Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 104 (Vernal Fall 2/2 – Our Wild National Parks)

Jeff

Reminder - National Parks are Wild Places 

Reminder: National Parks are Wild Places

John Sebastion and the Lovin’ Spoonful recorded the song Younger Generation and one of the lines in the song is:

“And still he’ll stick his finger in the fan.”

I always interpreted that line to mean that no matter what you tell someone, they often need to learn for themselves. Over the years, I have seen this validated numerous times via news stories and accounts of individuals who have done things without thinking them through.

Unfortunately, many people arrive at our national parks and because they might serve Peet’s Coffee in the snack bar, and there are souvenir shops and stores with sundries for purchase, there is a tendency to forget that these are wild places that CAN be dangerous.

This is brought home by signs like the one above. On this day, I did not witness anyone in the fast-flowing water, but I may have more to share about this topic in a later post.

Visitors need to be educated that while we need wild spaces to experience nature completely, cautions must be taken; heed the signs and warnings!

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

STATUS QUOtes — 20161017

Jeff

“Every day, do something to move the ball forward.” — Jayne Atkinson

“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.” — John Bingham

“If the environment were a bank it would have been saved by now.” — Bernie Sanders

“Opportunity may knock only once but temptation leans on the door bell.” — Oprah Winfrey

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 103 (Vernal Fall (1/2) – Lower Bridge)

Jeff

Vernal Fall from lower bridgeVernal Fall from the lower bridge before the ascent

We had been hiking for days and when we finally decided to see Vernal Fall. There was a combination of factors that conspired to keep us from taking the long trek for the topmost view. It was a rather gray day, we had been hiking for days and were a bit tired and they call it the Mist Trail for a reason. All the falls at Yosemite were flowing near their capacity and the idea of getting wet and having to shield my photo gear and clean the lens after every shot did not appeal to me.

We took the path to the lower footbridge where we could see part of Vernal Fall. The path was crowded as this is a popular hike. Along the way there were some interesting twists, turns and sights, but mostly a straight-forward walk.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

***********************************

Meta Data – Day 103 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: 0409.CR2
Capture time: 11:49:09 AM
Capture date: June 10, 2016
Exposure: 1/160 sec @ f/6.3
Focal Length: 42mm
ISO 100
Canon SX50 HS

Day 103,Yosemite,hiking,information,natural beauty,nature,Year of Yosemite,Yosemite National Park,YOY,

 

STATUS QUOtes — 20161016

Jeff

“There’s no praise to beat the sort you can put in your pocket.” — Moliere

“It seems the misfortune of one can plow a deeper furrow in the heart than the misfortune of millions.” — Kirby Larson

“Always give 110%. It’s the extra 10% that everyone remembers.” — Frank Sonnenberg

“Shoot a few scenes out of focus; I want to win the foreign film award.” — Billy Wilder

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 102 (El Capitan 2/2 – Climbing )

Jeff

Climbing El CapitanClimbers hauling gear up El Capitan


Before arriving at Yosemite, I had no idea that it was permitted to climb El Capitan. This is a very captivating site. There were people in the meadow with binoculars, telescopes and other equipment watching the climbers ascend the various routes of El Capitan. Apparently there are so many climbers that sleep on the wall, hanging by ropes on their platforms, that at times, there are multitudes of lighted dots along the mountain.

The picture above is not of the climbers, however. If you look closely (see below) it is only their gear. The climbers were above this package tied to ropes. It takes several days to make the climb (so I was told), and everything to eat, drink, etc. needs to be hauled along with the climbers. All biological needs must be met as one makes this ascent.

I don’t know anything about rock climbing. I can only look on in amazement!

Climbing El Capitan 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

***********************************

Meta Data – Day 102 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: 0352.CR2
Capture time: 10:46:29 AM
Capture date: June 8, 2016
Exposure: 1/320 sec @ f/8
Focal Length: 215mm
ISO 125
Canon SX50 HS

 

STATUS QUOtes — 20161015

Jeff

“Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time.” — Betty Smith

“The wings of angels are often found on the backs of the least likely people.” — Eric Honeycutt

“It’s not the voting that’s democracy, it’s the counting.” — Tom Stoppard

“It is a two-hour movie squeezed into three hours.[ed]” — Roger Ebert

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 101 (El Capitan 1/2)

Jeff

El Capitan seen from the Valley Loop TrailWhen hiking the Valley Loop Trail, you should pass right by El Capitan

After one false start, we were able to zero in on the Valley Loop Trail. Surprisingly, the trail is not well marked if starting out at the Yosemite Falls vista. We purchased a detailed map and we were stopped a number of times by people who were on the trail, yet had no idea where they were. Of course, we offered to share our knowledge with them.

While hiking the Valley Loop Trail, you should pass close to El Capitan. This is one structure that looks best from a distance. Up close, it is a sheer wall of rock. Walking past El Cap, you will feel very small indeed! (El Cap’s Different Personality Tomorrow…)

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

***********************************

Meta Data – Day 101 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: 0354.CR2
Capture time: 10:47:39 AM
Capture date: June 8, 2016
Exposure: 1/400 sec @ f/8
Focal Length: 7.4mm
ISO 125
Canon SX50 HS

 

STATUS QUOtes — 20161014

Jeff

“Now is the moment we get to plant the seeds for later.” — Seth Godin

“My father was a statesman, I’m a political woman. My father was a saint. I’m not. — Indira Gandhi

“Sometimes you need to burn bridges to stop yourself from crossing them again.” — Unknown

“Don’t take the bull by the horns, take him by the tail then you can let go when you want to.” — Josh Billings

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE