Yosemite! There was so much I had heard about this national park, sometimes from people who are passionate about the multiplicity of terrains that contribute to the making of this unique planet and sometimes from people who just want to get it off their bucket lists! The former are the kind that interest me. They do not talk about a place like this with one-liners that sound like- "We have seen all of those places- Yosemite, Niagara, Tahoe"!
It is hard for anyone to not be in awe of this expanse of land! Rugged, resolute, unforgiving, and yet gentle, subdued and tolerant. On one hand are the gigantic faces of silent, solid granite that have stood there for millions of years, or waterfalls that roar down a cliff, there are the green meadows with rivulets and streams gushing down in dulcet tones or there are forests of conifers and other trees, that create quite an orchestra as the wind blows through them. There is so much to explore, a lifetime may fall short! A small slice of the park can be savored on short trips made by many visitors like myself. Depending on endurance levels, the park offers a myriad of activities. Easy, moderate and strenuous hikes are strewn across the area. I sometimes wish I had the means to visit when I was younger, it would have been an extraordinary experience! Not that this visit wasn't memorable, we still hiked a lot, and spectacular views made it a photographer's dream!
In Spring, all the waterfalls put on their best show with the weather warming up and the snow melting. Luckily for us, rainfall this year was good, there was enough snow and the waterfalls looked as white and pristine as ever cascading down the steep drops! This one below is the upper and lower Yosemite Falls together, from the point where the Yosemite Falls trail begins.
The Merced river sometimes flowing smoothly through the floor of the valley, or singing a song as it trips and falls over uneven terrain.
Parking your vehicle at a convenient location and going around the valley in the park shuttle is a very sensible thing to do. As we hopped from one stop to the next, taking our time at each stop to explore what it had to offer, lots of fascinating things caught my eye.
The hike to Mirror Lake was one such place. On the way, dead trees reminded me of mystery books I read as a child in which the protagonists would often leave clues to be found by their rescuers later... in hollows of tree trunks near a moss covered tree,
Or the grand old tree with a secret held at it's base!
Mirror Lake lived up to its name! The reflections were crystal clear!
The Happy Isles trail was an easy walk through the wilderness, very relaxing too!
On our ride on the park shuttle to our next stop at the Ahwahnee Hotel, I saw this structure that I found very intriguing. A short walk got us there. It used to sport a sign with the hotel name, which changed earlier this year because of a dispute. What an unfortunate occurrence! The hotel is now called Majestic Yosemite Hotel.
The entrance to the hotel.
It is hard for anyone to not be in awe of this expanse of land! Rugged, resolute, unforgiving, and yet gentle, subdued and tolerant. On one hand are the gigantic faces of silent, solid granite that have stood there for millions of years, or waterfalls that roar down a cliff, there are the green meadows with rivulets and streams gushing down in dulcet tones or there are forests of conifers and other trees, that create quite an orchestra as the wind blows through them. There is so much to explore, a lifetime may fall short! A small slice of the park can be savored on short trips made by many visitors like myself. Depending on endurance levels, the park offers a myriad of activities. Easy, moderate and strenuous hikes are strewn across the area. I sometimes wish I had the means to visit when I was younger, it would have been an extraordinary experience! Not that this visit wasn't memorable, we still hiked a lot, and spectacular views made it a photographer's dream!
In Spring, all the waterfalls put on their best show with the weather warming up and the snow melting. Luckily for us, rainfall this year was good, there was enough snow and the waterfalls looked as white and pristine as ever cascading down the steep drops! This one below is the upper and lower Yosemite Falls together, from the point where the Yosemite Falls trail begins.
The Merced river sometimes flowing smoothly through the floor of the valley, or singing a song as it trips and falls over uneven terrain.
Parking your vehicle at a convenient location and going around the valley in the park shuttle is a very sensible thing to do. As we hopped from one stop to the next, taking our time at each stop to explore what it had to offer, lots of fascinating things caught my eye.
The hike to Mirror Lake was one such place. On the way, dead trees reminded me of mystery books I read as a child in which the protagonists would often leave clues to be found by their rescuers later... in hollows of tree trunks near a moss covered tree,
Or the grand old tree with a secret held at it's base!
Mirror Lake lived up to its name! The reflections were crystal clear!
The Happy Isles trail was an easy walk through the wilderness, very relaxing too!
On our ride on the park shuttle to our next stop at the Ahwahnee Hotel, I saw this structure that I found very intriguing. A short walk got us there. It used to sport a sign with the hotel name, which changed earlier this year because of a dispute. What an unfortunate occurrence! The hotel is now called Majestic Yosemite Hotel.
The hotel is grand! I loved the curios in their gift shop.
The entrance to the hotel.
While we sipped some iced tea and some ice cream out in the courtyard of the hotel, a few of the visitors (me included) attempted to count the growth rings on this tree trunk.
Then we got back to our vehicle parked near the chapel.
I end this post with a salute to John Muir and other environmentalists who had a vision and worked hard to preserve these habitats. Here is a sculpture of him at the Yosemite visitor center.
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