stepping at this point because my backpack is heavy and my legs are just between fatigued and Bambi. Hannah was unhappy with the plunging-to-your-death-view down the steep stairs and the other two just calmly and very slowed climbed down behind me as we dodged all the bright-eyed tourists bent over huffing and puffing as they went up the narrow rocky staircase. We eventually get to the beautiful footbridge strategically located next to bathrooms! Woohoo! Feeling overjoyed with a sense of accomplishment, we decided to jog the paved trail to Happy Isle. That only last for so long. When we got to the bottom we found our selves temporarily lost, but eventually finding the car and completing our 20 mile journey in just about 12 hours!

Somewhere in between trying to fight squirrels and spotting the mountain lion, I found my brain making some distinctions. Namely, that boundaries are different than limits. I guess, only in the terms that I describe them. Because speed limits are good, but somehow my brain made a very important distinction between the two, at least in regards to me as a human being.

Boundaries are good.very good. Necessary even. In hiking, it's the fence that keeps you from plummeting 317 feet when trying to observe a waterfall. In life, boundaries keep you from being Jesus to other people and from looking to others when you actually NEED Jesus and the host of trouble that arises when either of those boundaries are crossed. I need more boundaries I am learning (a lot more).

Limits however, I actually need less. I  am truly capable of more than I know in every single regard. Physically, completing a solid twelve hour day covering 20 miles of switchbacks, steep stairs, rocky pathways and meandering meadows- I accomplished something I never thought I could do and basically without any hesitation or training. I just did it.  In life, I have also done a fair share of things I did not even know that I was capable of, sadly, not all good like hiking Yosemite. A lot of actions we simply do not view as possibilities for ourselves when it is usually those "possibilities" that can change a person. Change isn't easy. It doesn't come when everything is fine and we're coasting. It doesn't happen on the paved road with no incline or hardship. Change happens as we experience the valley, as we climb up to the mountain peaks, as we catch a glimpse of where we've been with a hope of where we're going and as we put our heads down and get to work.

I am certain there are holes in my hiking analogies, but for now this is where I am at. I won't ever forget my second day adventuring in Yosemite. If nothing else, because I have 800 pictures in our shared dropbox!

The Third day, we woke up cleaned out our cabin and ventured back through the valley stopping at Tunnel View. Which of course, was still AMAZING even though we'd experienced so much of the valley views already. We drove on down to Wawona and on to Maripose Grove to play in some seriously ginormous trees. They were huge and beautiful and impressive. We talked about how much we loved each other and trees and adventuring, how cute our matching shirts were, how delicious a hamburger was going to taste on the way home and how we should probably all try out for the Amazing Race at some point. It was fun. Then we loaded ourselves and some overpriced souvenirs into the car began our 9 hour drive home. The drive was happy and the drop boxes were loaded. Ultimately our adventure cost a total of $400 (split 4 ways) and everyone brought their own snacks. It was an amazing adventure to be certain and gave me hope for an amazing life in the valleys and on the mountains, ultimately with the very real hope of HEAVEN, face to face with Jesus! That's a much better finish than getting to the car or eating a hamburger.

"Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore, He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice. And He teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the LORD sre lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your Name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great." Psalm 25:8-11