Yosemite
National Park, California – July 2010
On Sunday, July 4, I flew from LaGuardia to Cleveland, then on to
Denver, then to Fresno, California. (I found a bargain airfare of
around $350 roundtrip.) The planes grew progressively smaller with
each flight: I started on a Boeing 737 that held about 126
passengers, then it was a Bombardier CRJ-700 that held 66 passengers,
then an even smaller Bombardier CRJ-200 that only held 50 passengers.
I only took a carry-on bag on this trip, as I didn't need my tent and
sleeping bag. The last two planes were so small that standard
carry-ons didn't fit inside, so instead baggage handlers took the
carry-on luggage from passengers at the loading area and put them in
the plane's cargo area, then crew in the next city returned the
luggage as the passengers were deplaning.
In Fresno, I rented
a car from Avis, and they gave me a choice of cars in the class I had
requested. I don't know if they always do that, or if it's just at
this location, but I think generally the rental agencies just tell
you what car you'll be stuck with, and it's usually different than
what you had expected and hoped to get based upon their website. I
selected a Volkswagen Jetta. It was also better-equipped than the
usual stripped rental car I am used to, as it had a sunroof and a
satellite radio.
I stopped at the Wal*Mart and Whole Foods in
Fresno to buy groceries and supplies. The Wal*Mart was out of gallon
water bottles, but Whole Foods had them. I also bought sunscreen,
then drove north to Yosemite. My destination within the park was
Yosemite Valley, about 90 miles from the airport. The road outside
the park is fine, though it has several steep climbs with pull-off
areas so that slower traffic can get out of the way of faster
vehicles. Inside the park, the speed limit was much lower and the
road was under repair, with the asphalt having been removed from
several areas in preparation for later repaving.
Shortly after I entered Yosemite Valley, a coyote crossed the road
right in front of my car, but my camera was not within reach. I
finally arrived at my destination, Curry Village, which is one of
several lodging choices within Yosemite Valley. The parking lot was
very big and very crowded, so I had to park far away. I then grabbed
my luggage and my groceries and headed to the reception desk. (The
National Park Service makes a big deal about not leaving food in
vehicles or in one's tent or tent cabin, as bears have been known to
break in to get at the food.) I was assigned a tent cabin that was
also far from the reception area (and not so close to my car,
either), and got settled for the night.
A tent cabin has a
wooden floor, a wooden frame, and canvas walls and roof. Inside, it
has two or more beds, an overhead electric light (but no
receptacles), metal storage shelves and a garbage can. Mine had a
full-size bed and three twin beds. They provided bedding. Outside
each tent cabin is a metal locker for storing food and toiletries
(“anything with a scent”). The theory is that if the
bears don't smell food in the cabin, they won't come inside, and
unless they develop opposable thumbs, they can't get into the storage
lockers. There were communal bathroom and shower facilities within
Curry Village. Yosemite seemed very commercial, having concession
operators for almost everything. I'm surprised they didn't charge for
showers at Curry Village, as Bryce Canyon does. These tent cabins
cost $120/night, so someone is making a killing.
Larger
Version
Larger
Version
Here we have a tent cabin under
construction.
Larger
Version
Yosemite Valley affords nice views of the surrounding granite
walls and at least two waterfalls. There were nice views even from
Curry Village itself. I think the top peak is
Half Dome. It looks different to me from every direction and angle,
so it's not always easy to recognize.
Larger
Version
In addition to sunscreen, it's helpful to have
insect repellent to keep the mosquitoes away.
Larger
Version
[Actually, suzq_07 at GardenWeb.com identified it
as a harmless Giant
Western Crane Fly, Holorusia rubiginosa, the largest fly
west of the Rockies.]
Monday, July 5: I woke around 6:00 and loaded my backpack
with water and lunch. As the pack sat on top of
the bear locker, it pressed down on the bite valve for the water
bladder, causing a few ounces to leak out, making the hip belt of the
pack wet. I've had such leaks a couple of times, from stepping
on the bite valve or pressing my arm against it while tying a shoe,
etc. So I'm trying to get in the habit of using the shut-off valve
when I'm not actually drinking from the bite valve.
My objective on this day was Mt. Dana, in the northeast corner of
the park, about a two-hour drive from Yosemite Valley. As I began my
drive, and while still in Yosemite Valley, I stopped to photograph
Bridalveil Fall, a 617' waterfall. This is one of two waterfalls (the
other being Yosemite Falls) that may be easily seen from the
valley.
