tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49027875447108304822024-03-14T03:16:28.526-07:00Yosemite Nature Notes BlogYosemite Conservancy's Resident Naturalist's account of Yosemite phenology, park happenings, observations from the field and notes thereon.Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491398460371898974noreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-32957535447606269272021-05-27T08:01:00.001-07:002021-05-27T08:01:51.983-07:00Final PostWhen I came to Yosemite, the plan was to teach for Yosemite Institute for two years and return to Utah/Colorado where I'd been starting my career. Most of four decades later, I'm moving back to Colorado. There are no words for how fortunate I've been to be able to live in and work for Yosemite. Marvelous landscape, terrific people, on and on. Though I've lived here most of my life, I'm really just passing through. The Sierra is too big and too deep for any one human life. It's been a privilege to study its history and to imagine its future, which will go on regardless of what any of us thinks, feels or does. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4mLtoOYlPxI6PJkqqqijDIjAQfZzP1N0ljFbc9nmC9P8yQWaGB6miQQpShFSN18mlvuzXuED8LsGJL2sqYhsWRHmjxirO2YbQp3kqlexQ0aY-4OWzSX82hH0Ntf2H8_Px-c7Zh_R5fWm/s5152/IMG_0626.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4mLtoOYlPxI6PJkqqqijDIjAQfZzP1N0ljFbc9nmC9P8yQWaGB6miQQpShFSN18mlvuzXuED8LsGJL2sqYhsWRHmjxirO2YbQp3kqlexQ0aY-4OWzSX82hH0Ntf2H8_Px-c7Zh_R5fWm/s320/IMG_0626.JPG"/></a></div>
I look forward to return visits to Yosemite, and to the good things I think people will do to protect this park, this planet. Thanks for reading! -PetePete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-42200678277330701252020-06-09T10:11:00.000-07:002020-06-09T10:11:03.357-07:00Empty YosemiteI'm compelled to post the same news that I did last time because it is simply SO astonishing to have the park empty of visitors. I wish everyone could see Yosemite this way - but, of course, you cannot. It is precisely your presence that causes this experience of this place to vanish. We have a strong example of how observers affect the observed object. All I can tell you is that it is a magically different landscape, but as the door to the outside world opens, the remarkable quiet will soon be gone. <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVVVVtnsIMpXb5vNFBcB_xce8XKYtubR0pn5iL1LXwuemPD59HW0xRSRLWQj1-FzgLBXKPeJfTREiTI3bXF_K21M7DRG6Pv15gY60plACgRCHHAGPWg7poVeE7gpqTwgZ7buD3DAV8DEF/s1600/20200524_112813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVVVVtnsIMpXb5vNFBcB_xce8XKYtubR0pn5iL1LXwuemPD59HW0xRSRLWQj1-FzgLBXKPeJfTREiTI3bXF_K21M7DRG6Pv15gY60plACgRCHHAGPWg7poVeE7gpqTwgZ7buD3DAV8DEF/s320/20200524_112813.jpg" width="180" height="320" data-original-width="900" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
This is a place that is explicitly intended to be enjoyed by the public, so there's some guilt in a few of us being here while most are excluded. California is still under a 'stay at home' order, but backpackers and Half Dome dayhikers returned last week (barely noticed), and a half-portion of overnight and day visitors will be returning this week. Only two of the park's several hotels will open, and just two campgrounds for now. The new reservation system for daytime visits is gummed up with demand. Respect the rationale for limits, expect disappointment and perhaps you'll be pleasantly surprised with a lucky chance to enter a special place. For those with reservations, Tioga Road opens to cars next week. Official word is that the day use reservation system will be in place to October. Any limits on visitors will exasperate plenty of people/businesses, but there are also many who would like to see this as the start of a permanent system for limiting traffic. <p>
Entrance gate kiosks have plastic sheeting between you and a ranger. Rangers are wearing facemasks where necessary, but I've yet to see a Class A uniform facemask. I really hope visitors will obey the rules and practice a shared common sense for staying healthy while SARS-CoV-2 is still expanding its range. Staying home is the best way to keep healthy, and while coming to Yosemite is the opposite of that, a visit here can be done cautiously if everyone is attentive to the hazard.<p>
Extensive patches of Clarkia are blooming at lower elevations. Buckeyes are also maxed out, but starting to fade. Azalea, cow parsnip, globe gilia, and plenty of lupines are to be found in the Valley. Birds are still singing, with the two vireos dominating most of the day. We saw two peregrines at river level near El Capitan Bridge the other day, the female struggling to gain height with some heavy prey (possibly a duck). Two falcons also harried a juvenile golden eagle away from El Cap the same morning. We have 15 known nesting pairs in this park - a remarkable density of predators, and a good indicator of ecosystem health.<p>
With some recent cool days and some clouds, the Merced River is running at about 20% of normal volume. It's going to be a dry, dry summer. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-31803279026828657622020-05-05T15:05:00.003-07:002020-05-05T15:05:47.681-07:00Ghost Town NotesIt's astonishing to have Yosemite Valley empty of all but a few hundred staff residents at this time of year. No traffic, no buses, no parking issues, no crowds on trails. It's just running water, greening plants, singing birds. Is this a glimpse of what it was like in the historic past? Or might it be a vision of a future when most people visit Yosemite through virtual reality? <p>
