Yosemite: Grandest of All God’s Temples by Thomas D. Anderson ‘73

Tim Ludington ’73 has been a part of , Yosemite has had its champions from its inception in 1855 “one of the crown jewels of the national parks,” for 37 years. when Galen Clark, the homesteader who was so impressed His love of the land, nature and the people responsible for with the of Giant Sequoias, successfully caring for this great national treasure was nurtured in his early fought to preserve the majestic trees from logging. His youth on the shores of Narragansett Bay. efforts soon spread to preserving the entire . During the Civil War, signed the Yosemite For it was at Portsmouth Abbey School where Tim first became Grant that protected Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove, inspired by his science teacher, Dr. Donal O’Brien – a forester the first territory set aside by Congress for public use and and avid bird watcher – to view nature as a gift that is to be preservation. In 1890, , the Scots-born naturalist, explored and preserved. During vacations while an Abbey and Robert Underwood, editor of Century Magazine, witnessed student, Tim backpacked in the Smoky Mountains of North the devastating effects of sheep grazing in the high country Carolina with fellow Abbey alumni Jay Hector, Felix McKenna and successfully lobbied Congress to set aside Yosemite as a and Ken Stier. While home on Christmas break during his national park, the first of its kind anywhere in the world. By freshman year at Ithaca College, he thumbed through that 1906, the Yosemite Grant was incorporated into Yosemite month’s National Geographic magazine and came upon an article National Park, and since 1890, Yosemite has benefited from its about Yosemite and was immediately inspired by its natural protectors and stewards beginning with the U.S. Calvary and beauty. He applied for a summer job as a laborer that summer followed by the founding of the (NPS) in and has essentially never left Yosemite, which Galen Clark once 1916. Today, the men and women of Yosemite’s NPS maintain characterized as the “grandest of all God’s temples.” the park and greet over 3.5 million visitors every year.

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Until his retirement in January 2011, Tim had been a fixture in rehabilitating and maintaining the hundreds of miles of trails and roads within Yosemite. When he first arrived, he says the beauty of the High Sierra “just grabbed me, “including sheer granite rock edifices, cascading waterfalls, towering giant sequoias, painted meadows and churning streams. When he joined the NPS full-time after college, Tim learned under the tutelage of Jim Snyder, one of the foremen who managed and maintained the 750-mile trail system within Yosemite. Some of the original trail routes were established by Native American tribes – mainly Miwok and Paiute – others by the U.S. Cavalry at the turn of the 20th century. The building and maintenance of the trail system presented unique challenges to Tim and his crews: steep topography; traditional dry-stack (non- mortar) stone wall building techniques; complicated route layouts including multiple switchbacks; transport of materials, equipment and supplies to remote wilderness sites using mules; and the feeding and care of the trail crews, etc., while keeping the environmental impact of the projects to a minimum.

After several summers working under Jim Snyder, Tim was assigned his own crew in 1980. He began working with California Conservation Corps (CCC) crews, a state-funded program for 18 to 25-year-old California residents. These crews were recruited from CCC centers statewide and were assigned to work with the NPS in the wilderness for six months at a stretch. Tim relished the opportunity to teach young adults about the value of service to the state and country, living in the wilderness, trail maintenance and masonry skills, respect for the environment, and generally being disciplined and safety-conscious while working in Yosemite’s back country. Many of the CCC workers came from inner-city and suburban neighborhoods and had never spent time in the outdoors. For some young adults in the CCC and, eventually, Americorps programs, the summer work allowed them to pay back their college loans. Soon after his supervisory appointment, the CCC and NPS crews introduced women to trail projects, which made for a better, more balanced community. This unique partnership between the NPS and CCC has grown and flourished for 32 years, and his association with it is a highlight of Tim’s Park Service career.

“May all your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the In 1997, torrential floods had a devastating impact on most amazing view, where something strange and more beautiful and more all of Yosemite’s facilities, particularly the trail and road full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you.” systems. This required Congress to earmark nearly $200 million for repairs and reconstruction to park – Edward Abbey, environmental author

PAGE 44 PORTSMOUTH ABBEY SCHOOL Opposite page: A steep, rugged trail in the Jack Main Canyon, Yosemite Left: Tim and his wife, Denise, atop a peak in the Northern Yosemite Wilderness Below, left: The National Park Service Camp and California Conservation Corps trail crew together, from the mid-1980s Below: Tim at Benson Lake in the Northern Yosemite Wilderness

Educating visitors about the environmental impact they leave on the park is an annual imperative for park employees and volunteers. Another potential threat to the enduring beauty of Yosemite is the reality of chronic, system-wide funding shortfalls and the lack of staff to manage the nearly 1,200- square-mile park. Every decision concerning the park is scrutinized by all who love Yosemite – public and private.

infrastructure, including trails. Tim’s responsibilities within the park had been greatly expanded; he was now managing over 100 employees, not including CCC workers, to manage the program of rebuilding the park trail system. He also became more involved in public-private partnerships, particularly with the Yosemite Conservancy, which provides necessary financial support to fund projects that would otherwise not receive funding via the federal government. His involvement in external affairs related to the park became more important later in his career, as he began speaking publicly about Yosemite and the various initiatives that were being undertaken.

As Tim reflects on his career, he takes great satisfaction in his accomplishments at Yosemite and for following his passion to be connected to nature and the wilderness landscape. He is concerned with global issues around climate change and In retirement, Tim looks to maintain his long-standing air quality, and has observed first-hand the changes within relationship with Yosemite. His wife, Denise, and daughters, the park’s ecosystem. The NPS has the constant challenge of Nalani, Dana and Neesa, have an unbounded love and respect dealing with the millions of visits they get annually, which is a for the outdoors and for Yosemite in particular. He continues strain on the more accessible “front” country areas of Yosemite. to work part-time for the NPS’ Fire Information Office during fire season and educates the public about fire impacts and policies. Beyond that, Tim plans to continue enjoying the outdoors, including his love of bird watching and hiking, and working on his golf game, which he recently took up. But whatever his retirement plan, Yosemite and the wonderful people who care for this special place will never be very far from his heart.

“Then it seemed to me that the Sierra should be called, not the Ne- vada or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light. And after ten years of wandering and wondering in the heart of it, rejoicing in its glorious floods of light, the white beams of the morning streaming through the passes, the noonday radiance on the crystal rocks, the flush of the alpenglow, and the irised spray of countless waterfalls, it still seems above all others the Range of Light.” – John Muir, naturalist

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