Rise and Shine: Day Three

Day Three

Rise and Shine

By: Audrey Garcia

Arg136@txstate.edu

Steps traveled: 17,117

Fun Fact: Sequoia trees are the largest trees on Earth by volume, but have very shallow roots about 3-6 feet deep.

A sunrise above Yosemite Falls

A group of us woke up around 5 a.m. Tuesday morning with the intention to see bears prowling in the Halfdome meadows. Unfortunately, there were no bears to be spotted. I did, however, make friends with a tiny field mouse. I was sitting on a rock as this little mouse would run back and forth between me and a post about 8 feet away. As I was sitting, watching the gorgeous sunrise, the mouse would scurry over, look at me as if it wanted to climb into my pocket, and as I looked back at it, the mouse would run away. This occurred about six times before we finally left the area to walk back to camp.

Since we didn’t see any bears, we turned our attention to an orange-glazed horizon, and witnessed a glorious sunrise over Yosemite Falls. I got a few pictures, but they don’t do the majestic mountains justice. As the sun reached the tips of the mountains, my body and mind became invigorated. It might have just been the cold morning, but I was ready to walk around and start another adventure with my partner Sam.

A great Sequoia tree at the Mariposa Grove

Into the Heights

After the sunrise, we met up with the rest of the group at 7:30 a.m. by the vans to travel to the Mariposa Grove. I was very excited to hike through the grove as it was the center of my mobile storytelling piece. The Mariposa Grove is a newly restored masterpiece that shows off some of nature’s greatest trees, the Giant Sequoias of California. After years of visitors trampling on these giants’ shallow roots, the Sequoias were beginning to die. So, about three years ago, Yosemite National Park along with Yosemite Conservancy, decided to restore the grove with beautiful boardwalks and hiking trails. These renovations not only helped the trees but made the grove more accessible for all types of visitors at the park.

I became overwhelmed with emotion several times while hiking the grove. The beauty and wonder of these giants, that are thousands of years old, astounded me. Their presence made me grateful to be alive and their greatness made me emotional. I cried and prayed over the protection of these magnificent red tinted giants, as I view their lives as spiritually significant to humanities connection to the Earth.