Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

My favorite memory with Jahn undoubtedly has to be the time he pissed off the side of the highway at the entrance to Yosemite. We were meant to take a trip to Half Moon Bay, but when confronted with traffic on the bridge, traffic that only would have taken an hour of our time, we decided we’d rather triple that wait time and head up to Yosemite instead.

When Jahn first suggested it, I almost felt disappointed, no way he actually meant it, but one of my favorite parts about Jahn is that he always means what he says. Unless it’s past nine pm. Yosemite was breathtaking, the air literally so fresh that I felt myself choking on it. I saw snow for the first time, and Jahn taught me how to pack a snowball. We overlooked the endless valleys, peered up at cascading waterfalls, and watched the sun set through the gaps of trees and against the backdrop of ageless hewed mountain ranges. I saw every piece of my joy and excitement reflected on Jahn’s face, and despite how cold it continued to get, I was hesitant to leave.

Despite having another three hour drive ahead of us, I was still so excited because Jahn is one of my favorite people to drive with. We are both losers who sing along in the car, even to Country. Even to the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack. There isn’t anyone else I would have wanted to take that trip to Yosemite with; from the spontaneous idea, the laughter between us, and the shared love of nature -I wouldn’t trade that day for anything. Even if I had to witness his crime of peeing in broad daylight, in view of every passing car.

Though I was bone tired by the time we got back to campus, and Jahn had to ditch me to babysit visiting students, our trip to Yosemite remains possibly not only my favorite memory with Jahn, but one of my favorite memories at Berkeley.