The Presence of Place

When I go to Yosemite, I want to be alone with nature. As soon as I'm within the valley walls, a deep sense of peace settles over me. Every granite dome and peak looks glorious glowing in the sun. Even a nondescript spot on the valley wall below Yosemite Point is intricate with details, which I notice only because it is framed by tree branches where I'm momentarily standing. 
People travel to natural places in search for what is missing in their lives.

When I go to Yosemite, I’m constantly hiking and listening until I’m overwhelmed by the grandeur of nature. I watch the everyday life of the mountains until I feel their presence, because then I can feel the yearning of my heart.
I try to walk slowly and notice everything around me. I try to move at the pace of nature. I try to be mindful of what is present in each moment instead of hurrying as fast as I can from one inspiring view to the next, which is a problem because there are so many vistas and I want to fit them all in before I have to leave. Often I have to remind myself to slow down. Whenever thoughts about the wilderness rise, I dawdle over them to see where they are leading.
It is helpful to be in a place like Yosemite that is both simple in focus and spectacular in presentation. I value the simplicity because it is direct, and so much of life is needlessly complicated. It’s just nature and me, with no buffers or filters in between. I value the spectacular because it pulls me out of my quiet reserve and inspires me to shout and dance with excitement, which I don’t do often enough.
When I’m here, my focus is completely on nature, and I try as best I can to understand. There are no people of the land, no cultures left to guide me with their insights or interpret what I’m experiencing.
When I need to rest my eyes from the magnificent mountains around me, I watch the ordinary world of the deer in front of me nibbling acorns on the ground, and I am moved to my depths. This land, this valley, this place has existed unchanged for thousands of years.

What I discover in nature opens me to mystery and wonder. As I deepen this relationship, I begin to understand why.