WildLink May 2025: New Village Girls Academy
On a clear Sunday morning in Los Angeles the group from New Village Girls Academy came together at their school to join WildLink for another year of exploration, growth, connection, and challenge in the Yosemite Wilderness.
The drive was long, but music and excitement filled the cars as they made their way to the Sierra Nevada. We were expecting a group of thirteen but an extra group member decided to join the team and accompany the New Village Girls on their voyage. Pancho would prove to be an essential part of the team. The group arrived at a busy Yosemite Valley where they met with their guides and educators and settled into their cabins at Curry Village for the next two days. The next morning the group prepared for a four day expedition as the weather forecast promised cold temperatures and snow. Knowing what the weather could hold the group prepared with everything they needed to stay warm and dry.
The group hiked out to McGurk Meadow on Tuesday, it was also the day forecasted to be the coldest and with the possibility of snow. The morning was clear as the group woke up in Yosemite Valley, but as the day went on clouds began to form overhead and the wind picked up. The group knew they were racing the storm as they made their way to where they would camp. As they made their way along the trail, clouds grew and enveloped them in gray but they stayed motivated and were able to get to camp with enough time to set up camp and sheltering tarps to stay out of the snow. There were mixed feelings among the group about the weather, unsure of how long the cold would stay, but everyone agreed that it was beautiful. That evening the storm broke and the group was able to cook dinner and go to bed without any precipitation and partly cloudy skies gave them windows into the starry night.
I will miss when us girls (Zuly, Wendy, Des, Ari, & Val) went up to the rock at night in the snow and it was really nice just talking to them. Enjoying everyone's different personalities all combined together when we hung out.Belinda Medina Vaz-Murillo
Wednesday morning was sunny, promising a warmer day. As the day progressed and clouds built in the afternoon, the beautiful views became more dramatic. The group was excited for the sun and a good way to be warm out in the wild is by moving, so they went for a four mile round trip to Dewey Point. The fresh snow from the previous day did not last long and the hike to Dewey Point was mostly clear of fresh snow except for some pockets of older snow here and there. The group made it to Dewey Point with high spirits and took in the dramatic views of Yosemite Valley still framed in clouds from the recent storm. Dewey Point, with its awesome views and powerful sense of vastness, inspired the group to get back to camp and take in as much of Yosemite as possible by sleeping outside their tents. Building a fire that night was welcomed by the group and they spent the evening around it warming up, eating dinner, and connecting with each other.
Yo me quiero llevar el sentimiento de valorar a las personas y las cosas que tengo a diario, también que tengo que acostumbrarme que todo no es tan fácil como parece y que tengo que esforzarme para conseguir las cosas y cuando las tenga disfrutarlas.Valentine Ramirez
I want to take with me the feeling of valuing the people and things in my day to day, also that I have to get used to not everything being as easy as it looks and I have to push myself to achieve the things I want and when I have them cherish them.
As the week went by the days got warmer and warmer, and Thursday morning was brighter than the last. The group decided to take a rest day on Thursday and spend the day by the creek and around camp. Watercolor painting is a great activity to do by a beautiful water source like Bridalveil creek and the group enjoyed doing a little painting as well as writing and drawing on the WildLink group journal. Laughs were had, hair was braided and bonds were formed. Thursday evening brought another fire to culminate the last night in the backcountry and the group welcomed it once more with conversation.
Expecting a long drive home the group rose before the sun on Friday morning to pack everything up and begin their long journey home. The trip proved to be a challenge that everyone in the group should be proud of accomplishing with such style. Finishing the trip with laughter and high energy. The group got back to the trailhead and had a little closing circle with their educators, then jumped into their vehicles. As the group pulled out of the trailhead parking blasting all the music they had been craving and screaming goodbyes and thank yous to their educators they were full of life, happy to have gone on the trip, happy to be back, happy to be in Yosemite, and happy to see their friends and family again soon.
Stories
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