Yosemite

Mia C.
Age 14

Among the hundreds (or even thousands) of American national parks, Yosemite proved to be one of the most beautiful of God’s creations. As a camp, we hiked up to Vernal Fall. Before our 2.5 mile trek there, it began pouring rain, which was cool and within a few minutes we were all soaked and our group was divided into the “raindancers” and the wet “rain-o-phobics.” The rain then devolved into a sprinkle as we continued on our journey. As we walked, small scurrying creatures caught our eyes. Tiny squirrels ran around to the “awwwws” of the group. They were followed by much…less tiny squirrels that obviously hoarded enough food to fill a hot air balloon.

Besides the cute animals, there were clear streams rushing past rocks and massive mountains. From a distance, Vernal Fall was visible as white foaming water gushed over the cliff and joined the water below, letting out bursts of moisture and steam. The walk began to get tiring as the humidity and sweat kicked in, but the group was entertained by the beauty around us and by Professor’s life stories and nature quizzes. Along the way, people were asking about our Cam p Gilgal shirts and we gladly shared information about our faith with them. It was nice to be given the opportunity to tell people about Jesus, whether they were believers or not. All in all, this hike introduced us to incredible portions of God’s creation, adorable and amiable animals, and to the task of spreading Jesus’ name to people.