Sam wakes up occasionally to ask me what time I think it is, but I don’t want to think about it. It is easily the longest night of my life: at one point I feel bats fly over my head and I hear a great rustle maybe fifteen feet away. In the morning, we’ll find our bear canister ripped from its hiding spot in a tree and thrown clear across the river. But I don’t dare turn on my flashlight. I feel protected and terrified all at once and it is thrilling. I learn that I like being poised on the brink of action, I like the power of waiting. I like the feeling of being suspended in a world much bigger than I ever knew it could be.
Yosemite National Park, 209-372-0200.
To reach a ranger press 3 then 5.
