Michael, 11, looked at me with wide eyes as I was about to pass him and his family on the trail in Yosemite. “Excuse me,” he said, "but do you know about how much longer?”

I was hesitant to give an answer because there are multiple parking options, and in my effort to get out early and in a haze of under-caffeination, I had taken the wrong trail myself to start, so I accidentally hiked an extra two miles before even getting to the trailhead for my long day hike to Glen Aulin.

I checked with his parents, Emily and Mike, to see where they had parked, once that was established, I could pretty confidently say, “Two-ish more miles?”

This perked Michael and his sister, Leah, 9, right up. They were heading back from a four-day/three-night backpacking trip to Waterwheel Falls. Emily told me they'd just moved to Yosemite three weeks earlier. The park is their backyard. I cannot imagine that—so breathtaking. Emily is a nurse practitioner working at the clinic in the valley, which primarily takes care of the park staff and tourists who need medical attention while in the park. Mike is currently the family’s "chief backpacker.”

They moved from a small town in Arizona, and it seems like they're really taking to the new location. I was envious of the kids. I didn’t learn to hike and feel comfortable on trails until I went to university in Montana as a young adult.