September 27, 2018
Mirror Lake and Tenaya Creek Loop
Total distance walked: 6.5 miles
“The moment my legs begin to move my thoughts begin to flow.” —Henry David Thoreau
Today I was blessed to enjoy a hike with my husband. We strolled around Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park. The colors of autumn surrounded us: golden browns, tawny yellows, and dark greens.
The trail.
The conversation flowed easily as we walked through the glacier-carved canyon.
Ahwiyah Point
When I walk alone, I don’t have the pleasure of chatting. Instead, words go through my mind.
Autumn colors.
My mind is a bit chaotic at first—the grey matter is in overdrive. My heart pumps faster—the cadence of my inner speech in tune with my limbs. I make mental lists of things I want to do or need to do, places I want to go. Random questions pop into my head about the things I see. Bits and pieces of song lyrics bounce around my brain. Snippets of remembered conversations play out and evolve into an inner monologue.
Chickadee
By the second or third mile, the kinks have been worked out. I slow my step. My mind calms to prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving for my surroundings.
When there are no more words, and the prayers have been said, my mind settles. I move in thoughtlessness, allowing the sights, sounds, and smells to wash over me. I gaze at God’s beauty. The emotion of contentment overtaking me.
The rock in Mirror Lake–now a sand pit.
Chris and I began the hike on the north side of the trail walking deeper into the woods towards Tenaya Canyon. Half Dome peeked through the trees. The trail crossed a bridge over waterless Tenaya Creek bringing us to the south side. We shuffled through the rubble of the Ahwiyah Point rock fall before reaching Mirror Lake. Mirror Lake had completely dried up leaving a pit of sand (dilly, dilly) where the reflective waters once stood. Walking across the arid lake, we headed back to the car satisfied with our first walk of autumn.
