#RSRSeesTheUSA Day 38: Yosemite National Park, CA

rsr sees the usatravel diariesexperimental writing

Apr 13

Oh, how far I’ve come from the Rachel of Day 13 who was anxious about not knowing where to stay the next night. Tomorrow, I’m checking out of my gorgeous A-frame Airbnb outside of Yosemite, and I don’t know where I’m going to sleep at the end of the day. And I feel fine about that.

A photo of the interior of an A-frame house with various warm colored furniture and home decor and a green-filled view out the window.

A photo of a bed tucked into the roof of an A-frame. There are soft neutral colored linens on the bed, and the small window over the bed shows leafy trees outside.

I need to be in San Francisco at least by Sunday, and I was planning to head there as my next stop, but I’m not feeling pulled to spend a bunch of extra time in an urban space after getting out of LA, and I’m trying to make space for that feeling. Do I try to stay around the area of Yosemite? Do I look for a place to be based closer to San Francisco without the pressure to “see all of San Fran”? Is there something

I’m going to think about and sleep on it and make a call tomorrow morning. And it’s not making me feel anxious right now. And that feels like an accomplishment worth celebrating for this anxiety-prone person.

Instead I’m going to appreciate the remaining time I have in this warm and cozy space. I’m going to enjoy how tired my body is after a day of steep hiking up to Vernal Falls on my out-of-shape legs, the last stretch of which was on slick and icy rocks. I’m going to think fondly about my single serving friends, Nathan (dad) and Aiden (kid), who did a bunch of hiking and chatting with me today about everything from the icy conditions to pandemic hobbies to travel goals to national park stories. I’m going to reminisce about how cool driving through Yosemite Valley was, seeing waterfalls and ice-covered rocks and towering cliffs and post-fire trees.

I’m going to remember this view (of Vernal Falls from the highest part of the path that felt safe to climb… see all that grass rimed with ice?) including the mist rainbow and the roaring falls and the cold mist on my face and the bright red wood of the fallen tree in the rushing river.

A photo of a waterfall on the right with a rushing stream flowing downhill toward the left. The sky above is bright blue. There's a mist rainbow over the wet rocks, and the grasses on the right hand bank are in shadow and rimed with ice.

A close-up photo of a broken tree trunk in a rushing river. The exposed wood from inside the tree is a bright blood red.

A wideshot photo of Yosemite Valley, with green trees in the foreground, towering gray rocks throughout the valley receding into the distance, and a smeared white cloud taking up much of the sky.

Cloud of the day: this white smear (at right) that took over much of the sky throughout the day, looking like it was a lens flare or a smudge, but actually just… being a cloud.

Creative Writing Corner:

The things that had made her worry took a welcome break, and she noted it and celebrated.

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road trippingparks & naturecross-country travelsmental health

Rachel Ropeik

Rachel Ropeik is an educator, adventurer, facilitator, experience builder, and pirate (🏴‍☠️) who coaches curious people and their organizations to dance with uncertainty and change.

http://www.rachelropeik.com

#RSRSeesTheUSA Day 38: Yosemite National Park, CA

#RSRSeesTheUSA Day 39: Oakhurst, CA

#RSRSeesTheUSA Days 36-37: Limekiln State Park & Big Sur, CA