Dreams

“This track has shades of Yosemite about it,” I said thinking about the water and the steps in front of us. “What’s Yosemite?” asked Paterson.
“Pan let me tell you about a dream I have. One of my dreams is that one day you and me and your mum and your sister will do a big walk up onto the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. 

We’ll starts down in the valley, there are big trees down there and long grass in the summer. every way you walk is up. The Half Dome path begins by moving through the trees on the valley floor and then starts to open up. There are a lot of stairs; they start shady, then become hot and sandy, then at the waterfall they get wet. This section has steadily building park views as you climb. 

After that you walk away from the valley and into the mountains a bit, the views close in and it’s kind of like a normal bush walk for a while. You still have to head upwards, however it's not a steep or hectic. The trail folds and flows steady around the back of the mountain, it’s a long way. 

Finally the trees, bushes, water and even dirt all drop away and the path leads onto naked rock. The very last section of the climb is a huge curved boulder that is too steep to walk up without holding onto the chains that are stapled into the ridge. From the bottom this looks like a large curving wire that leads up over the smooth cliff  and into the sky. 

Once you’ve done that you’ll be on top of the Half Dome and feel like you can see the whole world. I’d love to go and do it with you and the family one day. Do you have any dreams?”
“In my dream I get lost and chased by a Giraffe.”
“Ok Pan man, let’s keep walking.”