My last epic Yosemite run...

This morning I was able to partake in the last of my epic Yosemite runs (for now at least). I accomplished a huge goal of being able to run to the top of Nevada falls without stopping or hiking! I continued up the Panorama Trail to Glacier Point, then came down the 4mile trail and back to Curry. I think it is about a total 17 mile loop! I am excited about getting back home and racing! I am signing up today for a half marathon in Charlotte in September, and seriously considering doing my first Ultra in October!

BUT, two interesting things happened that I need to note:

1. I ran into like 5 different Asian people with huge obnoxious bells on their backpacks coming down the Panorama trail. I had a hunch, but it finally annoyed me so much that I just had to stop and ask why the heck they were doing that. Of course, I got the answer, "to avoid the bears and animals." I don't exactly know what to think of this yet. I mean, I can understand the fear of wild things from a person who has lived in the city their whole lives and heard about animal attacks and what not. At least they are getting out onto a trail, loud obnoxious bell or no bell.

At the same time, it kind of made me a little angry and sad! But I know that I can't hold it against them, I need to seek to understand better this fear that they have. Are they just ignorant to the true nature of a Black Bear? Where does their fear come from?

2. I was running today in my Carolina Gamecocks softball shirt and I run into a guy wearing a Clemson shirt! It was funny because I stopped and said, "so i notice your shirt...." and we just laughed and said "the rivals meet even in the backcountry of california!!" It was funny stuff...

Last day of work tomorrow, crazy crazy that this summer has gone by so fast and been so incredibly awesome.

High Sierra Feast

Shimmering snow patch behind blue sky.

Red rock bleeding green sheets and purple.

Jagged peak topped powdery, fading into rounded rusty summit.

Faces and features as far as the eye can see.

Around the bend! Eyes lie on emerald green pools fed by a Sapphire lake, lush, tucked in by green meadows.

A carpet folds out in front.

Yellow carpet speckled with blazing pink. Then blue carpet making way for purple.

Scarlet Gilia, Mountain Penstemon, canvas of Indian Paintbrush.

Popping Lupine! Make way for the narrow path!

Intimidating pass looms ahead, not so distant.

Polished granite kissed by its glacial past.

Sticky sap of the dwarfed needle pine pleases the nose.

Shhh! the soft voice. Clicking through groves of Quaking Aspen-

yet another crystal-laid alpine lake!

Razor ridge line, slicing bright blue sky.

White cirque carved through black banded array.

Trickling stream as the ice bowl retreats.

Sinking sun pours golden caps on the rocky Teets, Minarets, and high San Joaquin.

Evening star invites the rest, the universe lays out as a sheet.

The bright band of billions ushers in my peaceful sleep.

And I wake up to find, His glory divine.

Grateful soul, fully satisified by a High Sierra Feast.

The AWESOMENESS

Here is the awesomeness of this week:

1. I got to lead some climbs which was a big goal for me this summer. Thanks broc!!! He's an awesome teacher!

2. I just got a letter in the mail from a visitor who went on a couple of my programs saying thank you, with pictures of me in action. It almost made me cry, it makes it all worth it!

2. The last few nights I have had a sweet British family at my films and we have chatted for a while after. They said I can come visit them in England anytime, and the high school girl and I are staying in touch over facebook and email

3.Got up and went climbing with my roommate Monica this morning. We did a fun 5.10b on toprope and just did laps on it! Felt really good to do a hard climb. Jumped in the river after!

4. I am coming home in seven days and I'm so happy! Have had a blast of a summer and love where I am going back to, so life is good.

New Stuff

So I am counting down the days now...seven days until I'm heading back to the beautiful NC. It is a little harder to work this week because I find myself looking so much foward to our fastpacking trip this weekend, as well as really excited about coming home and going to Mo's wedding!
It is easy to get an attitude like, "ok, i'm almost done, I've done my programs a ton of times now, I can just cruise on through to the end" But, I don't want to fall into that. Even though I may only do my program one more time, I still want to try new things and make it better.
I had some great feedback from a wonderful British lady with a sweet family the other night at my climbing film program. She suggested that since the film was a little dated, it needed to be more interactive for the kids and needed something to bring more understanding about the sport of climbing to people who have never done it. Especially bc the film talks about "petons, cams, nuts, protection, etc"....so why don't I have those things to show what they are???
DUH, I should have started out with an introduction of what they were going to be seeing, having actual petons on one side and cams and nuts on the other side- my talk neededs something tangible! So, next time I play the film, I am going to incorporate climbing props since I have them available for my use!
Also, I am playing around with my star program conclusion to have more of a "so what" at the end, talking about what our part is in preserving dark skies, and having some practical ways that people can get involved and care.
Yesterday I go to do a good bit of informal interp. I went out to the Lower Yosemite Falls trail with Jen and Jenna and we did some family activities about the watersheds in Yosemite. I liked it a lot. When doing informal interp, you really have to know your stuff bc people ask all kinds of questions! You also need some good hooks to keep people interested.
No one showed up for my Wee Wild Ones last night so I just ended up laying out the bear skin, skull, and paw and letting people come up and check it out, and tell them cool bear facts, and answer questions. I really had a lot of fun with it, and I even got tipped $12! It was awesome!

