Wednesday morning

Thinking about things:

This is an old postcard of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. I think this photo had to have been taken on the morning of a winter solstice. To have such colors present on this day had to have come about because of nature's timing and betterment--a fine deed offered to us and most especially appreciated by us when we take the time to notice and see.

Cathedral Rocks. Yosemite Valley, California, in the winter.

This year's Winter Solstice is on December 22nd. Tomorrow morning.

Just so you know, my sweet sons Brandon and Shanan and I used to visit Yosemite during the Winter Solstice. For many years, we drove to the valley the day after school was out for the three of us for our winter break. Each year we spent Christmas Eve there. Most likely sitting on folding chairs in the Yosemite Lodge auditorium and watching the 7:00 p.m. movie about bears or waterfalls or campers in the valley during the Depression. And then heading across the way to our cabin by a small meadow for a early night's rest.

Here are some of the things we did pretty much every year during our 3 or 4 days in our beloved Yosemite:

1. We rode the 9:00 Yosemite Valley shuttle bus up to Badger Pass around 9 or 10 in the morning.
2. We spent the day skiing: Brandon and Shanan downhill and me cross country along the Glacier Point Road that was closed for the winter.
3. At around 4:00 we took the Yosemite Valley shuttle bus back down to the valley.
4. We had some kind of snack from the Lodge store and then wandered around the grounds or rode the shuttle to Mirror Lake or Curry Village until it was time for our dinner at the Cafeteria.
5. After dinner most nights, we rode the shuttle to the Ahwanhee Hotel and sat in the very prodigious lounge while we warmed our hands by the grand fireplace. Some nights we walked around the grounds. Or wandered around the hotel.
6. And on occasion, we went ice skating at Curry Village. [Oh dear me. One year, Shanan fell and landed on his head and suffered a concussion. Poor dear Shanan. He threw up all night.]

And sometimes, we hiked. In the snow.

1. We hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls.
2. We hiked cross country along the Merced River.
3. We hiked around Mirror Lake.
4. We hiked [in snowshoes] at Badger Pass. With a ranger. To a place where we could see Half Dome and Cloud's Rest and beyond.
5. One year [when Brandon was in the 8th grade and Shanan was in the 6th], we hiked the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point. [This trial is usually closed in the winter. But there had been a severe drought and the trail was clear of snow and OPEN.] We knew it would begin to get dark on the north side of the valley around 4:00 p.m., so we planned our hike with just the right amount of time to go up and down in daylight. Going up was fine. The switch back was wet in places but manageable. On the way down, though, some ice had formed in places that had become shaded. For a time, I watched Brandon and Shanan slip and slide and bounce on their behinds on the trail in front of me and felt so good I had not fallen. But, at one point not too far from the top, I slipped on some slushy ice and fell on my right arm. And broke it. After a few minutes while my sweet boys hovered and fastened a plastic bag with ice onto my arm, they helped me up and with one son on each side of me, we hiked down the rest of the trail. Very slowly. It was dark when we got to the bottom of the trail. And, for the record, the three of us drove me to the Yosemite Medical Center: I sat in the driver's seat and worked the clutch, Brandon shifted and Shanan steered. [This driving arrangement was in place when we drove home as well.]

And, as Shanan commented:

I remember that hike down with your broken arm. I also remember how we initially laughed at you for falling, and only later realized that you were hurt. I remember learning to shift the following January as I dove with you to Malcolm X until your cast was off.

Many years we went to Yosemite 3 times a year -- Winter, Spring and Summer in the High Country.