Yosemite National Park

In my quest to expand my ecological footprint as much as humanly possible, I made a brief but worthwhile trip Yosemite National Park last week.  A standard tour consists of driving through the Yosemite Valley to and then up to Glacier Point.  Both these areas offer visitors the chance to take short walks which grant them superb views of some of the spectacular granite cliffs and waterfalls that dominate the park.  While such sights are awe-inspiring and their accessibility is convenient for those who are handicapped, elderly, or intoxicated, the dense throngs of visitors creates a Disneyland theme park-like atmosphere in many of the viewing areas.  If isolation is what you seek, you will not find it in Yosemite Valley or in the lofty granite peaks of Glacier Point.   The expansive Yosemite Wilderness is a more suitable environment to attain solace away from the crowds that populate the paved roads and campgrounds.  But for now, with the compound fracture of my tibia and fibula still healing, I’ll have to stick to the main roads and contend with the crowds, saving the wilderness for later.