The Yosemite Valley Girl: A Memoir of the Early Life of Nancy Eckart

by Jeanne Vander Ploeg

Nancy Moe Eckart grew up and came of age in Yosemite Valley in the 1950s and 1960s. Her father worked for the National Park Service, so the family was allowed to live inside Yosemite Valley itself. She had adventure after adventure with the Park, her playground. She summited Half Dome at age 6, before she was even tall enough to reach the cables. She went on several week-long burrow trips with her father and two younger brothers, where they fished for their dinners. Ansel Adams was a family friend and at the start of his photographic career he came into the Valley’s elementary school and chose Nancy as the 'daughter' in a typical family of 4 for several of his commercial shoots. And these were just a few of her many adventures.

She had great independence roaming around the Valley and developed incredible confidence learning from her experiences and accomplishing hard things. She learned skills and lessons then, that have served her well into her 8th decade. There is much we can learn from this amazing journey.

Based on countless hours of interviews, this book was written based on Nancy’s memories and stories. Research of the time and place rounds out the narrative. You don’t want to miss this adventure.

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2024

Reviews

[Molly]

Fascinating subject material, mediocre writing. I enjoyed the book all the same, especially as it came as a gift from my son who just spent a week at Yosemite. Nancy Eckart’s idyllic childhood in Yosemite Valley is a fascinating tale in its own right. Author Jeanne Ploeg unnecessarily tried to make it too much of a moralistic prescription for daily living, bogging it down a bit. I simply enjoyed hearing about all of Nancy’s adventures while growing up living in a national park; I didn’t need the additional “Be Like Nancy” chapters at the end.

[Carol Tripp]

This was a fun book to read, especially since I personally know the lady that grew up in Yosemite Park. Nancy truly had a very special childhood because of her childhood environment!