Day 3

The biggest trees I have ever seen and a conversation with a Yosemite housekeeper

The entrance to the Mariposa Grove Trail
Photo by Ashley Bowerman 

By Ashley Bowerman
atb63@txstate.edu

Miles traveled: 42

Temperature: 75

Work produced: 23 pictures, 14 videos, 2 interviews, and an Instagram post

Missed Opportunity: hiking the entire Mariposa Grove Trail

Mariposa Grove 
It was an early morning in Yosemite Valley. We were up by 6:30 a.m. and eager to start the day in Mariposa Grove, the land of the sequoia trees. The drive to the grove from Half Dome Village, our tent cabins, was about an hour long. A short bus ride to the top of the mountains dropped us off at the start of the Mariposa Grove Trail. The Sequoia trees lined the walkway of the trail and stood upon us like statues. These trees are 3,000 years old! We captured as much of the beauty as we could through the lens of our cameras, but nothing can beat the views of these trees seen through the human eye. It was such a peaceful, and pleasant way to start our third day in the park.

On the drive home, we stopped to take a picture on the side of the road of two mountain tops that framed Half Dome. To the left of the scenic view was a waterfall, where I found a woman that stopped to eat her lunch. I loved this part of my day because I was able to capture someone who was being real and in the moment. She managed to find an area of the park that wasn’t crowded and take in the views.

A hiker stops to eat her lunch and enjoy a view of the valley
Photo by Ashley Bowerman

A housekeeper at Yosemite

After returning home from Mariposa Grove, I stopped to talk to Yosemite Housekeeper Liza Devlin who was picking up trash right around the corner from our campsite. I sat down and talked with her about her job at the park, and how important it was to keep Yosemite clean. She had so much to say about how tourists need to respect the park as if it was their home, and not just a temporary place to stay.  

The remainder of the day consisted of another interview with a female park ranger, and gathering b-roll footage of trash I found in the Yosemite Valley. My coming goal is to get an interview with a junior girl park ranger and a volunteer in the park. Today was such an amazing day. The Sequoia trees are something I have dreamt of seeing my whole life, and now I can check that off my bucket list. I’m thoroughly enjoying my time in Yosemite and the unknowns that lie behind every corner of this beautiful place.