A Personal Reflection on the Park that Inspires Sierra Rec Magazine
Today, as we turn the calendar into October 2024, we pause to celebrate the 134th birthday of Yosemite National Park. The 134th anniversary might be a number too many, but in so many ways, it is not just the anniversary of its establishment but the birth of an idea that forever transformed how we experience and protect the natural world around us.
For me, Yosemite is more than a collection of towering granite cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and ancient groves. It has been the heartbeat of our story, our inspiration, and a place of enduring wonder as I continue to explore the Sierra Nevada.
A First Visit to Yosemite
When I first visited Yosemite with my family 15 years ago, it felt like stepping into a painting—surreal in its beauty and timeless in its presence.
I remember standing at the base of Bridalveil Fall, the water thundering down, mist rising like breath from the land. My kids explored the slippery rocks, getting drenched in a typical early summer runoff in the valley. That first trip wasn’t just about witnessing nature; it was about connecting to something deeper, awakening in me that Yosemite wasn’t simply a destination but a living, breathing experience to be discovered.
It’s a place where you can hear the whispers of the wind in the ancient sequoias or find solitude in the hidden valleys, streams and lakes of the Cathedral Range. Like so many others, I fell back in love with the wilderness there.
From those early moments in the park, a seed was planted. Over the years, each trip back to Yosemite revealed a new layer of its magic. The solitude found along the trails in the Cathedral Range, the way light dances off the granite at sunset, and the humbling scale of El Capitan became part of a personal narrative.
It’s that narrative that led to the founding of Sierra Rec Magazine. Soon after we started blogging about our trips and sharing them on social media, Friends, fellow travelers, and even strangers began asking, “Where did you go? How can I experience this?” The stories we shared about our adventures in Yosemite’s wilderness became the foundation of what is now Sierra Rec.
Yosemite taught me something essential: that our connection to nature is not just visual or physical but deeply emotional and spiritual. On our recent odyssey through the backcountry, I visited Bernice Lake for the first time. The emotional charge that I felt as I sat lakeside, weeping with joy at what I was visually seeing and experiencing, is what my visits to Yosemite are all about—connection to earth.
Standing at the edge of Yosemite Valley, I’ve felt dwarfed by its grandeur, yet intimately connected to something ancient and powerful. And in that connection, I found purpose—both personally and professionally. Sierra Rec was born from that spirit of sharing these profound experiences with others, helping people discover their own sense of awe and wonder in the Sierra.
As we celebrate Yosemite’s 134th birthday, it’s a moment to honor not just the park itself, but the visionaries who fought to protect it, ensuring that it would inspire generations to come. This idea of preserving something so beautiful, so wild, and so vital resonates deeply with everything we do here at Sierra Rec Magazine. Yosemite is the cornerstone, the muse, the enduring symbol of why we care so deeply about the Sierra Nevada and its preservation.
For me, the spirit of Yosemite is in its constancy, its resilience, and its capacity to stir the soul. Whether it’s hiking to the misty base of Vernal Fall, taking in the ethereal beauty of Tuolumne Meadows, or simply watching the stars flicker above Half Dome, Yosemite gives us more than just memories—it gives us perspective. It reminds us that there are places in this world that defy time, that hold us in a moment of awe, and that challenge us to protect what is sacred.
On this 134th anniversary, I feel both gratitude and responsibility. Gratitude for the many adventures and moments of peace Yosemite has given me and the responsibility to continue sharing these experiences with all of you—our readers, fellow adventurers, and stewards of this wild land.
So here’s to Yosemite and to the spirit of adventure that lives within all of us. May we continue to find wonder in its landscapes, inspiration in its trails, and motivation to protect its legacy for future generations.
Happy Birthday, Yosemite. You’ll always be where it all started for me—and Sierra Rec Magazine.
Please enjoy a few of our Favorite Photo graphic moments in the park.