Larger
Version
I bought a new camera about a week before this
trip, a Panasonic Lumix GF1. This is a “Micro Four-Thirds”
system camera, which allows for interchangeable lens. It has a 4:3
image aspect ratio, as opposed to the 3:2 ratio that was popularized
by 35mm film cameras. The image sensor is somewhat smaller than the
APS-C sensors used in most digital single-lens reflex cameras, but
it's still around 9 times the size of sensors used in compact digital
cameras, allowing for three times the image quality. The “Micro”
part means that unlike the full-sized “Four-Thirds”
cameras, these cameras lack an internal mirror and optical
viewfinder. Thus, they are not single-lens reflex cameras. The Micro
Four-Thirds cameras are made by both Panasonic and Olympus. I
actually bought the lens separate from the body, because I preferred
the Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm F/3.5-5.6 zoom lens to the Panasonic
lens, primarily because the Olympus lens collapses when not in use,
making it more compact. The cameras have a crop factor (focal length
multiplier) of 2, meaning that the 14-42mm lens is equivalent to a
28-84mm lens on a 35mm film camera. So it's a wide-angle to
slight-telephoto lens.
Except for when I
went rafting, all the photos on this trip were taken with the GF1
. As you will see, I have included a number of panoramic shots. I
produced these by stitching two or more photographs, using
Microsoft's Image
Composite Editor, a free (!) program. I did not have a tripod, so
as I was panning the camera by hand to take multiple shots, some
shots were lower or higher than others. This left some blank areas in
the stitched photos. In many cases, I simply cropped out the blank
areas. However, in other cases I used Gimp to clone a missing piece
of sky or ground at the border or edge of a photo, when cropping
would have caused too great a loss elsewhere in the photo. I also
used Gimp to correct a curved foreground that had been introduced by
the stitching of the above panorama.
Returning to my rental
car, I continued driving through the park. The road wound its way
through the park, gaining in altitude. Yosemite Valley is at 4,000'
elevation. My next stop along the way was Siesta Lake, just beside
the road, at about 8,000.'
Larger
Version
Here are three shots at Siesta Lake in which I try
out the depth of field with the camera/lens combination. In this
first shot, I select the maximum aperture, F/3.5 (at 14mm). This is a
narrow depth of field, and I focused on the foreground pine needles.
The background trees beyond the lake are therefore not focused
well.
Larger
Version
In this shot, I kept the same aperture, but
changed the focus to the background trees, and so the foreground
needles are not in focus.
Larger
Version
In this last shot, I selected the maximum
aperture, F/22, for a broad depth of field. I don't remember whether
I focused at the foreground or background, but both are relatively
focused.
Larger
Version
Continuing on my drive to the northeast corner of
the park, my next stop was at Olmstead Point, with nice
views:
Larger
Version
Larger
Version
Larger
Version
My next stop was at Tenaya Lake.
Larger
Version
The trailhead for Mt. Dana begins at the park's
northeast entrance/exit. I did not see a sign to the trail, so I
asked at the ranger station at the exit, and the ranger said that the
trail began at the back of a parking lot, and pointed toward a small
lot that was marked for official vehicles only. Per her direction, I
drove out of the park and parked along the road, where there were a
few other cars. I walked around the back of the parking lot but
didn't see a trail, and wondered if she had really meant to wave
toward the official vehicle parking lot or had meant a different
parking lot, so I wandered around half an hour or longer looking in
different areas. I finally asked another tourist, who led me to the
trailhead, which did start several yards behind the parking lot. It
was not marked at all, though. Apparently the Park Service doesn't
mark every trail.
While wandering around Dana Meadows, I took
this photograph, which is one of my favorites from
Yosemite.
Larger
Version
This is a stitched panorama showing one of the ponds
at Dana meadows, at the foot of Mt. Dana.
Larger
Version
The pond is very shallow and very clear; I am sure
it is just runoff from the melting snow.
Larger
Version
Another shot of Dana Meadows, as I began climbing
Mt. Dana.
