More on Yosemite

Dramatic waterfalls, massive granite domes, and towering cliffs flank a broad, glacially-carved valley to form the backdrop of one of America’s scenic masterpieces. Nature’s perfection belies the staggering forces of fire and ice that created the Yosemite. Cloaked more recently in alpine meadows, pristine lakes and old-growth forests, Yosemite stands out as a splendid jewel, even in its magnificent setting of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Here the ancient and the new are woven together in a tapestry of awe-inspiring beauty, one which has captivated the hearts of writers, photographers, naturalists and tourists for over a century. "Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life … as if into this one mountain mansion Nature had gathered all its choicest treasures." – John Muir My Experience of Yosemite Forthcoming from DeeAnn Pederson The Nature of Yosemite By Bradford Glass Yosemite National Park straddles the Sierra Nevada mountain range about 4 hours drive east of San Francisco. One of our nation’s earliest commitments to preservation, "the Yosemite" was explored and perhaps made most famous by John Muir, self-made, yet pre-eminent naturalist of the late 1800s. Ansel Adams focused public attention on Yosemite through his world-renowned black-and-white images, evoking awe and wonder in those who had never witnessed such natural beauty first-hand. How did Yosemite come to be? 500 million years ago, the land we know today as Yosemite lay calmly at the bottom of an ancient sea. About 25 million years ago, the North American continental plate began moving west, overriding the Pacific Ocean seafloor plate. Over the next 20 million years, the land warped upward and broke, leaving the ridge of the Sierra (meaning saw-tooth) Nevada (meaning snow), with its gentle western slope, and its steep, eastern face, as evidenced today. Mountain snowmelt created streams that carved the land. Then for thousands of years, continental glaciers scoured the land, widening and deepening ancient streambeds, and scraping off all evidence of life.

Reflections of Creation Crown Jewel

When the glaciers receded some 10,000 years ago, Yosemite Valley lay still, carved to the graceful "U" shape that is the signature of a glacier. Where fire had produced the land itself, ice now gave it shape and texture. Monolithic granite walls rise 4000 feet from the valley floor, carved by glacial action into cliffs like El Capitan, sheer-faced domes like Half Dome, and many multi-level waterfalls like Yosemite Falls, Vernal, Bridalveil and Nevada falls. Many waterfalls drop from their own, smaller, glacially carved river valleys, now hanging high above the Merced River below. The time since glacial retreat has been kind to Yosemite. Known more for its scenic beauty than its wildlife, Yosemite is carpeted in verdant wildflower-filled meadows; old growth forest of Douglas fir, sequoia, cedar; mountain lakes, rivers and streams.

If the grandeur of this scene weren’t already enough, it is perhaps the variety of moods in Yosemite that are the most captivating. Mist rising from the Merced River at dawn; a nighttime snow in the valley giving way to a crystal-clear sunrise; that last ray of sunlight painting an orange stripe across El Capitan or down the veil of a waterfall; constantly changing shadows as the sun traces its daily course; the breathtaking silence of a winter morning. Yosemite is a place of feeling; it’s a place for all of our senses; and it’s a place that takes us beyond our senses. It’s a place where we can be totally present in this moment, connecting us with the timeless, and with the universal -- our own place of peace.