We saw another party of Yosemite tourists to-day. Somehow most of these travelers seem to care but little for the glorious objects about them, though enough to spend time and money and endure long rides to see the famous valley. And when they are fairly within the mighty walls of the temple and hear the psalms of the falls, they will forget themselves and become devout. Blessed, indeed, should be every pilgrim in these holy mountains! –John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra
Yosemite National Park with its different seasons inspires distinct and varying impressions like the ever-changing light that flows across the mountains and meadows that comprise this beautiful place. Winter is white with snow, but snow and ice may force road closures. Spring brings the snowmelt creating stunning waterfalls. Summer heralds in throngs of families with school-age children. Early fall is typically cooler and drier. Crowds thin and eateries, overlooks, and trails are not as crowded. My husband, Phil, and I chose early September for our journey there.
No matter the season in Yosemite, however, there are tourists—lots of them. 3,691,191 people visited Yosemite in 2013. A park ranger told us wryly (while we were tourists there), “Of the approximately 4,000,000 millions visitors that come here each year, 3,000,000 come in June, July, and August. The other million come in the other 9 months of the year. You have come at a good time.”
Since Phil and I were not terribly inconvenienced by other tourists, we found ourselves observing them (instead of bemoaning them) while we were visiting the various Yosemite “must sees.” After all, tourists are part and parcel of the Yosemite experience.
The first and most obvious observation is that there are sojourners there from so many different countries. Phil even got to practice speaking French to a woman who asked him to take her picture at Glacier Point. Never mind that his most reliable phrase is for the professor to tell the class to sit down because he is entering the classroom. Phil says it well and with enthusiasm.
Married couples were easy to spot because they always had on some “Twinkie” outfits[1] such as matching hats, shoes, or jackets. They probably got a good deal on these items somewhere and decided what was good for the goose was good for the gander, too. Of course, Phil and I were also in this boat as we both had on Tilley hats (different colors!) and carried hiking sticks that we did not need anywhere.
Contrasting with the local firefighters who were young, fit, and tan, and had on regulation dark shirts, green pants, sturdy shoes, and 2” belts were the milieu of people sporting inappropriate footwear such as white-floriated flip-flops and bejeweled sandals. These folks looked as if they were heading out to a beach resort instead of a national park known for its scenic mountains.
There were out of the ordinary encounters that make a trip worthwhile such as seeing the mountain climbers gathering their ropes at sunrise at El Capitan and the high liner that fell (with a safety belt!) at Taft Point. A British lady outside the port-o-john told me in a whispered voice to be careful “in there” because some man had not taken his responsibility. I should have told here that in America, women do not always “take their responsibility” either when it comes to not wetting toilet seats. I appreciated the heads up anyway, however.
Of course, Phil and I were also recognizable as tourists joining the other hapless gift shop perusers fingering countless beaded necklaces and earrings and thumbing through books with excerpts from John Muir’s writings. All this we did in our zip off pants, backpacks, hiking boots, and sunglasses. We also wore “Croakies” to keep our sunglasses from falling off and getting lost. No doubt this made us look like creatures from the early Cretaceous period.
One memorable tourist-watching experience happened at Olmstead Point. Phil and I went about 30 minutes before the sunset and there were already 30-40 people there donning cameras. In between the changing light at the day’s end, there was time to look around at our fellow humans. I happened to see people silhouetted as they photographed the sunset. Once the sun went down, the event was over and interest waned.
Did we mind the crowds there? Not really. It was actually gratifying to see so many interested in the natural world and they were probably there for the same reason we were—it was worth it.
Throwback
Ever since Yosemite was set aside as a special place in 1869, tourists have been going there to have their photos taken at certain spots like Overhanging Rock and Half Dome overlooks. http://www.vintag.es/2013/03/vintage-photographs-of-tourists-on.html
[1]Hostess Brand Twinkies were sponge cakes with filling manufactured 1930-2012, 2013-present. They came 2 to a package and were identical. See more about Twinkies at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie. [Accessed Oct. 3, 2014]