Welcome back to a monthly column focused on local day hiking destinations, that with a little imagination, will take you back in time to when our local Native Americans lived in a garden of Eden we now call home. For more hiking ideas, go to www.eastbayhillpeople.com and read the “Travelogue Blog” tab.
This month we are traveling outside the Volvon territory. On a very clear day, from the top of Mt Diablo, (a possible native name is Tuyshtak) the Volvons could see all the way north to Mt Shasta and to the South to theYosemite high country. Could a vision quest to that distant snow capped range be possible? The Volvons had heard of a place where rivers fall from the sky, and a people lived in the valley called the Grizzly bear mouth. The people were called The Awa-wah-nee-ches, meaning “The Grizzly bear” however, a more recent and reliable translation is “Those who kill”.
The Awawahneeches had everything they needed in their remote valley. In winter, they were warm in their lodges made of fragrant cedar bark slabs. Winter was a time of story telling and they would stay up late into the night recounting the ancient stories passed down from the elders.
In the heat of summer, they would head up to the high country, (today’s Tuolumne Meadows) to trade and party with the Monos from the desert below. Today you can follow the Mono’s foot steps by hiking the Mono Pass trail starting in Tuolumne Meadows. It’s a great 8-mile hike.*   In Yosemite Valley, at least 36 village sites have been located. They are generally one of three types: permanent, seasonal harvesting and hunting villages. We think that the Volvon villages found on Mt Diablo and others in the Bay Area probably served the same opportunistic purposes.
The “Indian Caves “ in Yosemite Valley are well known but have always been a tricky resource for the National Park Service to deal with. The infamous name of this rock fall cave originated for being where Dr. Bunnell and the Mariposa Battalion, lead by John Savage, who was quite a character, found an old Indian woman left behind by the escaping tribe. The battalion was amazed by the speed of the Awawchneeches climbing ability. They could scamper up the sheer rock walls that today’s world-class climbers need high tech equipment and hours of effort to conquer.
In later years, campers and their trash was common, injuries occurred, and in the 1960s the location was taken off the official maps. Today the caves are still off the maps, but if you’re on the right path, you will see an interpretive sign by the village site.
Our hike starts and ends at the famous Ahwahnee Hotel. Free shuttles can take you there from the main parking lot. These shuttles are also a nice free tour bus. Hop on and take a ride for an hour or so traveling around the park. Eventually, you will arrive at the Ahwahnee Hotel. This is your hotel because its part of the National Park. Feel free to wander around, enjoy the comfy chairs by the fire, read a book on the patio, check out the authentic basket displays that are a wonder of purpose and art. Lastly, be sure to visit the grand dining room.
There are two ways to the caves. The “Yosemite loop trail” can be accessed right in front of the hotel (just ask the greeting staff for directions) and is a real single track trail that you would find hiking the high Sierra. Head east for a short 1.5 miles and you will come to the caves. There are generally other people there and the caves are obvious.
There is a large boulder in front of the cave that has mortars on top of it, indicating a permanent village site. Take a moment to imagine a peaceful time long ago. Stay on the trail for another .7 miles and you’ll be at Mirror Lake. An easer return route is the paved road down the hill and take the paved bike path on your right back to the Ahwahnee.
If you are riding bikes or don’t want to hike a trail, go behind the hotel, across the wedding lawn to the paved bike path and head east (left) for about a mile. The Village is on your left and up the hill a bit. The interpretive sign is just past the Village.
An after hike refreshment can be found at the Ahwahnee patio bar and grill. 3200 feet above you is Glacier Point, where a huge pile of red hot cedar bark embers was pushed over the edge to create the fire falls. I can still hear the baritone yell of “Hello Glacier” and the return call “Hello Curry” from Glacier Point. “Let the fire fall” would come the baritone voice from the valley floor and soon I would see the iconic fire fall. Later that night, seeing a bear, my Dad would say I almost squeezed off the two fingers that I was clutching.
Years later, our son told us “You know the place where we would look at the stars on the night hikes? I’m going to ask her there.” I thought, damm, I did something right. A year or so later, they were married at the Ahwahnee.
My great grandma would tell us she took the stage from El Portal. Now, six generations later, our grandchildren play in the river that falls from the sky.
There are so many great books about Yosemite. Here are a few of my favorites.

Historical:
* Perhaps the best is Margaret Sanborn’s lively “Yosemite: Its Discovery, Its Wonders and Its People.” Sanborn also wrote “The American River of El Dorado,” “The Grand Tetons and her award-winning Robert .E Lee biography.
“Miwok Means People by Eugene L Conrotto. An excellent primer for all who are interested in the Native Americans of the Gold Rush country.
* The Yosemite Grant 1864-1906: A Pictorial History” by Hank Johnston. This tabletop book has many great old photos and expanded text.
* “My First Summer in the Sierra” by John Muir with photos by Scot Miller and a collaboration from the Yosemite Conservancy is another tabletop book featuring Muir’s novel along with great photos following his footsteps in his famous book.

Campfire reads :

* Muir’s “My First Summer in the Sierra” and “The Wild Muir. Twenty-two of John Muir’s greatest adventures.
* “A Journal of the Ramblings Through the High Sierras of California” by Joseph LeConte. This is a great short read, set in 1870, recounting a 37-day, high Sierra adventure by 10 UCB students and professors. Highly recommended.

Unique hiking:
Too many choices, these two are essential:
* “Trails and Tales of Yosemite and the Central Sierra” by Sharon Giacomazzi A mix of history and hiking, what could be better? A wonderful book.
* “California Hiking” by Tom Stienstra and Ann Marie Brown. The best California hiking guide you can have. Tom’s picks for the Yosemite hikes are spot on.

Photography:
Again, there are so many choices.
* I like “First Light: Five Photographers Explore Yosemite’s Wilderness,” which is excellent.
* “Yosemite in Time.” Ice ages, tree clocks, ghost rivers features side by side photos taken from 1866 to 1942 and again in 2001 through 2003 from the exact same place, time of day and time of year. Very interesting.

Pulp fiction:

* “Yosemite” by Gary McCarthy. Hey, a little pulp can’t hurt around the camp fire.

Next month, back home on Tuyshtak.
Seize the day.

Richard DeGraffenreid and his wife Anne are 34-year residents of Benicia. He is also a drummer/songwriter, photographer, cook, dad and grandpa. He can be reached at richarddegraffenreid@comcast.net.

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