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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 174 (Lembert Dome Trail – Panorama 8/8)

Jeff

A panorama taken from the top of Lembert Dome

The panorama from the edge of Lembert Dome highlights several key features of the area

After arriving on the very top of the dome and taking in the 360 degree view, I couldn’t help, but try my hand at taking some panoramas. I like this one in particular because of the way the tip of the dome provides some perspective.

In the small view on your browser, the river in the background just beyond the tip of the dome is hard to see, but it meanders through the meadow at that point and was interesting to see as it pointed the way to the mountains off to the right.

(To see a larger view of the Panorama, click HERE)

Of course just to the left of the edge of the dome, in the distance, is Cathedral Peak which I have highlighted in several other posts. You can see a better picture of Cathedral Peak 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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 173 (Lembert Dome (7/8) – Looking Northeast)

Jeff

Looking northeast from the side of Lembert Dome

Looking northeast from the side of Lembert Dome

It was somewhat of a scramble to get to the very top of Lembert Dome, but not too difficult for those who have an average sense of balance and dexterity (IMHO). Once nearing the top, I stepped to the sides of the dome to take in the views from those aspects. There were peaks and mountains everywhere.

**NOTE** If there are members of your hiking party that do not feel comfortable going to the very top of the dome, there are a couple of ledge areas where they can wait and have a snack and still enjoy much of the beautiful views.

One point I like to make, and you can feel free to disagree with me, is that people should not have to be coerced, cajoled or prodded to traipse to an area if they are not comfortable doing so. Everyone knows their personal comfort levels and I have witnessed some bad scenes in places like Zion National Park’s Angels Landing!

As you can see in the photo above, there were still some remaining patches of snow that were a light shade of gray. There was still ample room to navigate around those areas and if need be, the snow was soft and could be walked upon.

Two days ago, I showed a view of the other side of Lembert Dome (northwest) which I think was a prettier view. You can see that post 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 173 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 172 (Lembert Dome (6/8) – The End In Sight)

Jeff

Near the top of Lembert Dome

After much hiking, we see the trail’s terminus

It was quite a hike and as we climbed higher and higher we began to become invigorated. Nothing helps to generate more energy after a substantial hike than seeing what is potentially the end of the trail; reaching your goal.

We have had experiences when, from a distance, what looks like the end turns out to be a saddle and just a stop along the way. This time, however, we were very near the end. There was a saddle of sorts near the very top of the dome and those less inclined waited there.

It was only a short distance from the saddle to the very tip of Lembert Dome. This picture was taken just before the final ascent to the top. There were bands of snow on the sides of the dome.

 
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 172 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 171 (Lembert Dome (5/8) Looking Northwest)

Jeff

The Tuolumne river in the distance

From Lembert Dome, the Tuolumne river can be seen in the distance

After ascending to the top of the Lembert Dome and walking around to take in all of the views and perhaps doing a bit of whirling, I focused on the mountains to the west. In the picture above, you can see how far they stretched. Also in view is the Tuolumne river meandering gracefully at the base of the mountains.

Based on my previous experiences, I am certain there are prominent features and points of interest captured in the above view of which I am not even aware, but what I did realize is that this was a beautiful scene!

 
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 171 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 170 (Lembert Dome from the Woods 4/8)

Jeff

Lembert Dome could be seen periodically as we hiked

Lembert Dome as seen from the trail as we hiked

From time-to-time, we could garner glimpses of the dome as we hiked. In the picture above, we could see a section of the top of the dome. Of course we couldn’t be too sure which exact wall we were viewing, but it was gratifying to see it getting larger and closer as we hiked up the hill.

From this vantage point, Lembert Dome looked much like Half Dome did when viewed from the woods near Mirror Lake.

 
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 170 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture date: June 7, 2016
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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 169 (Lembert Dome Stream Crossings – 3/8)

Jeff

There were a surprising number of stream crossings we had to navigate

During the spring thaw, there are a good number of stream crossings along the Lembert Dome Trail.

We understood that during the time we were hiking there would be snow melt and with that would come the need to navigate through wet areas. When we came across a stream, that was not surprising. We did not anticipate that we would have to do this as many times as we did. I also did not appreciate how much water the streams would carry and how wide some of the crossings would be.