The paved roads are still here, all the built environment of hotels, shops and all the housing for 1500 employees and their families is here. The infrastructure stands ready to host 4 million visitors - so this is very different from what Hutchings or Monroe would've seen for a Valley without lines of cars and acres of parking. The Valley is most like a ghost town now; all but abandoned in what should be busy season. The isolated community is getting out a bit on trails and its fun to see families biking around the safe, quiet roads. <p>
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The Valley has been populated by the usual suspects who've slipped past the gates: tanager, oriole, peewee, MacGillivray's, grosbeak, violet-green, etc. After a rainy April, then a hot stretch, the Merced River peaked at healthy 3500 cfs on 30 April, and it's dropped back to average now. This weekend's heat will bump it up again, but the usual annual peak for our river is the third week of May; can't say for sure yet, but we seem to be early. Tenaya Creek went around both sides of the footbridge near North Pines, partly due to a big logjam just downstream. Sentinel Creek flows in just 3 of its potential 8 channels, Eagle Creek and Horsetail Creek are dry on the Valley floor. Indian Creek flows only in its main channel, with none of its common leakage in the Village. Ribbon Creek flows in all four culverts under Northside Drive but isn't leaking into El Cap Meadow. Wosky Pond is quite small, only 15-20m long. Bridalveil Creek flows strongly, and all but overcomes the noise of machinery working on the access improvement project there. The 1 May snow surveys show 54% of average snowpack water content in the Merced watershed and less in the Tuolumne. The spring rains at lower elevations have produced an exceptionally thick growth of grass and forbs - which will be come a lot of fast fuels in another month.<p>
Clarkia has started blooming west of the park and dry canyon slopes mean that the foothill growing season is tapering off. The corona pathogen hasn't reached into the park as far as we know and it is not at all tapering off in the state. There are only guesses about when Yosemite will reopen for visitors and what limits on visitors there might be. We'll all need to be patient for a while before re-populating this ghost town. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-83854651831096532012020-04-21T11:53:00.000-07:002020-04-21T11:53:59.134-07:00Happy Muir Day to YouRemember your 30th birthday? Or perhaps you're still looking forward to this milestone. Did you do something special, were you surrounded by family and/or friends, did you go someplace nice? Turning 30 is a big moment for many of us. One hundred and fifty-two years ago John Muir observed his 30th, newly arrived in California, far from home and friends. When Muir got to California he wasn't famous, he wasn't from an important family, and he didn't have much money. He was a blue-collar nobody, with an accent from his childhood in another country. <p>He'd come to San Francisco by ship from New York (via train across Panama), took a ferry to Oakland, and walked to Yosemite from there, via Pacheco Pass and the Coulterville Free Trail. He was expressly focused on seeing Yosemite, as he'd read about the Valley and the sequoias back east. We often picture him alone but he journeyed with another traveler, who'd been on the ship with him. He and Joseph Chilwell spent about two springtime weeks exploring Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove (he went right past the sequoias of Tuolumne and Merced Groves unawares), and he met Galen Clark along the way. The Valley and Grove were already protected lands, granted by Washington, D.C. to the care of Sacramento a few years prior. After their visit he and his companion left the mountains to seek ranch work in the lowest foothills near Snelling.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5aMQAr5kTBw0Wb0rMgScMrwN4Dm5XEb2XwbJ8z52f0tUkBmfrqpnDQhPwhfMnjn6Bez_8bA8o3cbhaJIUpQbYMRxWBTvJUc1QNG6xzYKwXfO2Bpa-CgFk03tBoHIO5ybbHiqwOTEimaZ/s1600/IMGP5215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5aMQAr5kTBw0Wb0rMgScMrwN4Dm5XEb2XwbJ8z52f0tUkBmfrqpnDQhPwhfMnjn6Bez_8bA8o3cbhaJIUpQbYMRxWBTvJUc1QNG6xzYKwXfO2Bpa-CgFk03tBoHIO5ybbHiqwOTEimaZ/s320/IMGP5215.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
<p>Somewhere on this short trek, Muir turns 30. How excited he must've been, exploring this new place at this vibrant time of year - and how daunting to be solo without Instagram, Zoom or TripAdvisor. Was there cake? Candles? Any presents? Did he even tell anyone it was his birthday? Just over a year later, Muir returns to the mountains with the sheep. It's a couple of years after that point that he starts to transition from the life of a transient laborer to that of a writer/naturalist, then conservationist and widely known public figure. <p>I think we are lucky to have had someone as generously-minded as Muir (and Clark, whose 206th birthday was 3 weeks ago) passing through Yosemite. I truly hope that someone wished him a happy birthday, raised a glass, or thought of him from home in Wisconsin or Scotland. May we all give a moment today to turn our thoughts to Muir's contributions to our lives... Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-43800950772192345912020-03-09T21:00:00.000-07:002020-03-09T21:00:07.601-07:00Daylight Spendings TimeWe are 10 days from an early equinox and the Sierra winter is melting away already. The Merced watershed has 38% of average snowpack water content and Yosemite Falls is running with the water that's not supposed to flow until June. Horsetail Fall didn't produce appreciable 'firefall.' The big storms just didn't come this season. The low-elevation canyon west of the park has a decent quantity of flower species and numbers, but the slopes look surprisingly dry instead of their usual green. Redbuds punctuate the verdure now. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxiXxxdZXJbgkQkrxSNfxl4h04Lc04T8-bt1c7IrxfNI_haEsXlKXS940hToA0M4J2aIcwLom6BciP8gobTbbSGQkpo1Or3HF3TX1V7MuB5b-ygAjbn_dw3KuePMiV0J8ebI9sylyGhmA/s1600/20180206_170139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxiXxxdZXJbgkQkrxSNfxl4h04Lc04T8-bt1c7IrxfNI_haEsXlKXS940hToA0M4J2aIcwLom6BciP8gobTbbSGQkpo1Or3HF3TX1V7MuB5b-ygAjbn_dw3KuePMiV0J8ebI9sylyGhmA/s320/20180206_170139.jpg" width="180" height="320" data-original-width="900" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
Rough-winged swallows, white-throated swifts, and turkey vultures are all flying overhead in El Portal. This foothill region also has singing flickers and orange-crowned warblers; ruby-crowned kinglets are warming up with partial songs. <p>
We are curious to see what COVID-19 does to Yosemite visitation this season, where people over 60 are advised to stay home, large gatherings are to be avoided and many people don't want to travel. My May trip to our sister national parks in China has cancelled, but I hope to go in September. With our park getting at least 25% of its visitors from other countries, we expect to see less of the world in Yosemite. The park will be here nonetheless. <p>Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-76729847096505519032019-12-24T15:47:00.002-08:002019-12-24T15:49:57.727-08:00Build Me Up, KumlieniaThe first waterfall buttercup of the new season has bloomed in the Merced Canyon across from Ned's Gulch. A couple of the dippers that keep their toes cool in this part of the canyon have started to sing, as well. Solstice has just passed and the greening of spring is underway in the lower reaches of the Sierra. Quite visible (thousands of feet) just above, new snow is accumulating on the healthy base we've acquired in the past month or so. Ski season is young at the same time the first flowers emerge; altitude is everything.<p>
Slash piles are putting up smoke in the Valley now. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmgqVaFsjRbqDKsI96v7J7GXg1gOTBjpuagK-r52kPb0o0rT2eINHws2WvqCrum9jkcIHU8O2biEiu0F3EmlFVYMMcENDV2AIixhepLlkhGWD5fJ8P4k-Mr3Yaf1ju95GV6cXDb5tjxD9/s1600/20191221_143654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmgqVaFsjRbqDKsI96v7J7GXg1gOTBjpuagK-r52kPb0o0rT2eINHws2WvqCrum9jkcIHU8O2biEiu0F3EmlFVYMMcENDV2AIixhepLlkhGWD5fJ8P4k-Mr3Yaf1ju95GV6cXDb5tjxD9/s320/20191221_143654.jpg" width="180" height="320" data-original-width="900" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>Most of these are cleanup from all the ponderosas that have died (overstock, warming, drought, and lastly, beetles) and been felled (hazards to people while they stand). Some of the downed trees and burn piles are from meadow restoration near the Ahwahnee and from vista clearing. I am one who does not lament the shocking mortality of the pines; because of fire suppression they'd grown too dense. The small fraction that is gone from the Valley has opened up fantastic views that no one has seen in generations, a real win. Yosemite Falls is flowing nicely again, though the Merced is running below average volume. Our Christmas Bird Count had good weather and fine birders, and turned up an average number of species and individuals.<p>
We are disappointed that our well-regarded Superintendent has been re-assigned to Denver by NPS HQ, but we are pleased to have the respected Cicely Muldoon arriving to cover in a temporary role that we hope will become permanent. <p>
We've just renewed our sister park arrangement with Huangshan National Park in China for another five years. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWh-spw0dnBJRV3uGRArtYUa7evjmjd-HNYe6PH3dcoVGxNvQ4RXwIyPd51yX6W7TKeLLzpLz3vZq83q-DLC30Uz0WuL0_twsnTMB9FhVXZq1oO218xPAJV3dRWaD3C9NU_xAdCT2wbbVX/s1600/IMG_0550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWh-spw0dnBJRV3uGRArtYUa7evjmjd-HNYe6PH3dcoVGxNvQ4RXwIyPd51yX6W7TKeLLzpLz3vZq83q-DLC30Uz0WuL0_twsnTMB9FhVXZq1oO218xPAJV3dRWaD3C9NU_xAdCT2wbbVX/s200/IMG_0550.JPG" width="150" height="200" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>I had a good visit there in September and look forward to <a href="https://www.mtsobek.com/trips/asia/china/china-middle-kingdom-yosemite-sister-parks/">returning </a>there and to Jiuzhaigou in May. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-46630722581549086882019-06-29T08:33:00.001-07:002019-06-29T08:33:03.788-07:00Tioga CorridorNPS opens the Tioga Pass Road on 1 July. Our big snow year made clearing snow, avalanche zones and downed trees more laborious than usual. Because water and wastewater systems in Tuolumne Meadows both have problems, it's not easy to have park staff living up there yet. These important people are needed to staff the entrance gate, patrol the road, provide information to visitors, oversee Wilderness access and permitting with backpackers, patrol trails, manage a huge campground, clean public restrooms, set up seasonal housing and make sure that all utility systems are functioning well. It's been our disappointing experience that when the Tuolumne Meadows area isn't staffed by NPS, some visitors can be more destructive to the high country's values. <p>
The partial opening of Tioga during the past week, with one-hour morning and afternoon windows is something new. While cars can't stop on the transit (except to drop-off or pick-up backpackers with permits), the windows have been heavily used by visitors and locals moving between eastern and western California. <p>
NPS has generously allowed bicycles to ride Tioga during all daylight hours. This is one of the best bike rides on earth and is a terrific national park experience. Birds, running water, and the purr of bike tires - so nice! <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLIE63UMbQJkbuDHTnWj1DCFX5UWKYwpywgawx0Z9bZTLXTE4huLQA2fs4BOgsuYTQVMSO3KrDEdLjj4yW8zoEcnx0jtPrerqbXS6s5ZIO0yq8OhJ5OxD0yY6P1uoly9OWhTFLonCvprH/s1600/IMG_6998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLIE63UMbQJkbuDHTnWj1DCFX5UWKYwpywgawx0Z9bZTLXTE4huLQA2fs4BOgsuYTQVMSO3KrDEdLjj4yW8zoEcnx0jtPrerqbXS6s5ZIO0yq8OhJ5OxD0yY6P1uoly9OWhTFLonCvprH/s320/IMG_6998.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
