Got up and Dave made Farmer's Omelette breakfast today. Got going out of the camp and went up to Tunnel View, our favorite vista at Yosemite. Dave did some sketching and had some people watching. Next stop was to watch the climbers on El Capitan. We parked our chairs and watched the progress of 4 groups of climbers for a couple of hours.
When we received our Park newspaper when we arrived it stated that, in order to hike Half Dome, you needed a hiking permit for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays due to the large number of people who wanted to hike. The other days one wasn't necessary. There is a photo in the paper with a long line of people on the way to the summit of this rock face.
Went down to the Lower Pines Campground to find our way around because there is supposed to be a mass there this evening. Ate our lunch near the Visitor Center and then walked to the post office and the Ansel Adams Gallery. As we were doing that it began to storm. I was thinking of those hikers on the mountain that have no shelter from the elements. It also stormed a bit yesterday but not like it is today. The rain is coming down hard.
Went back to El Capitan to see the progress our climbers have made. They have inched their way up the mountain but not close to summiting.
Dave here – what a great day.
Yosemite is the most beautiful of all the Parks we have visited so far. Without a lot of soul-searching, it is the most beautiful place above water I have ever seen. Yosemite is a U-shaped Valley with the Merced River running down the middle. The valley floor is covered with meadows and trees some of which are startlingly large. Not yet Giant Sequoia size but coming close, I guess. The sides of the valley are high granite cliffs averaging 3,000 feet or more. There are no bad or mediocre views only one more extraordinary than the other. The most spectacular view is from Inspiration Point. From there looking eastward one sees all the major high points of Yosemite, El Capitan on the left, Sentinel Peak, and Half Dome on the right with Bridalveil Fall in the foreground. I sat for over an hour sketching, not because I'm trying to render good art but so I will remember this scene for a long time. When you sketch you have to pay attention to every detail, every shading of light, gray and dark, how the trees climb from the valley floor partway up the cliff sides where the rock is bare and where it isn't. The sketch is mostly in my memory rather than on the paper.
We are now parked beneath El Capitan in a heavy rain. We came back to see how the climbers were doing just as the rain started. We have been tracking 3 teams of climbers. Even with my 10 power binoculars the individuals would be difficult to see without their colored shirts. All three teams are nearing the top. I can't imagine what it must be like to be thousands of feet on a cliff-side in a pouring, cold rain with thunder and lightening. I have utmost admiration for those climbers. You would have to see this to grasp their skill, their courage and determination. The Ranger told us the climbers spend three to five days and nights getting to the top of the cliff. I wonder how well they sleep. You begin to realize the size of this cliff when you can barely see a human being on the rock-face.
We are going to mass tonight. We will be leaving the Valley when it is getting dark. The Ranger told us that at night you can see the headlamps of the climbers. It should be a remarkable sight.
That's all for now.
As we pulled away from the curb and decided to head back to Curry Village to get something to eat, we encountered a hail storm with very low visibility and deafening when hitting the car. There are many travelers who are headed out of the Park, whether due to storm or just because it is Saturday. We encountered a mudslide with twigs and rocks coming across the road.
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