Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 48 (Taft Point Fissures)

Taft Point Fissures 

The Fissures along the Taft Point Trail

I must confess that it is difficult to portray this physical phenomenon in a two dimensional picture, put fissures are large crevices (or cracks) in rocks. They can be very dangerous as they often intersect areas close to trails and form a hazard for hikers.

Naturally hikers need to be vigilant at all times, but when hiking with children, one needs to be doubly aware. Can you see the large crevice with the two small boulders that have fallen in the crack? That could be a person wedged in there. To make matters worse, some areas near the edge of the fissures have small shrubs along the perimieter which might camouflage them a bit.

Of course there are warning signs alerting hikers of the dangerous fissures and to alert families to hold children close.

NOTE – If you haven’t discerned the fissure, look at the picture below. The arrows point to the walls of the fissure and the red-orange ovals show the boulders that are wedged in the crack.

Taft Point Fissures Annotated 

 
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 47 (Rescue Gear)

Rescue gear storage box along the Four Mile Trail 

A box of rescue gear is left on the Four Mile Trail…jut in case

While hiking the Four Mile Trail starting at Glacier Point, we noticed a metal box with a lock on it along the edge of the path. We surmise that this is a box of rescue gear that might be needed when hikers need assistance.

Notice the lock on the box which we conjecture is enough to keep the contents away from those who are unauthorized.

NOTE – If you want to see a reason why such an item might be necessary, you can review Day 25’s post Warning Signs related to the Four Mile Trail.

 
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 46 (Tuolumne Meadows)

Tuolumne Meadows viewed from the Lembert Dome TrailTuolumne Meadows viewed from the Lembert Dome Trail

After a full day of hiking, we were descending from our trek to Lembert Dome and Dog Lake when we came upon this pretty view of Tuolumne Meadows. Cathedral Peak can be seen just to the right of the photo. As we were nearing the parking area, we thought we saw a beaver go scampering across a snowy patch in the distance, but as we later decided, it must have been a marmot.

 
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 45 (Half Dome at Sunset)

Half Dome Meadow at SunsetHalf Dome Meadow at Sunset

While Half Dome is always impressive as it rises up from a multitude of vantage points at Yosemite, during the sunrise and sunset hours it takes on a special majesty. I particularly like this photograph with the contrasting dark colors of green and some purple highlights among the wildflowers in the foreground.

This field was only a short walk from our lodging and it was difficult to get enough of this view!

Fact: Did you know that the North Face outdoor company uses a stylized version of Half Dome as their Logo?

North Face Logo 

The North Face Logo is a Copyrighted and Registered Trademark

 
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 44 (Rocks Along the Mirror Lake Trail)

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

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

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

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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CATS: Nature, Hiking, YOY, Photography

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

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

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