Of course, as mentioned elsewhere, Tioga is open all year - just not to vehicles. Plenty of people travel this corridor all through the winter months. Those contemplating hikes in the next few weeks should expect lingering snow, difficult creek crossings, and wet, muddy trails. We hope that visitors will be gentle on the landscape as it dries out.Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-59755027205944091642019-04-27T08:04:00.001-07:002019-04-27T08:04:51.931-07:00April Flowers Bringing ItThe Merced River approaches 'minor flood' stage tonight, with the previous two night's flows being near 5300 cfs, which is roughly double the average peak spring volume. Valley meadows are wet, some trails are under water, some campsites unusable, and it's a great time to be a duck. While exciting, this is the normal and predictable outcome from a winter that brought the Merced watershed 153% of average snowpack water content as of 1 April (and 176% in the Tuolumne watershed). The waterfalls are ripping right now. You may recall that (after vehicle accidents) swiftwater is the number one factor for visitor fatalities in Yosemite; respect the water. April has been warmer than usual (only one day of wist ice [frazil] in its typically most productive month) and we wonder if peak runoff has come 3-4 weeks earlier than the late May average. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizprr0SoPm6LWAH6CqWz2E9KHWPrCskEChwDnTZ8s7SqpwjsKMoemO4UsNZqnSklJoieKPmd6URpB64jSTGTv50PqwOfvrt0gKPe3uwpy1CRXlwfaSVxIsxYd2JbtTb_H7tz0t1UpM2d6z/s1600/IMG_0273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizprr0SoPm6LWAH6CqWz2E9KHWPrCskEChwDnTZ8s7SqpwjsKMoemO4UsNZqnSklJoieKPmd6URpB64jSTGTv50PqwOfvrt0gKPe3uwpy1CRXlwfaSVxIsxYd2JbtTb_H7tz0t1UpM2d6z/s320/IMG_0273.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>There is still a huge quantity of snow at 7000' and above. While we did have some warm storms this winter that brought rain to high elevations, we had far more storms that delivered snow down to 2000'. Several recent SAR call-outs have resulted from people getting up into deep snow where they didn't expect it. Some have been getting their intel from various posts/photos about nice April hikes that others did last year - that was a very dry winter. The Fourmile Trail and the JMT below Nevada Fall (ice cut) are still closed and dangerous. The High Sierra Camps won't open this season. Expect stream crossings to be challenging and snow to persist well into mid-summer in the high country.<p>
Dogwood flowers are at the puppy stage in Yosemite Valley. Tanagers, orioles and grosbeaks are singing and shining brightly. Peregrines are at their eyries. The green dragons are rolling. "This grand show is eternal..."Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-83530429261192828222019-03-21T10:04:00.000-07:002019-03-21T10:04:24.909-07:00Night Equals DayYesterday we were treated to the unusual intersection of vernal equinox and a full moon. Here was a nice moment when hours of sunshine were balanced by hours of - wait - moonshine? Let's say moonlight, rather. If you follow your horoscope (and if you don't) this coincidence of full moon and equinox means no more than an interesting astronomical curiosity in your life.<p>
I am guilty of neglecting regular posts for most of the last year, but I'll try again to stay more up to date.<p>
It's been a strong winter in the Sierra, with much more than average snowpack on the ground. It seems like we've had just one week without a storm since the end of January. As in other recent years, the snowline is higher than the historic average although Yosemite Valley got some heavy storms in February that damaged a lot of trees and the buildings beneath them. The Merced is running above average and the waterfalls are all at healthy volumes. Here's hoping for a gradual warming of spring that'll have the falls flowing well through the summer, instead of draining snowfields in a short burst. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsVpFmLwwon1GNjQ23vAxe2p2iDQ2_hH7XQIQmdBRpORA6CtMYxq2d5N18_uqBmd7yts-IYDV7TJVu8YztQO0uSTSx7_1xhP5kIeaVWcFwULp_iLqduPHrKXvmQFYAWrncx8z2Xbe2fM6/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsVpFmLwwon1GNjQ23vAxe2p2iDQ2_hH7XQIQmdBRpORA6CtMYxq2d5N18_uqBmd7yts-IYDV7TJVu8YztQO0uSTSx7_1xhP5kIeaVWcFwULp_iLqduPHrKXvmQFYAWrncx8z2Xbe2fM6/s320/IMG_0092.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
The burned area of last summer's Ferguson Fire (shown here with a skier) has shed a bit of sediment (mostly from the South Fork) in storms but nearly all of that fire was of low intensity and is greening up nicely now. For all the rain and runoff we've had, there wasn't much intense rainfall and we haven't had the rockfalls along Hwy. 140 that we worried about. Not many trees were killed by that fire (lots of already dead trees didn't even burn) and the forest is healthier for it. Burned or not, as with much of California, it's looking like a good wildflower season. Kumlienia started in January, and the rocky banks that were cooked black in August are now coated in greenery and flowers. Poppies, popcorn flower, baby blue-eyes and fiddlenecks are already at photogenic quantities in the Merced Canyon, but are still densifying toward their peaks.<p>
