In my Junior year of high school at Glendora High in 1975, I was absent almost as much as I was in attendance. I was definitely a teen "at risk". My father & mother had reconciled and his alcohol and related health problems began to take a toll on my life. I didn't really care about school and I didn't really want to be there. Previous to that point, I'd been a good student and my grades were mostly As & Bs. My math teacher saw that something was wrong and she informed the school counselor that I needed an intervention of some kind. I met with the counselor and she recommended me to the Upward Bound program out of the Claremont Colleges. I interviewed with the Assistant Director, a man named Ray Stupin, and shortly thereafter, I was accepted to the program.
I was invited to live, work, backpack and play in Yosemite National Park - specifically in the southern park of the Park in the Wawona area. There were 16 students in which I was a part of and 4 staff members (Winnie Adams, Doug Ridley, Ray Fenton, and Bob - who's last name, I'll need to find in my journal). At the time in my life, I was extremely shy and timid, almost afraid of my own shadow. To (safely) swim upstream of waterfalls and to give a talk on a tram were terrifying thoughts for me - but I did both of those things!
This is me giving a talk on one of the trams in the Mariposa Grove. Look at that baby face!
Now whenever I look up at El Capitan, it's surreal for me to remember that I was atop this amazing monolith! The photo (below) is faded through more than 30 years of time, but it WAS taken on top of El Cap. It was my first backpack trip and we took the trail from the Old Big Oak Flat Road to near Ribbon Creek - which becomes Ribbon Falls. We slept there that night and then swam atop Ribbon Creek in the morning!
The next day, we hiked to El Capitan (when this faded photo was taken). The view is so amazing. We then hiked to Eagle Peak - the top of the Three Brothers - where we spent the second night. It was a rocky surface on which to sleep but the view of the alpine glow was so peaceful and the stars at night seemed so close.
In the morning, we didn't eat but hiked over to Yosemite Creek and made breakfast. What can't be seen from the Valley floor is there's a bridge over the creek (which
is more of a river!) above the falls. Looking over the bridge is not a thing to do if you're afraid of heights. After breakfast (see photo at left) we spent a little time dipping our toes in the river and then we headed down to the Valley floor via 135 switchbacks! I was the slowest one in the group - but I made it. When Doug Ridley lifted that pack off my back, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
(In another post, I have some "borrowed" pictures from people on webshots that show the falls from this trail.
Yosemite Falls trail - borrowed photos )
The next day at work in the Grove, my muscles would cramp up whenever I'd sit too long on the tram. Those 135 switchbacks were murder! Someday I'd like to take that hike again - but after 30+ years, 5 babies, and too many pounds on my body, I'd have to be in much better shape than I am now!
That summer in Yosemite changed my life. It wasn't always easy but I learned so many lessons that I apply to my life even today. I've given my children (and husband) the "gift" of Yosemite and we've visited there many times since. But it all began with a bunch of kids who had very little in common except the need for something positive in our lives....
The photos above (from 1924) are of her being held by her father (on the left) and her mother (on the right).
