scenery

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 44 (Rocks Along the Mirror Lake Trail)

Jeff

rocky part of the trail to Mirror LakeThe Yosemite Park trails are maintained, but there are rough spots

Many of the trails at Yosemite lead hikers through a variety of ecosystems, i.e. wooded, meadow, open, etc. Generally the trails are quite passable, but one needs to look where they are going as there are sections that crop up now and again with large embedded rocks that seem to grab at the toes of hiking shoes.

The picture above is one bend in the trail to Mirror Lake that is indicative of this type of terrain. Footing can be tricky so hikers are advised to step cautiously.

 
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 44 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 43 (Bridalveil Falls)

Jeff

Bridalveil Falls flowing well 

Bridalveil Falls flowing well

Across the “way” from El Capitan is another beautiful feature, Bridalveil Falls. If you look at the map below, you can see that they are almost directly opposite one another and while it looks like quite a distance on the map, from the road, they are relatively close. Parking can be tight at this location because visitors stop to take photographs of both iconic scenes.

Map of Bridalveil Falls and El Capitan 

On the map above, El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls are circled with an arrow pointing to each.

NOTE: Insert above is taken from the National Park Service Yosemite Valley Hiking Map

 
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 43 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 42 (Dog Lake near Tuolumne Meadows)

Jeff

Picturesque Dog LakePicturesque Dog Lake

Dog Lake is located in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite and is one of the popular day hikes. Many hikers combine the Dog Lake hike with that of Lembert Dome as there are junctions for each vantage point along the main trail.

The view of the lake is very pretty and the snow capped mountains lend an addition flare to the scene.

NOTE: “In 1898 Robert Marshall of the US Geological Survey visited the lake and found an abandoned sheepdog with a litter of puppies” and thus the lake received its somewhat unimaginative name. ( source )

 
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 42 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 41 (Cathedral Rock and Spires)

Jeff

Cathedral Rock and spiresCathedral Rock and the Spires

While hiking toward El Capitan along the Valley Loop Trail, there are plenty of other views to impress park visitors. This picture of Cathedral Rock and the spires is just one small part of the panorama.

It is interesting to note that most of the spires, rocks and hills you may see generally have names. You can click HERE to visit a web page that has many of them labeled.

 
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 41 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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CATS: Nature, Hiking, YOY, Photography

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 40 (Butterfly and Thistle)

Jeff

XXXXXXXXButterfly enjoying a thistle along the Valley Loop Trail

While hiking along the trails at Yosemite, it is easy to be taken in by the grandeur, but whenever we are having an outdoor adventure, we try to appreciate the more subtle and perhaps intricate beauty the world has to offer.

Butterflies were taking advantage of the abundant wildflowers and recent rains. Other insects were also foraging among the thistle.

 
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 40 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Canon SX50 HS

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 39 (View from Sentinel Dome)

Jeff

View of Half Dome from atop Sentinel DomeHalf Dome viewed from the top of Sentinel Dome

After hiking the trail to Sentinel Dome (elevation 8,122 feet), the dome itself may look a bit steep, but if you are in good physical condition for hiking, I encourage you to try it. The surface of the rock is not slick and good hiking shoes will grab onto the surface ridges. There is an “established path” that the hikers on the left of the picture are following.

Once on top of the dome, the valley opens up with El Capitan, the Merced River and meadows to the northwest and Half Dome and the falls to the northeast. It is truly impressive.

 
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 39 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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CATS: Nature, Hiking, YOY, Photography

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 38 (Sierra Fence Lizard)

Jeff

Fence Lizard along Taft Point TrailNorthern California Fence Lizard

If I had to take a guess, I would suggest that this is a picture of a Sierra Fence Lizard. The photo was captured along the Taft Point Trail at Yosemite National Park. We saw several scampering about in the sunny, damp woodlands.

Having hiked extensively in the southwest, this lizard is just one of many that I have come across and photographed. They are a very diverse, colorful and interesting group of reptiles.

 
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 38 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 37 (Old Stone Bridge)

Jeff

Old and beautiful stone bridgeStone bridge…old…authentic!

I am a sucker for stonework and Yosemite has more than its share. There are a good number of causeways, curbs and cottages made of stone throughout the park. Using such a natural resource only adds to the beautiful 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 37 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture time: 7:02:46 PM
Capture date: June 7, 2016
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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 36 (El Capitan Puzzle Solution)

Jeff

Spoiler Alert If you want to try to answer the puzzle, see yesterday’s YOY #35 and return to this post after that.

If you don’t care to take a guess, then click HERE to go to today’s Yosemite picture(s).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above is yesterday’s picture with the hint circled. Do you see that red object?

Rock climbers on El CapitanRock climbers on the face of El Capitan

We were very surprised to learn that the park service allows rock climbers to mount El Capitan since it is such an iconic landmark. There were a number of climbers trying to ascend during our visit and onlookers were lined up under trees in nearby fields to watch the climbers make their way to the top.

We were told that the climb can take between three and six days depending on a variety of factors. Climbers must bring everything with them to sustain them during this feat. Plans need to be made for sleeping, eating, etc.

The red item is one of the bags used to carry supplies and below that there appears to be a pail and a weight. Above the bag there are two climbers with additional supplies. This may be hard to discern so I enlarged a portion of the picture which appears below.

Rock climbers on El Capitan 

Rock climbers on the face of El Capitan Close Up

 
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 36 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture time: 11:20 AM
Capture date: June 8, 2016
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CATS: Nature, Hiking, YOY, Photography

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 35 (El Capitan Puzzle)

Jeff

El Capitan PuzzleDoe you see anything unusual in this picture?

We were hiking past El Capitan on this day and we noticed something different. We hadn’t seen this before in our numerous trips by the mountain.

HINT – Look carefully near the middle of the photo. It has been cropped to make it larger even though it isn’t large.

Enter your answer/guess in the comments and “stay tuned” for the answer.

SUPER HINT – I know the picture above is small so if you want even more of a hint, click HERE to look at a larger picture which should make the discovery easier.

 
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 35 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture time: 11:15:59 AM
Capture date: June 8, 2016
Exposure: 1/125 sec @ f/14
Focal Length: 48mm
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