Larger
Version
Mt. Dana is the second
highest mountain in Yosemite National Park. The base of the mountain
is around 10,000', with the peak at 13,061'. (Mount Lyell, at
13,120', is the highest mountain in Yosemite, but it is far from the
roads and harder to climb.) Jeffrey P. Schaffer, Yosemite:
Must-Do Hikes for Everyone, recommended Mt. Dana as offering
great views and being a moderate hike, with the 5-mile round-trip
taking only 3 to 5 hours. A friend from law school was meeting me in
Yosemite, and we planned to hike to the top of Half Dome on
Wednesday, which all agree is a strenuous hike. So I thought that a
moderate hike would be good for spending the day before my friend
arrived.
Here is some of the interesting plant life.
[Carol23 at GardenWeb.com has identified this as cynoglossum.
It's probably Western Hounds-tongue, cynoglossum occidentale,
or perhaps Pacific Hounds-tongue, cynoglossum grande.]
Larger
Version
Here's Dana Meadows and the Kuna Crest from the
trail up Mt. Dana.
Larger
Version
A little higher up, with an even wider
panorama.
Larger
Version
At first the trail was regular soil, but about
halfway up it became rocky.
Larger
Version
As I hiked above the tree line, I took a shot
looking below. You can see that the trees end and the ground turns
rocky. I noticed something sitting on that rock in the center of the
photograph. I took the shot at maximum zoom,
but that 42mm focal length (equivalent to 84mm on a 35mm film camera)
is not even a 2x telephoto. I thought that when I viewed the
photo at full-size on a computer that I'd be able to see what it was,
and thought that it was probably a squirrel or something common like
that.
Larger
Version
My camera makes images that are 4000 x 3000
pixels, which I have reduced in size to fit a monitor. In the next
shot, I have cropped the image to just the center, and not reduced it
in size (other than the thumbnail, obviously). But unfortunately, I
still can't tell what it is.
Larger
Version
I was now trudging over rocks and it wasn't
comfortable. Not only that, but I ran into snow banks and had to
decide whether to skirt them or walk through them. Schaffer had said
that when the trail ended, people generally just walked due east
uphill, so I was trying to do that. I wasn't having that much fun,
though.
Larger
Version
Another panorama looking downhill toward Dana
Meadows, with the Kuna Crest to the left.
Larger
Version
This shot shows the rocks that I was contending
with, and shows the peak of Mt. Dana.
Larger
Version
This is a panorama that not only shows the peak of
Mt. Dana, on the left, but to the right shows the Kuna Crest and then
Dana Meadows.
Larger
Version
Another panorama.
Larger
Version
While I had the peak in sight, I also had
developed a slight headache and was feeling a little light-headed. I
had hiked to 13,000' in elevation previously, years ago in Colorado,
but I had acclimated to the altitude beforehand, camping at 8,000'
for one night, then hiking up to 10,000' and camping there, and then
hiking up to 13,000' on subsequent days. I suspected that the low
oxygen at the high altitudes was bothering me because I had not
acclimated to it, so I decided to descend, and soon began to feel
better. It was disappointing not reaching the peak of Mt. Dana, but
at least I had gotten some exercise and taken some nice
photos.
Here's another interesting plant that I saw on the way
downhill. This looks like something my friends would serve for lunch.
[But Carol23 at GardenWeb.com identified it as a poisonous plant, the
California
Corn Lily, Veratrum californicum.]
Larger
Version
I finally made it back to my car, having spent 6
hours on what was supposed to be a 3-5 hour hike, and not having even
made it to the peak. I probably reached about 12,000'. On the way
downhill I began developing a blister on one toe. My boots are pretty
good on level ground or going uphill, but going downhill on a steep
grade, it seems that my feet slide forward a bit in the boots and rub
against them. I'm not sure what to do about that: if I need different
socks, different boots, etc.
I worried, "How can I hike
15 miles to the top of Half Dome in two days if I couldn't even
complete a 5-mile 'moderate' hike to the peak of Mt. Dana?” I
also worried about whether the blister would cause trouble. But on
the other hand, I knew that my problem with Mt. Dana was due to the
altitude, and that the peak of Half Dome is “only” at
8,836', where I would not experience a lack of oxygen. So I tried to
reassure myself that Wednesday's hike would go well.
I began
driving back to Curry Village. My friend, Julie, phoned and said that
she had arrived in the park and was checking into her cabin, so I
told her that I would meet her at the Village in about an hour and a
half. I only stopped along the way for a few minutes to shoot photos
at Tuolumne Meadows, which I have stitched together into this
panorama.
Larger
Version
Coming Up Next: Tuesday
brings rafting on the Merced.