Hetch Hetchy Nature adventure

Hiking is one of my favorite pastimes. I love to hike locations that are out of the way and not over populated. Last fall a group of friends and I headed to Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy valleys. I love Yosemite, don’t get me wrong, but the amount of human energy and thought forms in Yosemite Valley is very heavy and uncomfortable for me. The current “leave no footprint” trend promotes taking out what we brought with us, leaving no trash behind, but doesn’t address our “energetic waste.” As an intuitive, I believe we need to take our thought forms and energy with us as well. And by that I mean taking with us our thoughts, emotions, anxieties, anger, frustration, despair and more. With thousands of tourists traveling every year in Yosemite, the valley floor is full of energy “debris.”

Hetch Hetchy, on the other hand, has pristine energy. While many environmentalists don’t like the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which was built in the early 1920s, there is something to be said for no Winnebagos, campers, hot dog stands, tour buses, trash, parking lots and pollution. As far as my intuition goes, the dammed water hasn’t blocked the actual flow of energy moving through the valley. Hetch Hetchy is only a 20 minute drive from Yosemite.

If you haven’t hiked Hetch Hetchy, you’re in for a inspiring experience. The gorgeous azure blue water of the dammed lake is flanked on either side of the valley by majestic granite peaks. For those metaphysically inclined, granite has a healing quality, so just being there for the day feels like having a Reiki attunement.

The day hike I like starts at the dam and continues to Wapama Falls, which is a 4 mile round trip. The hike starts by walking across the dam, going through a tunnel in a mountain and continuing along the edge of the valley to very spectacular falls. If you want to see the falls, make sure you make your trek in spring and summer. Later in the year the water dries up and you can miss the action. The park system has maintained the trail and even built wooden walkways near the falls so you can get a close look. If there is a breeze, you will be misted.

After hiking to the falls, my friends and I had lunch and then had a meditation together. Heavenly. One the way back, we met some park workers that had been repairing the trail. This is what “rush hour” at Hetch Hetchy looks like.

We stayed in Evergreen at the Evergreen Lodge. This a great place that is located away from the Yosemite masses. They offer cozy cabins, a restaurant, an activity center with internet access. They also provide nightly activities for their guests, such as an outdoor fire and all the ingredients to make S’mores. Check them out at www.evergreenlodge.com.