Giving Back and Standing in Awe: Vamos a Yosemite 2024

Category: Blog, branching out conservation for everyone, Nature for All, Outdoor Equity, Partnerships, Vamos Afuera, Yosemite

By LandPaths Staff

August 21, 2024

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This year, 20 people, including six youth, participated in the trip. 90% of the participants had never been to Yosemite before.  

Seeing the rock walls of Yosemite for the first time is one of the most awe-inspiring experiences in the world, and the early hours of the trip were infused with shock and wonder at the unmatchable beauty in all directions.    

“I never thought my first time camping would be in Yosemite!” said one participant. “So glad that LandPaths does this!”  

Sometimes LandPaths is asked why take people to Yosemite when our mission is to foster a love of the land in Sonoma County. Well, a few years ago, a regular Vamos Afuera participant mentioned to Omar Gallardo, the New Audiences Manager at the time, that he’d never been to Yosemite. Would LandPaths ever lead an overnight camping trip there to make it possible for people who might not otherwise get the experience?  

Never one to pass up the opportunity to be of service to his community, Omar set about making the request a reality. He developed relationships with staff at Yosemite National Park, lined up transportation and camping sites, and later that year, led the first ever Vamos a Yosemite trip out of Sonoma County and east to the Sierras.  

And it’s happened annually for more than six years since! The priority, as then, is always to get people out who have never been to Yosemite before – to connect with the land and deepen that relationship with the natural world in California.  

Back to this year’s trip: Later that Friday evening, we set up camp, many getting cozy in tents and sleeping bags supplied by LandPaths to make sure that everyone was comfortable. We were camping in the Yellow Pines campground, outside of the main campgrounds in the valley that are generally pretty crowded in August. Because we were volunteering at the Awhanee Village the next day, we got to enjoy a less-crowded campsite within walking distance of the banks of the Merced River.  

Soon, a community dinner was planned and cooked. The first night, we ate delicious tacos with a perfectly marinated meat supplied by LandPaths. There were mild and (very) hot salsas, beans, and chips enough for everyone. Later, we hung out around a campfire, looking up at the night sky and marveling at the sheer number of stars – so different from the view in the city.  

The next morning, we all woke up bright and early, eating quick breakfasts and packing lunches and water, and then making our way to the Indian Village of the Awhanee next to the Yosemite Valley Museum, where we were set to volunteer for a few hours as a way to give back to the park. We were met there by Rangers Ben, Kate, and Daniel. Ranger Ben has worked with Vamos a Yosemite for many years, and he had a long task list ready for us.  

It was a very special day. Ranger Ben let us know that we’d be cleaning up the picnic tables, ceremonials sites, and village areas in preparation for a special arrival. A delegation of walkers were set to arrive at the Indian Village in the early afternoon, after a 60-mile Mono Lake to Yosemite Valley Cultural Traditional Walk.  

Vamos participants worked hard to get the site ready, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, raking, moving debris, chopping wood, cleaning out the stream to get the water flowing, and more. It was a hot day and we were definitely sweating by the end! [You can see the work we did in this video on Instagram.] 

Later, Ranger Ben took us on a cultural resources tour of the village, where we learned about the native plants that sustained, and continue to sustain, the Indigenous people who have lived in Yosemite since time immemorial. It felt like a privilege to be able to walk through the ceremonial long house on the site, and to learn about the importance of the wooden structure to the local Indigenous people. 

After the day of hard work, we took a short shuttle ride and then walked the rest of the way back to the campground – stopping to take photos along the way of the stunningly beautiful vistas in the Yosemite Valley.  

Before dinner, we cooled off from the hard day of work with swimming in the Merced River. It was so much fun splashing around the clear, cool water of the river. Those that didn’t swim, sat on the sand chatting and talking and basking in the beauty of our surroundings. Later, we ate another community dinner – this time, sopes made by hand by women in the group. They were so delicious, especially topped with nopales salad and salsa made with tomatoes grown by Anastasia at Jeff’s Community Garden.  

That night, we told silly stories around the fire and laughed until our stomachs hurt. A few people made smores, roasting marshmallows over the fire and trying not to burn them too much. There really is nothing like good food, being out in nature, and a fire, to build new, enduring friendships.  

“I was thrilled to celebrate eight months at LandPaths as the New Audiences Manager with the Vamos community in Yosemite,” said Danny Chaparro. “This trip was my first campout with LandPaths, and more specifically, my first time camping in general. This allowed for so much curiosity and joy for both the participants and myself and made the trip that much more memorable.”   

“I’m glad I was able to make this trip because now I feel comfortable coming here again with my family,” said another participant.   

What an amazing weekend in Yosemite! Thank you to the Community Foundation of Sonoma County, Yosemite National Park, Ranger Ben and Ranger Daniel, for helping to make this trip and the volunteer experience possible!  

Partners

Vamos a Yosemite Participant

" I’m glad I was able to make this trip because now I feel comfortable coming here again with my family. "