hiking

Half Dome Photo with Quote – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 218

Jeff

Robert M. Pirsig quote about what each brings to the hiking experience

“The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there..” – Robert M. Pirsig

Photographof Half Dome from Setinel Dome
Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross, ALL Rights Reserved ©

The reason this quote resonates with me is that when I speak of hiking, especially if it involves going uphill on a mountain, some of my friends look at me as though I have three eyes. They can’t seem to grasp why I would want to work that hard to get to the mountain top. Of course this is their prerogative. They don’t have to appreciate how I feel when I get to the top of the peak and look out over a vast panorama that strikes like a bolt of awe straight into my being.

It isn’t just the hike to the top that motivates me. It is the miracles one can find along the way! If you don’t like the outdoors and nature and you don’t have a calm, awe inspired attitude when walking in the woods, or watching birds or other experiences nature offers, then climbing a mountain may not provide the same astonishment and wonder it brings to others.

You have to bring that sense of adventure, wonder and deep appreciation with you as you climb and that is what helps to keep your feet moving as you hike.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 218 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Mountain Violet on the Trails – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 217

Jeff

Yellow Mountain Viola

Yellow Mountain Viola along the trail

This is another wildflower we came across as we hiked along the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point trails. At first this Mountain Violet (Viola purpurea) may seem like just another fairly nondescript yellow flower, but when looking close, the dark lines along the bottom petals of the flower give it a bit of flair (see detail below).

Some of the leaves on this specimen seem a bit elongated which might be caused by weather or environment, i.e. amount of shade, etc.


Yellow Mountain Viola detail

Read more about it the Mountain Violet HERE:

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 217 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture date: June 9, 2016
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Spreading Phlox on the Trail – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 216

Jeff

Spreading Phlox

Pockets of spreading phlox appeared along the trials



The Sentinel Dome and Taft Point trails share a junction-type trailhead. We decided to hike the Sentinel Dome Trail first to assure that we had all the time we needed there. Later we had plenty of energy and time so we then hiked to Taft Point.

Along the way, we passed a number of pockets of Spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa). The clusters were very pretty offset against the rocks and brown sound. It appears that the phlox likes to locate itself against rocks and in crevices that are formed by the natural surroundings.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 216 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture date: June 9, 2016
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Nikon D3300

 

Interior – Conservation Heritage Center -Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 215

Jeff

Interior - Conservation Heritage Center

The interior of the Conservation Heritage Center

In yesterday’s post, we showed a photograph of the architectural style of the Conservation Heritage Center. Today we provide an interior picture to demonstrate the quaintness of the facility. There are many “artifacts” related to the history of the Sierra Club on display as well as general information about the natural world.

There were interesting photographs, drawings and maps related to Yosemite and other areas. Standing inside the building one will get a sense of the history of the club and the center itself.

Interesting Note

One of the volunteers indicated that because the building was moved, the roof did not align perfectly and from time-to-time the weather becomes an issue.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 215 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Day 215, Year of Yosemite, hiking,information,natural beauty,nature, wild places,Year of Yosemite,Yosemite,Yosemite National Park,YOY,Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center, interior

 

Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 214

Jeff

Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center

Another view of the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center

During my previous YOY posts, I have touted the beauty of the buildings and other stone features at Yosemite. Considering the age of the park and some of these buildings (as well as the limited budget the National Parks have), they are in very good shape; at least those that I saw at Yosemite.

As mentioned previously, the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center has been moved and renamed. One needs to appreciate the architecture and stonework. If you have a chance to stop by, it is a very nice feature and they have volunteers from the Sierra Club to answer your questions.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 214 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture date: June 10, 2016
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A Wildflower Meadow – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 213

Jeff

wildflower meadow

A meadow of wildflowers at Yosemite

There were times when we would be hiking through a meadow or certain microclimate and we encountered a swath of wildflowers. This particular patch had a great variety of colors and wildflowers in various life cycle stages.

The yellows and purples mixed with the green and chaotic patterns of stems was interesting if not very artistic in nature.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 213 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Lupines Along the Path – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 212

Jeff

Lupines appeared along the trail

Lupines were abundant along the different trails. I highlighted lupines HERE and you can see that the plant looks quite different in the earlier post.

The variety in the picture above may be a different type or the fact that it is in full exposure of the sun, wind, snow, rain, etc. has stunted the growth. I find the leaf form very interesting and the leaves shed water which tends to form into drops.

NOTE – Lesson learned: Taking photographs from above the plant doesn’t always render the best perspective.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 212 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Pussy Paws on the Trail – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 211

Jeff

Pink Wildflower at Yosemite

Pink wildflower along the Sentinel Dome Trail

I find that wildflowers are one of the treasures nature has created for all of its animals to enjoy. Whenever and wherever I hike, I try to pay attention to all of the wildflowers and plants. There are some plants that are lovely because of their leaf structure and form with or without flowers.

The plant above, Pussy Paws (Calyptridium umbellatum), had a very interesting presentation. This particular specimen had leaf damage, perhaps from the harsh winter snows, but it sent out a number of radial stems with clusters of pink flowers on top. Each flower carried a number of shades of pink and the clusters appeared almost fuzzy because of the form. A bee on the rightmost cluster was enjoying the spring’s bounty.

For additional pictures, perhaps more detailed, showing other colors and giving more information about Pussy Paws (Calyptridium umbellatum), click HERE.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 211 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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El Capitan’s Nose – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 210

Jeff

El Capitan's Nose

El Capitan – East Face and Nosew

The final picture of El Capitan for this series is a decent photograph taken in the meadow as we approached the mountain. This is an improvement over my other shots of that side of the mountain because there is a bit of the foreground which helps give perspective to El Capitan and the trees also enable the viewer to appreciate the size of this Yosemite feature.

BTW – Did you know that El Capitan has a nose? It is the vertical ridge running from the bottom left to the upper right partially shown in the above image. You can see it highlighted with more detail HERE.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 210 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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El Capitan: A Better View – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 209

Jeff

El Capitan's West Face

El Capitan – West Face – Better View

This picture was taken very near the same spot where YOY Day 208’s shot was captured. I moved a bit to the west, decreased the zoom on my bridge camera and moved closer to the prevailing trees so they would frame El Capitan and lead the viewer’s eye to the main attraction.

This was getting close to the golden hour and the wispy clouds add a bit of personality to the photograph.

 
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.

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Meta Data – Day 209 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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