My National Park Memories: Timeless Moments Awakened by a Photograph
How one photo sparks a lifetime of reflection
From pixels to the past: how photos keep my memories alive
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been scouring my photo libraries - both digital and print - for memories of past trips to our National Parks, National Monuments and other public lands. Each old photo brought back memories — some warm, some heavy — all part of the adventure of my life.
What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it.
— Gabriel García Márquez
Sharing my walk down memory lane: unforgettable and cherished in many ways
A Yellowstone pilgrimage with my brother (September 2018)
I promised my older brother a trip to Yellowstone National Park after I “retired” from my full-time position at our local college. We spent an entire week exploring the park - and probably visited all the major sights and more.
Looking back, some of the best moments were simply spending time with a brother I didn’t get to see often. Visiting a National Park gave us that chance—and now we have memories we’ll always cherish.
*To enjoy the photos in a larger format, click on it.
Photo 1: watching the buffalo roam freely across Yellowstone’s landscape Photo 2: my brother enjoying the big bear chair at a local bookstore in West Yellowstone. Photo 3: strolling the boardwalk through the surreal landscape of the Midway Geyser Basin.
My most lasting memory? Reconnecting with my brother.
A backpack trip on the John Muir Trail through Yosemite (August 2012)
Backpacking through Yosemite while it rained every day is a test of spirit, grit, and perspective—a wilderness experience transformed by unusual weather into something both raw and unforgettable.
Four of us backpacked a 35-mile section of the John Muir Trail from Reds Meadow to Tuolumne Meadows over four days and three nights. This section of the trail is known for its challenging terrain and beautiful scenery, including Lyell Canyon, Donahue Pass, and Marie Lakes.
It rained every single day of our hike. Our clothes, our gear—even our tents—were constantly soaked. Every evening, we had to wring out what we could and try to dry things the best we could, only to put them back on damp the next morning.
Setting up camp was always a race against the rain, and cooking became a soggy ritual under dripping trees. Campfires weren’t even a consideration—everything was too wet to burn.
Although it was August, the nights in the Sierras can be cool. Rain drummed on the tent like a thousand fingers, and my sleep came in bursts. In the morning, I would peel open the tent flap and look out at the dampness. If we were lucky, we had some dry clothes to put on.
But somewhere in the middle of the discomfort, something shifted. I began to laugh at the absurdity, to embrace the squish of my heavy boots, to feel alive in a way that only this wild and inconvenient nature allowed.
On the morning of the last day, all we had to do was hike about 6 miles through Tuolumne Meadows to meet our ride to our car. Slivers of sunlight seeped through clouds. Of course, now that the trip was over, the sun shone on us.
My most lasting memory? The rain - but it did not ruin the trip—it was the trip.
*To enjoy the photo in a larger format, you can click on it.
Photo 1: our tents in the rain (note raindrops on my camera lens) Photo 2: trying to dry out our clothes Photo 3: the final miles through Tuolumne Meadows. Photo 4: Finishing the hike. We were starved and looking forward to ice cream.
A rim to rim backpack hike in the Grand Canyon (October 2005)
Twenty years ago, my husband convinced me to backpack the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim over three days and two nights - with camping at two different campgrounds along the trail in the Grand Canyon. At that time, I had no idea what I was getting into …….as far as hiking below the rim at the Grand Canyon.
Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim from the North Rim to the South Rim is an iconic and challenging trek covering about 24 miles with an elevation loss of 6,000 feet down to the Colorado River and then climbing 4,500 feet up to the South Rim.
I wasn’t new to backpacking—I’d tackled the Presidential Range in New Hampshire and completed the Northville-Placid Trail in New York — but hiking rim-to-rim was a whole different challenge. Unlike most hikes, we descend first before climbing out of the canyon. While the downhill seems easier, it’s tough on your knees, quads, and glutes. Then comes the brutal ascent to the South Rim. This unusual reversal (starting down and finishing up) can make the hike seem less difficult than it really is.
We were fortunate to reserve campsites at two different locations along the route, which allowed us to break up the hike and manage the difficulty more effectively. Mission accomplished although it was quite the adventure.
Photo 1: Hiking below the canyon rim, flanked by massive sandstone walls. Photo 2: a photo of me in front of huge rock along the trail below the rim.
My most lasting memory? The sheer grandeur of the Grand Canyon — its vast size, breathtaking beauty, and overwhelming immensity.
Stay tuned for more details on our return to the Grand Canyon this Fall. The adventure continues.
Thank you for sharing my walk down memory lane.
Outdoors with Jenn is always free, but if I wrote something that resonates with you, I am happy to accept a cup of coffee. Thank you for reading.
This is what it is all about: "But somewhere in the middle of the discomfort, something shifted. I began to laugh at the absurdity, to embrace the squish of my heavy boots, to feel alive in a way that only this wild and inconvenient nature allowed." Beautifully said, Jenn.
These are some great photos and I really enjoyed how you connected them with your memories of the adventure! I’ve definitely had trips drenched in rain. It leaves an impression, to say the least!