I am again leading trips to Yosemite's <a href="https://www.mtsobek.com/trips/asia/china/china-middle-kingdom-yosemite-sister-parks/">sister national parks</a> in China. Mountain Travel Sobek has us headed to explore the natural and cultural history of Jiuzhaigou and Huangshan and to meet with park rangers to learn about China's park management. Hiking in both parks is truly astounding and I can't wait to get back there. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-33003337614656013242018-05-18T16:50:00.000-07:002018-05-18T16:51:19.797-07:00Wet SpringAfter another very dry winter, Yosemite has had a bit of recovery with a wet spring. We had warm storms in March and April and are now enjoying a string of about 10 days of cool, cloudy afternoons. The first weekend of April we had the markedly unusual experience of a very late, warm, winter-scale storm. This atmospheric river brought high elevation rain instead of snow, a flood forecast, and a successful pre-emptive evacuation of Yosemite Valley. Sure enough, the Merced River came up through the campgrounds, over the roads, through Housekeeping Camp, and filled the meadows. NPS has nice <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTTc7BWzpM">footage </a>online. There's a persistent myth that these 'Pineapple Express' storms melt a lot of snow, but they really don't. It's the high elevation rain over thousands of acres of bare rock and thin soils that fills the river. This flood event wasn't from a 'monster' rainstorm, just a pretty big storm up high. Lower elevation side streams barely rose, compared to what the river did. <p>
Because of the poor winter and the late-season rains, our springtime runoff peaked a month ahead of normal. The Merced and the waterfalls are already declining in volume, especially with the cloudy conditions we've been having. The clouds are delaying our minimal runoff a bit, which will help waterfalls last and forests to stay watered a bit further into the summer. <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIkihGb4fkMtEGnbIeoyN1vz7gJGiXKGwEOCYRq2rLblZSZDcDecp07BzUgbH74AW8hPcAHWnmm99IN7xjIilwFIj_pJc5-Amo4QiKJdA7rp55tl54H19rbzQDyzbLb_hyur0xcHIzkbs/s1600/IMG_8979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIkihGb4fkMtEGnbIeoyN1vz7gJGiXKGwEOCYRq2rLblZSZDcDecp07BzUgbH74AW8hPcAHWnmm99IN7xjIilwFIj_pJc5-Amo4QiKJdA7rp55tl54H19rbzQDyzbLb_hyur0xcHIzkbs/s320/IMG_8979.JPG" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><p>
The park is still busy felling hazard trees, the small portion of our dead trees that might fall on people/roads/infrastructure. This year's below-average precipitation and above-average warmth will continue to stress Sierra forests (over-thick with trees due to decades of fire suppression) and we'll see more of the weak trees succumb to native bark beetles. Despite changes in Washington, D.C., the NPS in Yosemite is sticking with science and is not dodging the reality of climate change in its training of new rangers. The climate IS changing, it's changing NOW, in ways more rapid than ever, it is because of OUR hydrocarbon use, and it'll have serious consequences for US. It's disappointing that some political leaders think they know more than NASA or the National Academies of Science. Among other things, our fire season is longer, more severe and is costing us all more money to deal with. I'll be heading up to Lyell and Maclure Glaciers with Yosemite <a href="http://https://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/outdoor-adventures/glacier-expedition-backpack-mt-lyell">Conservancy </a>groups in August and I expect to see those small ice bodies closer to leaving Yosemite entirely glacier-less. <p> Luckily, because <i>we </i>are causing the current rapid changes in climate, we should have some influence over it. Let's work to reduce our mistake and bring back snowy winters.
Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-69328533703903345732018-02-17T17:31:00.000-08:002018-02-17T17:34:23.694-08:00Winter BypassWe really have skipped past winter here again. Aside from last winter, this has been a season much like those winters of 2011-2016: mild and dry. There's still time for some catch-up precipitation, but it's extremely unlikely to make up for the absence of storms so far. I was up at 7500' along the shoulder of Half Dome with BK the other day. We explored an abandoned trail and stopped by G. Anderson's spring and cabin site; there was barely any snow to speak of. <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwORwq_kKKzHGA7f8VLxOmfdEV1vrvwXBuKTaTCzBamWYIE4voLzXHgCi4zUEYOrxLHy_2nYRhErqtaH-QBlkqn58u7ruoVtai8D3xRKcGwFn8RjFXmt7gAyrI8BSDQ2aKh2liF3H3tcpH/s1600/IMGP5209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwORwq_kKKzHGA7f8VLxOmfdEV1vrvwXBuKTaTCzBamWYIE4voLzXHgCi4zUEYOrxLHy_2nYRhErqtaH-QBlkqn58u7ruoVtai8D3xRKcGwFn8RjFXmt7gAyrI8BSDQ2aKh2liF3H3tcpH/s320/IMGP5209.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
Above Rancheria Flat (El Portal), numerous flowers are blooming: poppies, red maids, Erodium, woodland star, Nemophila, popcorn flower, fiddlenecks, blue dicks, Stellaria, dead nettle, birds-eye gilia, etc. Some buckeyes are still tight buds, while others are dazzling green with 10cm leaves out. Elderberries are also leafing out. Redbud still seem a ways off. <p>
The Merced River is running below average. It's displaying the diurnal cycle of snowmelt, draining the water that's supposed to flow off in April/May. The aridity of the season means a poor showing for the Horsetail Fall 'firefall' phenomenon but crowds are coming nonetheless; viral imagery from other years seems to matter more than natural reality on the ground. NPS and YC have arranged an impressive structure for managing access to the main viewing areas. Without more than a wet streak at Horsetail, at least the system gets a dry run. (Yes, intentional.)<p>
Summer stars are rising before dawn now: Scorpio and the Triangle. The Falcon Heavy orbital burn was visible for a few minutes over Yosemite last week, an unexpected celestial apparition.
Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-9271509326453609462018-01-31T07:20:00.000-08:002018-01-31T17:51:28.592-08:00Candy Weather AgainWarm, dry conditions continue in a very poor winter for the Sierra. We've had a few storms and there is some snow (mostly above 7000'), but we seem to be having a weak winter like those of 2011-2015. Things could still change, but this feels too similar to those seasons of poor skiing, thin waterfalls and early fires. The Merced is running just a bit above average volume, but this is runoff that shouldn't be happening until April. Candy weather: it's nice in the moment, but you know it's not good for anyone in the long term. <p>
Fiddleneck, chickweed and blue dick are blooming in the lower Merced Canyon now. I always look for the first fiddlenecks on the grassy bank outside my Yosemite Conservancy office in El Portal; the first optimist opened 16 January. Waterfall buttercups are profuse in their favored locations (first flowers noted 31 December near Ned's Gulch). <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YsnyFVNhKNiE_XZbdHUiFb3zLwQIedd4nfckYFnhSiTzrga8jvd8rAvLn6Zareem5uQNLnb6vz7jh-fTjHsmBKCfHtFxNeETfmShbfWXhJaIIgKNgalHaD-fTWc0jzZdcSJ_QrMB1Z-F/s1600/20180124_101148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YsnyFVNhKNiE_XZbdHUiFb3zLwQIedd4nfckYFnhSiTzrga8jvd8rAvLn6Zareem5uQNLnb6vz7jh-fTjHsmBKCfHtFxNeETfmShbfWXhJaIIgKNgalHaD-fTWc0jzZdcSJ_QrMB1Z-F/s320/20180124_101148.jpg" width="180" height="320" data-original-width="900" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>I walked up the remnants of the 1856 Coulterville Free Trail the other day. This climbs steeply to the north and west from below Pohono Bridge up the canyon wall toward Tamarack Flat, intersecting with the Old Big Oak Flat Road somewhere west of the road's Cascade Creek crossing. The road was put through to the Valley floor in 1874, so the trail was used by stock and foot traffic for less than 20 years. Like most of the early routes built by Euro-Americans, it was developed not by the government but by entrepreneurs hoping to make a buck from tolls. In places the trail is still clearly built and obvious, in places it's been entirely absorbed back into the landscape since it was replaced by the stage road when Grant (who later visited Yosemite) was president 144 years ago. This photo shows rockwork along Fireplace Creek. <p>
One special traveler who arrived via the Coulterville Free Trail and got his first view of Yosemite Valley was John Muir in 1868. It's interesting to imagine Muir and his traveling companion Joseph Chilwell finishing their walk from San Francisco Bay by leaving the snows of Crane Flat, descending this steep toll path, and seeing the cliffs and Bridalveil Fall. Muir was a nobody when he showed up in Yosemite; he was 30 years old, a transient laborer, who passed through the Valley and Mariposa Grove then went to find work in the ranch country of the lowest Sierra foothills to the west of us. The Valley and the Grove were well-known tourist attractions and had already become protected reserves four years before Muir came to California. More than a year after coming over the Coulterville Trail he came back into the high country above Yosemite Valley tending a herd of sheep and then found blue collar work in the Valley for two years. After that point he was mostly a resident of the East Bay, building a career that included plenty of return visits to Yosemite Valley and the higher terrain to the east. The rest is history. You never know which poor immigrant will go on to change our world so much for the better. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-1660348639532213042017-12-18T20:39:00.000-08:002017-12-18T20:39:11.429-08:00SolstishApologies for my long absence; it was a busy summer in Yosemite, and I've been enjoying the recovery. My schedule slows down as the park's does. <p>
Yosemite is truly uncrowded now; I've been hiking where I see no one all day. I went up to Little Yosemite Valley for the night last week, and saw 4 people on the way; in the summertime it'd be 400 people. The campground there was calm and quiet with most nighttime noise coming from a spotted owl and the brightest fires were from Geminid meteors overhead. Half Dome leans completely away from the sun before 5pm and its cold shoulders cool off quickly then. I went up to George Anderson's spring and cabin but no one was there, either. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WOLWIppus6o4lP7SZYVTsuVNlEmXgRSgvVoOET4mEa-UHRBZeIfuF7LldEOJWonchfHmEmc9HhB0JjXq19M8W9OXts3AYIr1FfxixaTy8FgJzKXwZu1HbopFje_2CM7pTS797zRfCOj7/s1600/IMG_8696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WOLWIppus6o4lP7SZYVTsuVNlEmXgRSgvVoOET4mEa-UHRBZeIfuF7LldEOJWonchfHmEmc9HhB0JjXq19M8W9OXts3AYIr1FfxixaTy8FgJzKXwZu1HbopFje_2CM7pTS797zRfCOj7/s320/IMG_8696.JPG" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><p>
The Merced has dropped to below average, for just the second short stretch in a year. Yosemite Falls and the others are light but not anemic. There's very little snow at any elevation.<p>
Yesterday was our annual Christmas Bird Count wherein several dozen amateur naturalists spend the day afield accounting for all avians. All-star Michael Ross added the first-ever Say's Phoebes to the count. Thomas Say went to boarding school with John Kirk Townsend (of Townsend's Warbler, for example). Townsend did some of his western natural history work in the company of Thomas Nuttall (of Nuttall's Woodpecker). Nuttall never got to the Sierra but he came to coastal California in 1835 where he bumped into one of his former Harvard students, Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (that's right, "Two Years Before the Mast"). On his second trip to California, Dana made it up to Yosemite and spent time with Galen Clark. Clark, of course, is buried in the Valley's cemetery, the residents of which Michael and I think of as some of the people from our village. Even after all these years we are 4 degrees of separation from the fellow for whom the phoebe is named. <p>
Winter solstice is at hand, when the darkest days will start to stretch and lighten a bit. Here's hoping the Sierra gets Nevada and all of us range in the light soon.
Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-46281528543461037622017-06-29T09:58:00.000-07:002017-06-29T09:58:28.545-07:00A solstice to rememberOur remarkable year continues to surprise with storms into June. The Merced River has hovered near flood level for several weeks, running 3-5 times usual volume. Only now is it showing a typical seasonal decline, more than a month later than 'normal.' Low elevation tributaries are already drying or dried, but the main stem still runs strongly. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CT8GhuQXXTOsMMIUp4JVuT1do8pbxq8frzQTVsy3rvajMRD1pglPUClbp58O-wX4nnXULu-UHElWhQUVnjjWEXsLtRTHBhZ75hWaYdkci8dzd8Jb2DbPiHjYGzHNdc9SHPzotOjAmzsF/s1600/IMGP5559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CT8GhuQXXTOsMMIUp4JVuT1do8pbxq8frzQTVsy3rvajMRD1pglPUClbp58O-wX4nnXULu-UHElWhQUVnjjWEXsLtRTHBhZ75hWaYdkci8dzd8Jb2DbPiHjYGzHNdc9SHPzotOjAmzsF/s320/IMGP5559.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><p>
The lower canyon shows an interesting color reversal of early spring's redbuds underlain by white Nemophila or Claytonia, whereas now it's the white of buckeye overlying the purple of Clarkia.<p>
Steve's newest Yosemite Nature Notes video has been released; you can learn something about Yosemite's grizzly bears <a href="https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=587443BA-1DD8-B71B-0BA9F830CE167295">here</a>. How would your Yosemite visit be different with grizzlies around? <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/594bbfa8e4b062254f3a5bc6"> Here's </a>a brief travel item on Yosemite in the Huffington Post. Both of these media items have something in common with this blog...<p>
Tioga Pass opens to cars today, but don't expect any services in Tuolumne to open soon. Likewise, hiking will be quite challenging for a while because of lingering snow and high runoff. (Do not take chances with stream crossings!) This IS an exceptional year and we won't see the high country we've become used to.Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-76486408638550792592017-04-03T14:25:00.001-07:002017-04-03T14:25:42.687-07:00Post-winter RecoverySpringtime is making its way uphill in the Sierra with redbud peaking in El Portal now while unfathomable snow persists above 7000 feet. It can hardly be said enough: WHAT a winter we've had here! Storms were repeated with good frequency and lots of Pacific moisture, leaving us with a tremendous snowpack. The snowline was a bit higher than historical averages; not much accumulated in Yosemite Valley (though we had <b>lots </b>of rain runoff), but higher elevations have had fantastical quantities. The central Sierra has 175% of usual water content in the current snowpack. Picture the meadows and forests in the May Lake area buried by 6-7 feet of water (not 6' of snow, but 6' of standing water) - that's the nature of how much mature, dense snow is covering the tens of thousands of acres of Yosemite's upper elevations.<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYeg2IZHm0lSzJzZ2u51UwfGI1U9I_Hfq1iJ7GzVnoiNgveFzdKMz1X7ttgXjrXSECCZRlJPCFerAI-WxUGm34dDXBvqtbrcevPeZZjGBa9H9PZc02vr3zU1OeXlWDfHyz3TFRDc6OPTj/s1600/20170209_093429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYeg2IZHm0lSzJzZ2u51UwfGI1U9I_Hfq1iJ7GzVnoiNgveFzdKMz1X7ttgXjrXSECCZRlJPCFerAI-WxUGm34dDXBvqtbrcevPeZZjGBa9H9PZc02vr3zU1OeXlWDfHyz3TFRDc6OPTj/s320/20170209_093429.jpg" width="180" height="320" /></a></div>
<-Bridalveil in flood.<p>
Storm damage has been considerable in/near the park, with Hwy. 41 having been closed for a month by a washout, and crews working hard to repair slope movement on the Big Oak Flat Road below Crane Flat in hopes of getting it re-opened before Memorial Day. Trails at and above the Yosemite Valley level have a lot of downed trees; trail crew sawyers will be very busy for much of the summer to get those cleared. When you visit the Valley, check out the fragments of bark-less logs below Bridalveil or Yosemite Falls from trees that were uprooted and thrown over the falls this winter. Since December there's been a huge deposit of frazil (wist) ice below Yosemite Falls, and we're now in the month when one is most likely to be able to observe wist ice flowing.<p>
The excitement isn't over. Because of the closure of the Big Oak Flat Road, Hwy. 140 has been handling much more traffic. This past Saturday, visitors were waiting over 2 hours in a 3.5 mile-long line of 800+ cars just to get through the stoplight at the Ferguson rockslide detour west of the park. (Easily avoided by coming in before 9am on weekends.) Because of the road construction in the Valley, the main parking at Yosemite Village will be closed for the next two months, and detours are confusing to both new and veteran visitors. It's going to be a very nice improvement once it's completed, but parking and navigating can be challenges on spring weekends now. Half Dome Village and the new lot by Camp Four are best bets. The road crew is already working to clear Glacier Point Road.<p>
But, wait, there's more. The Merced is running almost 4x average flow today. All that snow in the high country seems likely to bring us some degree of 'high water incident' between now and mid-June (sure to cover some Valley trails at least), depending on how the warming progresses. Yosemite explorers should expect a delayed start to summer, with Tioga Road opening late, trails covered by snow and fallen trees, and creeks difficult to cross. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-74420468960739383622017-01-28T11:00:00.000-08:002017-01-28T11:00:02.445-08:00Ice, Ice, MaybeThere's an exceptional accumulation of waterfall slurry ice below Yosemite Falls right now, and the whole amphitheater is closed for safety reasons. The stream of 'frazil' flow meanders dynamically and it'd be possible for someone to get into real trouble with this unstable landscape. We know it's not really 'frazil ice' because this slurry is formed of frozen waterfall mist/droplets, but it's remarkable, whatever we call it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqt6H9WRQYusjck9A4cALdT1l7RH4QELUIuhTA_NFJ4YbnahqZSoGUK4_uVeCnwENqPBTzyAyrsYRBWX9m2e0CeGsPADAHGv2EbmQKgoLkVrRaPw2ajpjApQYw0M6dw-bBv5puSGRanZa/s1600/IMG_7843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqt6H9WRQYusjck9A4cALdT1l7RH4QELUIuhTA_NFJ4YbnahqZSoGUK4_uVeCnwENqPBTzyAyrsYRBWX9m2e0CeGsPADAHGv2EbmQKgoLkVrRaPw2ajpjApQYw0M6dw-bBv5puSGRanZa/s320/IMG_7843.JPG" width="320" height="240" /></a></div>There's frazil deposition in Royal Arch Creek and Steve B. says there's frazil in Bridalveil and Ribbon Creeks. <p>
There's also a very healthy snowpack at higher elevations, well above average in depth and water content. The Valley has lots of water from recent storms; there's almost a foot of snow on the ground but running water in Sentinel, Eagle, Royal Arch, Ribbon and other creeks. This wet winter bodes well for summertime waterfalls, some groundwater recharge, and perhaps a more normally-timed start to the fire season. We'll have to wait a few months to fully assess the end of the drought. <p>
Meanwhile at lower elevations flowers are blooming in the Merced River canyon: fiddleneck, baby blue eyes, and a galaxy of waterfall buttercups can be found. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-8658753187230643132017-01-07T09:07:00.000-08:002017-01-09T13:45:35.227-08:00High Water 2017I am quite impressed with NPS preparations for anticipated flooding in the next couple of days; this is much different from the surprises of 1997's flood. Forecasting has been honed and there's institutional memory of the last big one. <p>
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As of last evening, all visitors have been evacuated from the Valley. Staff housing in the Half Dome Village area has been evacuated and all other locals are being told to stay put as of tonight. Peak flow is expected late in the day on Sunday. Projections are for about 17,000 cfs at Pohono Bridge, where the Merced exits the Valley. Average river flow for this time of year is about 100 cfs, and because of this week's rain the river is carrying 572 cfs right now. Again, that projection is for the river to increase to 30 times the current flow by tomorrow evening.
