Mt. Hoffman

I am a sentimental old fool that cannot help looking through old photos and smiling at the memories. Moreso when it pertains to last summer and the people that I encountered in Yosemite. I am completely enthralled by people and their stories.

But what I loved the most about my summer spent in Yosemite was the sheer sense of camaraderie and kinship between people throughout the park that worked there. As it is, there's hundreds of young folk within the park that have essentially cut off communication with their friends and family and there is no other means but to completely immerse yourself with what and who is around you. I still think that it takes a certain kind of person to drop everything and spend a summer in the wilderness, it's kind of like an adult summer camp but much much better.

The shot above was taken my last week in the park on my favorite trek up to the top of Mt. Hoffman. Mt. Hoffman is found in the Tuolumne Meadow region of the park, one of the most underrated and breathtaking locations I have ever encountered. It is also considered the geological center of the park, so I was more than excited to witness the view from it's peak.

On the hike to the top we encountered only two people. The first, showed above, worked at Crane Flats in the park. We exchanged smiles as we divulged where in the park we worked and he gave us advice about which was the best route to the top. 

The other gentlemen we met once we reached the top.  He hadn't been back to Yosemite in 20 years but without the use of the map that I had was able to point out the peaks in the distance and share a short story about his hike to the tops and name off each in succession. 

These are the stories that warm my heart and I seek to collect. We are all stories in the end. We might as well make it a good one.