Worth it All

Being able to experience the valley so frequently and personally is something that I will always appreciate. Whether it was walking around Cook’s Meadow as the morning sunlight bounced off low clouds of fog or going thousands of feet higher via a series of blistering switchbacks.

There are small moments of peaceful beauty that are unique to a place such as Yosemite. Special moments in time where the mind is at rest and can finally focus on the here and now. The reason I enjoy Yosemite so much is no matter where you are you can find something stunning.

It’s a place where I’ve been able to reflect a lot about my own life and more importantly what I’m going to do with it. There has been a lot of new perspective gained from this journey that started from just an application and a couple of phone calls. If you would’ve told me six months ago that I would be willing to live in a tent for three months for a volunteer position I don’t think I would’ve even considered it.

While my comfort zone was nice to live in I felt like I wasn’t growing in the direction I wanted. Yosemite was my attempt to correct a longstanding mistake of not pushing myself to grow. Reflecting on all the different parts of my stay there I have to say that no matter what hardship I went through in those three months; it was worth it.

As I I sit at home now and stare off into the mountains like before I am grateful that such an opportunity presented itself. The time I spent in Yosemite will not be my last, rather I see this as just the beginning of my relationship with it. There is no doubt in my mind anymore about what draws people to the Yosemite Valley because I have now experienced it.

Time will progress but the part of me I that built while living there will remain permanent. All the thousands of people I’ve interacted with, miles hiked, and photos taken were the culmination of one decision that helped me clarify what I want from life, and more importantly how to approach the challenges it brings.