Pinnacles National Park: April 30, 2016
My husband and I travelled to Pinnacles to honor my beloved friend, Laura York, who died of a rare form of liver cancer last September. She received two Masters Degrees from Antioch University Seattle, one where her focus was researching the impact of climate change on our national parks. Laura was a park ranger at the Pinnacles conducting trail maintenance and working at the visitor's center. The Pinnacles was her favorite national park, which says a lot.
Laura always loved road trips too..like this one that we took in Oregon.
As Keith and I were hiking the Old Pinnacles Trail to this spot on Balconies Cliff, I imagined Laura working the same trail that we were on. I was happy knowing that my feet were on the same soil that hers had been on ten years or so ago. This spot where we stopped captures so much of what she loved: trees, trails, giant volcanic rocks, and rock climbing (the climbers are on the ridge to the right). It hit me that day that I will no longer have new memories of her, only old ones. I decided that day to return each year on her birthday to be with her. Considering how beautiful of a place it is, I will be going back more often than that. Until next time, Laura.
