Tenaya Canyon is a trail-less and treacherous part of Yosemite
National Park that runs from Tenaya Lake down to Yosemite Valley. It is
known as the “Bermuda Triangle of Yosemite” because of the many
accidents, injuries and deaths that have occurred there over the years.

Some
people even believe that the canyon is cursed by the spirits of the
original inhabitants of Yosemite, who were violently displaced by the
Mariposa Indian War in the 1850s.

The canyon is a challenging and
risky route for adventurous hikers and climbers, who have to navigate
smooth granite slabs, steep rappels, mandatory swims and precarious
ledges. The canyon also offers stunning views of waterfalls, swimming
holes and rock formations.

However, the park officials warn that
“a trip into the unforgiving terrain of Tenaya Canyon…should not be
taken lightly.” There is a sign at the entrance of the canyon that
reads: “TRAVEL BEYOND THIS POINT IS DANGEROUS.”

One
of the most famous incidents in Tenaya Canyon happened in 1918, when
John Muir, the “Father of the National Parks,” fell and was knocked
unconscious while exploring the canyon.

He later wrote: “I was
suddenly brought to a standstill by a blow on the head that confused my
senses for a moment or two without wholly stunning me.” He managed to
recover and continue his journey, but he never returned to the canyon.

Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, CA

“Tenaya Canyon is one of those places where you can feel history all
around you,” said Scott Gediman, a park ranger at Yosemite National
Park. “It’s a very powerful place.”

Another notable explorer of
Tenaya Canyon was Ron Kauk, a legendary climber who lived in Yosemite
for decades and scaled some of its most challenging walls.

He camped on the side of a rock face in Tenaya Canyon and felt a mysterious force pulling on his sleeping bag.

He told SFGATE:
“It was like something that came around in a teasing kind of way or
something. It wasn’t anything too dramatic, no lights flashing around or
flying by you. Just to acknowledge that there was something else
there.”

He speculated that the canyon might be “the holding place for the original spirit of the place and the people (of Yosemite).”

Tenaya
Canyon is named after Chief Tenaya, the leader of the Ahwahneechee
tribe that lived in Yosemite Valley before they were driven out by the
Mariposa Battalion, a group of armed volunteers sent by California’s
governor to subdue the Native Americans in the area.

The
battalion captured Chief Tenaya and his people and forced them to
relocate to a reservation near Fresno. However, some of them escaped and
returned to Yosemite Valley, where they were attacked again by the
battalion.

Chief Tenaya’s son was killed in the battle, and he
reportedly cursed his enemies and his homeland before fleeing into
Tenaya Canyon. He was later killed by a rival tribe near Mono Lake.

Some
historians and locals believe that Chief Tenaya’s curse still lingers
in Tenaya Canyon, causing misfortune and tragedy for those who enter it.
Others think that the canyon is simply a dangerous place that requires
caution and respect.

Tenaya Canyon has had more than 110 people
killed there and many more injured. It is known to the Park Service as
the Bermuda Triangle of Yosemite.

Hundreds
of people go missing at national parks across the United States every
year. Some of these disappearances are never solved. Yosemite National
Park holds the notorious position as the national park with the third
most missing persons per year (233).

Either way, Tenaya Canyon
remains one of Yosemite’s most fascinating and mysterious places, where
nature’s beauty and history’s brutality collide.

Julie McFadden is a hospice nurse who has witnessed many people’s
final moments of life. She has a unique insight into what dying people
see and feel as they approach the end of their journey, reports mirror.co.uk.

One
of the most common phenomena that Julie observes is that her patients
often report seeing their deceased loved ones, who come to comfort them
and reassure them that they are not alone.

Julie says that these
visions are so frequent that they are included in the educational
materials that hospice care provides to patients and their families.

She
recently started sharing her knowledge and experience on TikTok, under
the username @hospicenursejulie, and she has gained more than 430,000
followers and 3.6 million likes.

Julie said her patients often tell her that they see their loved ones who have already died – before they themselves pass away.

She
added that their deceased relatives will tell them comforting words
such as, ‘We’re coming to get you soon,’ or, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll help
you’.

According to her, it’s extremely common for dying patients
to see dead friends, relatives and even old pets, but she can’t explain
why this occurs.

“This happens so often that we put it in our
educational packets that we give to the patient and their loved ones so
they understand what’s going on. But we don’t know why it happens and we
can’t explain it,” she said.

“It
usually happens a month or so before the patient dies. They start
seeing dead relatives, dead friends, old pets that have passed on –
spirits, angels, that are visiting them.

“Only they can see and
hear them. Sometimes it’s through a dream and sometimes they can
physically see them and they’ll actually ask us, “Do you see what I’m
seeing?”

Julie explained that the patients are ‘usually not afraid,’ but that they’re actually very ‘comforted’ by it.

She added: “They’re usually not afraid, it’s usually very comforting
to them and they say they’re sending a message like, ‘We’re coming to
get you soon’, or, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll help you’.

“Most
people love this, they’re very comforted by it, it’s not scary to them.
But yeah, we can’t explain it and it happens all the time.”

When
someone asked Julie if she thought it was a hallucination, she said that
she didn’t think so, since the patients are normally ‘pretty alert and
oriented’.