Walk with Sandra: Yosemite National Park - An Educational Visit, California, USA

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Yosemite National Park - An Educational Visit, California, USA - 2-7 March 2014

Above left: A heart-shaped cavity on the wall of El Capitan;

Above right: Half Dome view from the meadow

Yosemite is no doubt a place of beauty and history and I remain enchanted even on my fourth visit there. This time around, I went as a chaperone for a group of junior high students. Our group's program was led by a NatureBridge educator. It was a new experience for me to be with these young adults for 6 continuous full days. Although the experience was taxing, thanks to sleep deprivation, a lack of down time, and physical fatigue from the daily hikes, it was overall still a fun and restoring time for me to reconnect with nature.

The kids learned a lot in just a week by getting out of their comfort zone. I noticed a positive change in them over time. They became more optimistic, worked better as a team, learned perseverance, communication, and trust, and gained new attitudes and perspectives about themselves and nature. Many of them were inspired by the silent spirit walk on the meadow - for these teen-agers, this was a chance for them to listen (to nature and to their inner voice) and learn in golden silence. They also discovered the spirit of stewardship - I loved how enthused the kids were about picking up other people's trash. I chuckled when a boy said to his buddy, "Is that another acorn cap (you picked up)?" The kids also learned about the scientific research process (observations, hypothesis, and constants/variables) in a fun and engaging way. The NatureBridge educator taught them games as a transition to learning. I was also fascinated to see the students conduct field science research on Tenaya Creek. They tested its water for PH level, turbidity (clarity), dissolved solids, oxygen level, and temperature. Physically, they conquered a challenging 6.5 mile hike on snow (in some parts, there was as much as a foot of snow on the ascent) and climbed through 2 dark talus caves over the week.

Personally, I enjoyed the hikes, outdoor picnic lunches (one of them on snow - a first foray), gorgeous scenery, and awesome cool, crisp weather (thank God it only rained twice at night the week we were there). I was also grateful to see bright stars (and a shooting star!) on our night hikes. We saw deers and a bobcat on the trail too. Nature is SO amazing. I loved the calm and serenity and I have no one to thank but God for His wonderful creation. He has touched the hearts of each and everyone of us at Yosemite. Glory be to God.