1905.

1905.


USGS marker (Nevada Falls, Yosemite.)

This is one of my favorite pictures that I have scanned in. By far the best part is the date: 1905. I love being out in places like that and imagining those people figuring out where the trails should go or using their best math to figure out elevation. Sometimes I imagine them all travelling through, west-bound, laying trails or roads as they go and after the 150th night in a tent, someone's kid whining and asking what was wrong with Virginia.

Former coworker Craig once told me a story about how he was hiking with some guy we both knew, and eventually, the conversation turned to poop. As it is wont to do after 7+ hours of relieving oneself in the backcountry. Craig was complaining about how much hassle it is to poop while hiking, what with all the digging and burying and what have you, and if you're not female and used to it, all the squatting and packing-up of the toilet paper. The other guy just sort of scoffed and said, "oh, it's easy. I just poop with the stream running by. It feels good."

As ridiculous as that is, in 1905 everyone probably pooped in the waterfall.