Without Suffering Anything Worth Minding
Reading about John Muir making a snowy climb up Half Dome in “The Yosemite,” makes me think about my current snowy adventures.
Muir notes that about five feet of snow has fallen in the valley the night before his adventure to summit half dome. He considered the conditions, and decides to go for it.
“I had matches in my pocket, and that a little firewood might be found. I concluded that in case of a storm the night could be spent on the Dome without suffering anything worth minding, no matter what the clouds might bring forth.”
I love that phrase: “Without suffering anything worth minding.” That absolutely describes my experience in the 2023 Blizzard that closed Yosemite National Park.
I won’t lie, there were moments of discomfort during this series of storms. Sleeping in my 15 degree rated sleeping bag in my bed to stay warm comes to mind. Filling up water containers from the ranger showers because the pipes first froze and then remained buried by snow is another. The worse part of the whole event was the uncertainty of how long it would last, how bad it would get, and how long my resources needed to last.
Those situations all add to the story, one not of suffering, but of experience. When the goal of the day is to stay safe and warm, it puts all the other anxieties in perspective.
Through this blizzard I have not feared for my safety, instead acutely aware of my surroundings and resources. It has also pulled me very close with my neighbors and coworkers. Human connection is always worth celebrating in my book.
This series of storms has shaken the high Sierras and the lands surrounding them. First it was immense amounts of snow in a very short time, them large amounts of rain on top of that snow causing rockfalls, avalanches, landslides, and flooding. Yosemite National Park is closed because it is unsafe to recreate. The people here working tirelessly on making sure the roads are cleared, residents have what they need, and making sure the buildings are structurally sound, and emergency vehicles can still get through if there is a need. Thankfully, everyone has made safety a top priority and though tired, the mood here is positive.
I am back to work manning the closed gate, communicating updates throughout the park, clearing off areas around my entrance station, keeping morale uplifted, and serving in anyway that I can.
I am thankful for this experience. I have suffered nothing worth minding. Instead I focus on the incredible experience gained and the comradery formed during this 2023 Blizzard that closed Yosemite. I am proud of my self-reliance and adaptability during this series of storms.
I love my job and I’m thankful to serve. My adventure in Yosemite through these first few weeks has been dynamic, intense, and wonderful. Everything a ranger could ask for.