another sierra adventure

This weekend brought about another great sierra adventure! A very generous friend let me borrow his car, so Friday morning early I took off up to Tuolumne to climb with Broc, Glen, and Meghan. Broc was awesome and took off the wall early to come and meet up with me and let me lead some stuff. I lead a 5.6 crack called "puppy dome" to warm up, then later in the day we went to Daft Dome and I lead a few 5.7 and 5.8 cracks, and one had a fun 5.9 slab portion with a lot of Glacial Polish that was super cool! Learning to lead Trad was a big goal for me this summer, and I'm so thankful that Broc took the time to help me learn! Awesome!

Saturday I woke up early and drove over the Tioga pass to meet up with Meghan (my boss) and Bryan her bf to go for a long, Eastern Sierra running adventure. We did about a 20 mile loop that was absolutely indescribable. Big canyons, lots of high alpine lakes that are emerald green to deep turquiose blue in color, lined with almost white granite. Lush green high alpine meadows with thousands of colors and shapes and sizes of brilliant wildflowers. It was so beautiful. Beyond anything I have ever laid my eyes on! We ended the day with a beastly run down, a recovery in June lake, and a big pizza and a beer to top it off!

It was so fun to be with such awesome people. I am so thankful for Meghan, she has really made my summer such a sweet time. It is really fun to be around her!

My time is winding down and I have about 10 more days left in Yosemite! Crazy it has gone by so fast.

tourons are people too!

Sunday...I the official end to the week. I sit here in my office at 10:00 on the computer because I decided to cancel my star gazing program tonight due to lots of clouds and a HUGE full moon.
I had a great day (after my attitude adjustment described below) I had this renewed love for Yosemite's tourists again and I couldn't wait to go to work today and have conversations with people. I am supposed to hang out at the Ahwahnee hotel on sunday afternoons and ask people if they have questions about the hotel or the park, and just have some good conversation with visitors. I usually only stay for about an hour then make my way back to the office for research and program time. But, today I ended up staying around for over two hours just talking with different folks, and I had a blast!
I am learning that if you are going to work at a national park, or anywhere where your job is to serve visitors, you have to keep an appreciation and love for your visitors. I have to remind myself that people are here from all different walks of life, excited about being here, and eager to have fun...just like I am! Most of them are getting an experience of a lifetime, and I get to be a part of that for them.
When I lose sight of that, I lose that passion and motivation for my job. People just become annoying "tourons" instead of people having a significant family vacation or a couple on their anniversary trip, or a group of kids in nature for the first time....I am finding that whatever I do, I can not do my job well if I am not loving the people I am serving.

Attitude Adjustment

Had a bit of a frustrating weekend as I twisted my ankle pretty good bouldering on Thursday, and had a hurting knee on top of that. I was forced to say no to a lot of opportunities to go climbing and backpacking and running...which was so stinkin hard since I only have about two weeks left here in Yosemite. But, its crazy how the Lord turns everything good because slowing down for me is the hardest thing in the world to do, even though I tell the people here to do it all the time...sit back, relax, enjoy nature, rest in this moment...etc, but I find it so hard to do myself!
I ate a HUGE piece of humble pie yesterday, as the valley was crowded with weekend traffic and tourists everywhere, it was hot, and I was hurt with my panties in a wad bc my plans got wrecked. So here I am zooming around the bike paths on my bike, all annoyed at the number of tourists in my way, when turn a corner and have a close collision with a lady walking.
I stopped to make sure she was alright, and I felt bad, but I still had this attitude like...dang tourists need to watch where they are going!
Then she looked at me and said she was ok, but that I needed to "slow down, it's a pretty place, why are you in such a rush! slow down."
My first wicked instinct overtook me and I said "its different when you live here"
Then I thought to myself, ARE YOU SERIOUS? Who am I? I am in no rush. It was my day off, I had no where to be, nothing to do, yet I feel a need to rush around with my panties in a wad bc things weren't going exactly my way? Have I forgotten what a privilege I have been given to be able to live and work here in awesome Yosemite? the place people come from across the world to see?
The truth is I have.
It is so easy to lose sight of things, its kind of ridiculous. Needless to say, I had a small breakdown, repenting for my lack of gratitude, thanking God for my health...the fact that I can go out and run 15 miles and hike across mountains and bike and do all of these wonderful things. So many people out there are not able to do what I get to, I am so richly blessed.
Thank God for attitude adjustments.