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DISPATCHES FROM

YOSEMITE: ALONE

WITH THE BEARS

AND BEAUTY

The glacier-carved valleys of Yosemite National

Park have been closed to the public for nearly

three months and a few dozen lucky kids have

had it mostly to themselves.

Locked down amid cascading waterfalls and

giant sequoias, the kids and their families have

passed afternoons hiking empty trails, rafting in

the river and walking with wildlife now thriving

in the near absence of humans.

Expect to read all about it in the upcoming

edition of the Yosemite Valley School newspaper,

the product of one of America’s most historic

and unique public schools.

The only school inside the 1,200-square-

mile (3,100-square-kilometer) park has three

classrooms for 35 students in K-8th grades —

the children of Yosemite’s essential staff who live

in a residential area of the park and are watching

over it while it’s closed.

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