As we arrived at High Sierra RV Park in Oakhurst, CA to establish our campsite for my Yosemite National Park trail running adventure, I realize I will have an 1.5 hour drive each way and soon discover that a tree removal operation is in progress on the road to the park, adding an additional 1/2 hour (each way) to my commute.

 Now, as a recovering alcoholic one of my “character defects” is looking at life with a glass half empty frame of mind. So my first thought after discovering my logistical error was how this distance to and from the park would be a major inconvenience for me. Rather than focusing on how grateful and fortunate I am to have these wonderful experiences my mind tends to go to the negative end of the spectrum first. Its like looking through the wrong end of binoculars. Everything is small, distant, hard to see and frustrating because I cannot view clearly what I’m looking at or trying to find. But over the years and practicing the art of positive thinking I now have the ability to recognize my binoculars are backwards at times. I can quickly turn them around, focus on what is truly important. Viewing things in a positive (half full) perspective my attitude towards situations, people and unforeseen circumstances is now beneficial, a chance to learn something new and to view these things as an opportunity and not a setback.

While I don’t have control and power over most things in life, I DO have the power and control to change my attitude. This, then leads to gratitude. The practice of viewing life on life’s terms with a positive attitude opens up my ability to appreciate all the wonders, miracles and beauty of this world! How can one not feel a sense of gratitude when in a state of joy, awe and excitement of what’s going to be around the next bend in the road?

Just to be clear. It has taken me years to discover this concept. And while I’ve seen many others speak about it and follow it up by putting this practice into action, the only way my mindset changes is when I continually practice and put an “attitude of gratitude” into action on a daily basis. Just as alcohol and drugs used to make me “feel good” (until they didn’t, which was probably 25 years prior to me getting sober) the authentic, unfiltered feeling I get from the practice of a positive attitude and being grateful for each day leaves me filled with joy and contentment with others and myself. This to me is truly feeling good! So, that’s the attitude and gratitude part. Now I’ll turn to the longitude and latitude part of this journey! YOSEMITE!!

Friday and I head to Yosemite National Park and set out to explore the valley, enjoy the majesty of this remarkable place and stretch our legs after a two-hour drive.

Due to the enormous amount of snow fall this part of the country received over the winter the waterfalls are in full force and much of the valley floor is flooded and rivers, streams and creeks are overflowing their banks. Due to a “no pets on unpaved trails” policy within the park Friday and I wander along the Mirror Lake Trail and wind up at what used to be the Awanhee Hotel, but is now named “The Majestic Hotel of Yosemite.”

As we leave the park for the day we stop in El Capitan Meadow and gaze in awe at the little dots (rock climbers) on the massive granite wall known as El Cap. My friend John has done this several times and refers to his experiences on the face of El Cap as “spending four days in the vertical world.”

Due to rainy weather, weekend crowds and facing a long commute to Yosem, Friday and I opt to remain in Oakhurst over the weekend and return to the park next week. However, as I’m not one to sit still for very long we venture out on Sunday for a little trail fun run! The Lewis Creek Trail is close by and as Friday and I scamper through the woods, boulders and creeks we manage to knock out a 6.2 miler. But not without incident! As I re-cross a section of the creek, which is a bit precarious with several logs and a rope guideline, I slip (with little Friday in my right arm) and wind up waist deep in cold water! Friday is fine and not even wet, but it dawns on me within seconds that my iPhone is in my back pocket.

Now this is when my attitude gets tested. Rather than return to Yosem on Monday, I spend the day trying to get my phone replaced. I cannot honestly say I remained positive and grateful during this experience, but I was able to shrug it off pretty quickly and ready to prepare for my trail running assault on “4 Mile” Trail (9.1 miles round trip…I know the math doesn’t add up) the next day.

Well, what do they say about “best laid plans”? Tuesday’s temps are in the 80’s in Oakhurst and Hobbes is parked in the sun with no shade, which means it’s too hot to leave Friday inside. Time is running out for me to nail this trail run dedicated to my mother and the Alzheimer’s Association she supports. With Cindy’s help Friday gets to go to another “Doggy Daycare” on Wednesday and I get to attempt this challenging trail run which gains about 3,000 vertical feet in a little over four miles.

