One night in 1999, after my partner and I chased a bear out Upper Pines Campground, we walked back through the campsite the bear had run through.
The person staying in that campsite had just arrived and was astounded by what he had just seen. In his state of near-ecstasy, he proclaimed us heroes, then went on refer to the bear as “a beautiful piece of machinery.” He was truly in awe. After he calmed down, he told us that he had just arrived (after dark) and, having been drawn to Yosemite by the likes of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, was quite excited to see Yosemite Valley the next morning.
This man came to Yosemite in search of Half Dome and the waterfalls. Yet, I imagine that now, 11 years later, if you were to ask him what he remembers from his trip to Yosemite, it would not be Yosemite Falls or Half Dome—it would be the bear.
As the Yosemite Blog points out in point #6 of its tips on how to Make your Next Trip to Yosemite Better, those with an open mind can come to Yosemite and find something other than they what they were looking for. Has that been true for you?
Tales from Yosemite - Jeffrey Trust's Blog 
July 26, 2010 at 11:03 am
I came looking for serenity. I found community.
July 26, 2010 at 11:57 am
It was definitely true for me! My husband and I wanted to visit Yosemite to see the amazing scenery. I absorbed everything we saw and did in the park. My little family (my husband and two dogs) was on a very defined plan, but I discovered what I really want out of life at Yosemite: travel, adventure, pure enjoyment of the world. We came home and decided to scrap our original plans for the next decade and started pursuing our dream path. We just bought land out in the country on which we’ll soon build our dream home (a log cabin home), we’re planning our next visit to Yosemite (next summer!), and we’re figuring out which other national park we’ll add to our “visited” list (also next summer).
I definitely found more than amazing scenery in Yosemite. I found the life I was meant to live 🙂
July 26, 2010 at 1:22 pm
I wasn’t expecting anything on my first visit back in the ’80s. All of a sudden Tunnel View happened. I almost lost control of my vehicle as I tried to choke back tears of awe. Ironically, I also didn’t expect the traffic jams down in the Valley, and I didn’t get around to really visiting the Valley until years later!
July 26, 2010 at 6:21 pm
I came on a whim…I got hooked. I found myself, my preferred career path, my values, my friends, my recreational interests and my joy. Yosemite is the best thing that ever happened to me. 🙂
July 27, 2010 at 2:39 am
We visited Yosemite in 07 with my mind focused on hiking Half Dome but when we were leaving the park we passed through Tuolumne and it struck a chord.
When we visited again last year we stayed at Curry again but also spent a few days at Tuolumne Lodge and among other things were lucky enough to join a Ranger led hike to Lower Cathedral Lake.
I suspect that we won’t even stay in the valley on our next visit…too much to do around Tuolumne.
July 28, 2010 at 9:26 pm
I was camping down on the South Meced about five miles west of Wawona on my gold claim in 1984. We had a visitor that night, a young black bear. We had pulled the food up on a tree limb but the bear went after my backpack and my cigaretts in them. I learned not to leave anything on the ground. The small bear was very wild and ran off tearing through the brush upon investigating the noise. Something I’ve never reported, I found Jade there in the ’80s in the area where Bishop Creek and S. Merced River meet. Jade had also been was found down river near HWY 49. Jade is much rarer than gold.