Yosemite National Park

You’ve seen the pictures for years in books or hanging on the walls of a gallery here or there that focus on the miraculous photography by Ansel Adams of Yosemite.  Anyone in love with nature knows the name of John Muir who established the Sierra Club.  He came to know Yosemite while working there for two years beginning in 1869 while hired to rebuild a sawmill.  Seeing Yosemite National Park, I happily confess it met and exceeded my greatest expectations following in their footsteps.

 We were able to spend one day in the park and it is a day to always remember.  We entered at the south gate in an area called Wawona.  There is a stand of Giant Sequoias located there in Mariposa Grove, one of three stands in the park. 

We traveled north along Wawona Road completed in 1875 to “Tunnel View” en route to Yosemite Valley.  Here on June 10, 1933, a tunnel was dedicated that replaced the original stagecoach route situated slightly up the slope from the current road (and now only accessible by a hiking trail.)  The lower, present road opens to an equally dramatic view of the valley when exiting the tunnel as the view stagecoach travelers originally saw from what is known as “Inspiration Point” on the former road above.  The original Wawona Road required an eight-hour journey by horse drawn stagecoach to make the same trip that we made in roughly one hour by car!  Then as now, it is one of the most popular routes into Yosemite Valley.

 The views of El Capitan, a giant granite monolith rising 3,593 feet from the valley floor, dwarf the viewer standing beneath equally majestic redwood trees that seem to touch the sky.  The forces of nature are apparent in the equally impressive Half Dome monument shaped by uplifting plates of the earth, glaciers, river erosion and rock fall.  Even though the low levels of rainfall have diminished the amount of water falling over Yosemite Falls, it is fascinating to see them and the hike up to the Lower Yosemite Falls was well worth the effort.  (Plus we accomplished getting our first 10,000 steps on our Fit Bits!)

While we were there we saw rock climbers scaling the vertical granite wall near Yosemite Falls and passed two others on the trail to the falls that had done it and returned to the valley in just over three hours.  One can only imagine the views but I could never get past my fear of the heights to even attempt it.  That is better reserved for the younger of us.

We did not see any wild life other than birds.  Most likely that is because we were in the well traveled areas of the park.  I would like to go back there someday and see the park in the spring when the wildflowers are blooming and the falls are full of water from melting snow.  In the meantime, to quote John Muir:  “As long as I live, I’ll hear the waterfalls and birds and winds sing.  I’ll interpret the rocks; learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche.  I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can.”