As I start out on the “4 Mile” trail the temps are mild (mid 60’s) and I’m feeling overdressed in long sleeves and long pants. It doesn’t take me long to go from a run, to a jog, to a quick hiking pace as the elevation increases. I move passed several hikers and the trail becomes less congested as I continue upwards. The views are breath-taking (as is the climb), but I try to refrain from stopping to take too many photos on the way up as I will be coming back down along the same route. But this is easier said than done as each switchback reveals more stunning views!

I reach a point on the trail that reads “Trail closed beyond this point.” I quickly make the decision to continue on as there is evidence that others have disregarded the sign and are ahead of me going for the summit of Glacier Point. Now I feel the gratitude of having this adventure in nature among the magnificent beauty of Yosemite devoid of other people (even though I know there are others ahead of me on the trail). The trail constantly slopes upward and snow begins to appear along the sides. It also begins to narrow and some of the sheer vertical drop offs engage my hyper focus to the point that I am aware of nothing else except my breathing and where to place my feet next.

Turning another corner of granite, timber and bushes I meet three hikers contemplating a section of this path covered in hard, crusty snow. There are glazed over tracks from hikers, but its apparent that they are at least a day old and that no one has ventured across this steep sloping snow field today. The sun has been warming the snow for an hour or so and as the afternoon wears on it will continue to melt and soften it. No one is going and as I hold an internal debate with myself another hiker walks up. He is carrying poles and is equipped with good hiking boots, where I am wearing my Altra Lone Peaks (which are awesome on mountain trails, but not intended for ice climbing) and have only a flimsy wooden stick to aid me across this treacherous section. He is reluctant, and at this point I should have listened to the voice inside my head, which was saying “don’t go”! But thinking about being a 1/2 mile from my objective of reaching Glacier Point I decide to cross.

The first ten yards I feel confident, but as I take my next steps and the snow is hard and difficult to establish good foot placements upon, I fully realize I am taking a big risk! I fight to ignore my peripheral vision which is saying “look down there and see how many thousands of feet that is” and my mind saying “whatever you do, DON’T LOOK DOWN!!!” Talk about hyper focus, I am so dialed into to making sure my next step won’t be my last that I am no longer aware of the surrounding sounds, smells, temperature and the others watching me as I attempt this unwise and risky maneuver. I am not even aware that the fingertips of my right hand (my uphill hand) are completely numb from digging them into crusty, sharp snow crystals which later throb for days from over exposure to the freezing snow. But there is no turning back at this stage as the footing would be impossible to reverse without losing my traction. And as I take my final steps and reach the other side, I am relieved for about ten seconds before it dawns on me that I have to re-cross this section on my return. It will be later in the day and the sun will be working on that snow field, possibly making it even more hazardous that it already was when I just crossed it.

I wave to the guys on the other side and start to continue my push to the summit. A hundred yards up the trail a huge tree has fallen across my path blocking it and making it difficult to determine where the path leads. I take a break, sit down, eat a few handfuls of gorp and re-evaluate my situation. Reluctantly I make the decision to turn around now while I still know those guys might be there in case I get into a tight spot coming back across that snow field. As I round the corner they are still there and I dread the thought of walking back through that section. Breath, relax, I tell myself. Try to see the solution, not the problem that lies ahead of me. I notice it might be possible to climb down below the snow-covered trail and bushwhack my way to the other side. I do and am met with polite applause as I regain the trail safely! An enormous sense of relief washes over me followed by a very real gratitude for coming away from this situation unharmed. I am flooded with an energy that makes me feel fully alive! I don’t think of myself as an “A” type personality or an adrenaline junkie, but this is how they must feel!

The rest of the run is fueled by this shot of adrenaline and I run back down over 3 miles almost non-stop. With the run from the parking lot to my turn around point a 1/2 mile shy of Glacier Point I manage to hit my target of 10 miles for my wonderful and supportive mother who asked me to run for the Longest Day Foundation which raises money and awareness for Alzheimer’s patients and for research.

Having a positive attitude helped me figure out a safe way to negotiate my way out of a bad situation (even though it was of my own making) and gratitude allowed me to realize how fortunate I was to return without injury feeling  so alive, joyful and awestruck by the spectacular beauty that is Yosemite!

HAPPY TRAILS!!