We would have to search up and down the banks of the streams to find the most suitable and narrow spot often adding a large fallen branch/log to the debris to help provide a dry foothold.

When does a stream become classified as a river?

 
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 169 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 168 (Lembert Dome The Trail- 2/8)

Jeff

A major portion of the trail looked like the typical hike in the woods

A major portion of the Lembert Dome trail looked much like the typical hike in the woods.

A good portion of the Lembert Dome Trail was similar to many other trails we hiked through a wooded area. The path was often wide and clear. There were patches of snow all around and as we got higher on the mountain, the pockets of snow became more prevalent and at times, larger!

As this picture indicates, portions of the trail were thawing quickly and relatively dry, but that didn’t mean it would be that way in other areas as you will see in the post of Day 169!.

 
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 168 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 167 (Lembert Dome Trail – 1/8)

Jeff

NOTE – This is the first photograph in a series of eight that will be presented over the following days to give readers a sense of what it was like to hike the Lembert Dome Trail. Previous Year of Yosemite photographs and descriptions were mostly individual presentations without providing a narrative to portray the essence of the hike.

The start of the trail opens after the woods

Exiting the initial wooded area, there is a rock shelf with numerous cairns

Before arriving at this massive rock shelf, we hiked from the parking area and through a grove of trees, i.e. woods. The trees soon gave way to a clearing and we were presented with many cairns. Some were simple while others were more elaborate.

Hikers debate whether cairns are reliable and/or helpful because there are some who might mislead future hikers intentionally or because of ignorance. There were so many cairns in this area and they were all leading in the same direction and therefore hikers could “hedge their bets.”

In any event, the path was rather obvious and we had a trail map that we consulted to make sure. Except for the Valley Loop Trail, I would say that most trails were rather easy to find and follow. When considering the size of Yosemite, I should also add that they were probably marked as well as they could be.

NOTE – Whenever I hike, I take three cameras. One of them is a simple point-and-shoot which only captures JPEG images. If this sounds foreign to you, then you can skip this paragraph. There will be several pictures which were taken with my Canon PowerShot AS590 and are intended to be “pictures of record” and not picturesque portrayals or renderings. This photo is one of them.

 
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 167 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 166 (Textures and Colors and Sounds, Oh My!)

Jeff

Mossy Rocks in the Merced at Happy Isles

A large boulder with moss sits in the Merced River


While walking along the path at Happy Isles, we spied this rock with beautiful textures and colors. It may a bit unusual to be visiting a noted national park with all of its monuments and major attractions and to focus on a moss covered rock.

I was struck by several things. Look at the colors of the moss on that rock. The shades range from medium brown, to gold to light green. Whatever light came through the clouds was highlighting the yellowish growth. Additionally, the warm tones of the fallen log in the background and the sound of the rushing water made this a true sensory experience.

Several posts ago, I spoke about the “small miracles and gems” and perhaps I am the only one who would consider this as such, but that is what makes nature what it is. It is a person-specific connection and wonderment!

 
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 166 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 164 (The Bus Stops Here)

Jeff

Visitors wait patiently at the bus stop

The various bus stops throughout the park are generally very nice with overhangs and benches

Years ago, many national parks devised an intrapark transportation scheme that encouraged visitors to take buses rather than drive from trailhead to trailhead. By and large, I think this has been a very good transition for both the visitors and the parks.

There is less vehicle traffic which is an advantage for the native flora and fauna. We have found the buses very efficient and most, if not all, the drivers very helpful and friendly. Once in a while we were able to ride on a bus with one of the rangers and we then could use this opportunity to gather more information.

Our experience has been that the buses do not use gasoline and therefore there is a reduction of air pollution; always a good thing.

The bus waiting area pictured above is fairly typical of the waiting areas. There were some that were composed of stone and they were works of art. The frequency of the rounds was also very comfortable and waits were not too long. Needless to say, your experiences may vary when crowds surge, weather interferes or other unforeseen circumstances occur.

The managers of our national parks did this the right way!

 
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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