Yosemite Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea

Ken Burns' Yosemite National Park
Burns says after recalling his first glimpse at Yosemite Valley, "I've never in my life felt the way I felt at that moment. It was like losing your virginity, or becoming a parent for the first time. You think you know what it's like to make love, or be a parent, and then you come to realize you really had no idea."

After visiting Yosemite National Park twice within the last five years, I know exactly how Burns felt. I first saw Yosemite in the spring during a massive snow melt. It was freezing cold as we drove through 10 foot walls of snow that had been carved out by snow plows, and yet the temperature in Yosemite Valley was a balmy 75 degrees. The thundering waterfalls were deafening and breathtaking all at the same time.

I went back to Yosemite during fall foliage the second time around. The intimidating waterfalls I saw in the spring were mere trickles of water, and El Capitan was void of any snow. I was awestruck by the sheer beauty of Yosemite, realizing that although attempting to tame it from a photographers point if view, it was also wild country. To this day, past or present, I have never seen anything quite so majestic.

How did Yosemite get its name? In 1851, armed white men reached a valley in the Sierra Nevada mountains they called Yosemite, thinking – mistakenly -- it was the name of the local Indian tribe.

John Muir and President "Teddy" Roosevelt
"In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt accompanied Muir on a visit to Yosemite. Muir joined Roosevelt in Oakland, California for the train trip to Raymond. The presidential entourage then traveled by stagecoach into the park. While traveling to the park, Muir told the president about state mismanagement of the valley and rampant exploitation of the valley's resources. Even before they entered the park, he was able to convince Roosevelt that the best way to protect the valley was through federal control and management.

After entering the park and seeing the magnificent splendor of the valley, the president asked Muir to show him the real Yosemite. Muir and Roosevelt set off largely by themselves and camped in the backcountry. While circling around a fire, the duo talked late into the night, slept in the brisk open air of Glacier Point and were dusted by a fresh snowfall in the morning—a night Roosevelt never would forget," says Wikipedia.

Conservationist John Muir founded The Sierra Club in 1892, remaining its presidency until his death in 1914.

How Many National Parks Have You Been To?
There are a total of 58 national parks spread across the country, in addition to two territories. Some like Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine are small, others like the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska are huge, encompassing nearly 13.2 million acres.

I've been fortunate to visit 8 national parks so far. How many have you been to?

• Grand Canyon, Arizona
• Saguaro, Arizona
• Sequoia , California
• Yosemite, California
• Haleakala, Hawaii
• Acadia, Maine
• Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina
• Shenandoah, Virginia

Ken Burns' National Parks Documentary
The six-part, 12-hour series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" by Ken Burns and narrated by Peter Coyote, will continue nightly until Friday, 10/2. Check your local PBS listings for times and information. Here's a brief preview of what to expect:

Part 1, Sunday, September 27th, The Scripture of Nature (1851-1890)
The sumptuously filmed history of America's national parks begins in 1851, when California's beautiful Yosemite Valley started to attract people who wished to exploit the land, and others, like John Muir, who believed it should be preserved.

Part 2, Monday 9/28, The Last Refuge (1890-1915)
The years 1890 to 1915, when many Americans feared industrialization would negatively impact the country's pristine lands, are recalled. With Congress yet to establish authority or appropriations for park protection, a conservation movement begins.

Part 3, Tuesday 9/29, The Empire of Grandeur (1915-1919)
The years 1915-19, when the conservation movement successfully pressured the federal government to create the National Park Service to oversee the nation's national parks, are recalled.

Part 4, Wednesday, 9/30, Going Home (1920-1933)
The years 1920-33, when the automobile enabled more people to visit the national parks, are recalled. Included: National Park Service director Stephen Mather pushes to build more roads in the parks.

Part 5, Thursday, 10/1, Great Nature (1933-1945)
The years 1933-45 are recalled. Included: the Civilian Conservation Corps are created during the Depression to undertake renovation projects in the national parks; NPS biologist George Melendez Wright pushes to reform the NPS's wildlife policies.

Part 6, Friday, 10/2, The Morning of Creation (1946-1980)
The series finale covers the years 1946-80. Following World War II, the parks see a dramatic increase in visitors, resulting in a billion-dollar campaign to improve facilities and infrastructure.

Written by Donna Diegel
Sources: pbs.org; wikipedia.com