Three Fools and the Captain

Yosemite National Park is a vast and magnificent universe located on the western side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is only proper to speak of Yosemite as its own world. Any day hike to one of the massive peaks or cliffs, which overlook the entire valley and expanse that is the park and surrounding mountain range, will make it clear that you are in a foreign environment.

The feeling can be quite overwhelming, putting tremendous strain on the brain as it processes the data being sent for analysis. However, the mental tunnel vision vanishes when you find yourself among the hordes of tourists that pop up every so often. They tend to hover around Yosemite Valley and Camp 4 as mosquitoes tend to hang around stagnant water-and they are also just as diseased, only in different ways.

Tourists are an effective buzz kill to the high that comes from looking out across Yosemite and seeing what is evidence for a flat world. Just beyond the rolling gray and green landscape, there is a dimly glowing yellow line, which runs infinitely across the horizon.

Two friends and I had just finished hiking trails, dusty veins under the canopy of pine trees, which lead to prime locations that allow one to be mesmerized by the infinite yellow line; an ominous golden streak that cannot be overlooked.

The sun was planted firmly in the sky when we arrived at Yosemite Falls. Just another spot packed full of tourists, but the closer we got to the large pool at the bottom of the falls, only a few tiny groups remained.

In order to get to the large pool that caught water from the lower falls, a person had to traverse large, slick rocks that had piled up over time. Pat, Mark, and I ran recklessly towards the falls, jumping from one rock to another. My shoes had lost much of their grip as the mist gently fell on the weathered boulders. I nearly slipped off and tumbled into the creek that was flowing away from the falls. It would've been a terrible mishap; one that would've required a hospital visit, but I remained focused and managed to move so fast that gravity couldn't keep up, smiling like a goon the entire time.