We had a flood warning in mid-December but the river didn't quite reach 5000 cfs; it needs to get to about 7000 cfs before the water comes up on to a road in the Valley. The river would first gently back up on to pavement at Wosky Pond on Northside Drive. <p>
If we do get to 17,000, this'd make it the 6th biggest recorded volume for the Pohono gauging station. The bigger events were the floods of 1937, 1950, 1955, 1964 and 1997. Five 'big' floods in a century averages to every other decade or so. What some locals parochially call 'The Flood' of twenty years ago was only a little bit bigger than those other four were, and such floods affect far more than just Yosemite. There was no gauging station in 1862, when the Merced surely exceeded its 1997 size in a mega-flood that wrecked the whole state. <p>All these high water events happen December-February and are due to warm storms, which bring rain to high elevation instead of snow. There's a persistent myth that the 1997 flood was due to rain melting recent snows, but the science says that rain doesn't melt very much snow. The floods happen simply by high snowline causing tens of thousands more acres of watershed to receive rain. Especially in higher terrain with thinner soils and vast expanses of bare granite, that rain just runs off right away and swells the rivers downstream. <p>
I share Muir's enthusiasm for such events; he witnessed and wrote about the flood of December 1871. While I shelter in place, I look forward to seeing the video record collected by the professionals.Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-3416922771463638492016-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:002016-11-11T06:13:59.390-08:00Vote every dayYosemite did not notice that there was an election this week. The falls kept pouring, leaves continued to drop, critters went about their business with no regard for what we think is important. New green grass brightens the Valley and El Portal, as our growing season commences. Half Dome looks virtually the same as it did when Washington was president.<p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLNpRb3NI0DfOmm9arKlPGJe0TE0ftK2ELafFwOiOU2tIorfdXeEmjtGfj2XFWZemtD43-2u0QxcISav1JL6I5RC2P2LcP5EUKsvB8kZM7y-zfs1vayjEHWDRPljGvi26Ol7R6eENDxcU/s1600/IMG_7612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLNpRb3NI0DfOmm9arKlPGJe0TE0ftK2ELafFwOiOU2tIorfdXeEmjtGfj2XFWZemtD43-2u0QxcISav1JL6I5RC2P2LcP5EUKsvB8kZM7y-zfs1vayjEHWDRPljGvi26Ol7R6eENDxcU/s320/IMG_7612.JPG" width="240" height="320" /></a></div>
October turned into quite a wet month. Yosemite Falls came roaring back to life in the most marked transition that I've observed - from months of absence to May-caliber runoff volume. We had two 2-year storms within a week, the river went from less than 20 cfs to going above 3000 cfs twice; it's since dropped a lot, but is still more full than average. High country roads were closed by snow but have since re-opened in a stretch of considerable warmth. A rockfall above Arch Rock closed Hwy. 140 for about 24 hours. <p>As Edward Abbey wrote, 'Nature may be indifferent to our love, but never unfaithful.' This sanctuary will always be here for us. What happens in D.C. is one thing but you can vote for Yosemite every day of the week by acting on your concerns for places like this. How you treat others, what work you do, what you do with your money and with your time, all make real differences for the world and the future. Vote often. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-62890175029821863352016-10-14T06:01:00.000-07:002016-10-14T06:01:43.536-07:00Spider Web SeasonIt's been a warm October so far, though we are entering a few stormy days. This is the time of year when spiders launch themselves into the air to disperse. From an exposed perch, some spiders release a streamer of thin silk until the wind picks up the silk and the spider. This is a way that a species can distribute itself to new terrain. Of course, the spiders can't steer their flight and many will be carried into inhospitable habitat. Warm daytime updrafts in our sunlit canyon will loft thousands of meters of spider silk up along the cliffs. If you shield your eyes from the sun you're certain to see streamers of spider silk sailing above; binoculars reveal these non-winged invertebrates hundreds or thousands of feet up.
Arachnologists refer to this behavior as 'ballooning' but I prefer the term 'kiting' as the lengths of silk are more like kite tails. Sailing spiders form a part of the community of aerial plankton - that's a real term for the column of insects, spiders, and other things adrift in the skies.
When updrafts swirl in canyon eddies, great clots of spider silk form in the sky. When lift ceases or the clumps become too heavy, they drop to the ground and we get a glimpse of this marvelous behavior of something that can't 'fly' but can soar. Spider silk clots show up well on pavement, but they're a little harder to pick out forests and meadows. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVSl491z5bp0pB_lOK6Fmx-99n3psbqndVc0eRaMYOHe-tNbh42sZE59BCnxEcY3m258IHop2-GmqL3YECzIOlCYC73PpX9S2tIoZ6P-xBOO4GrUssAADZ3Ixk-6JaFQwN5_dPFTyTIcf/s1600/at+Glacier+Pt.+Sep16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVSl491z5bp0pB_lOK6Fmx-99n3psbqndVc0eRaMYOHe-tNbh42sZE59BCnxEcY3m258IHop2-GmqL3YECzIOlCYC73PpX9S2tIoZ6P-xBOO4GrUssAADZ3Ixk-6JaFQwN5_dPFTyTIcf/s320/at+Glacier+Pt.+Sep16.JPG" width="320" height="240" /></a></div><p>
The sugar maple in Old Yosemite Village is at its peak color. Our native deciduous oaks, maples and especially dogbane are also colorful now. The Merced is below average at 18 cfs, but will be starting its annual rise tonight. We hope that Yosemite Falls will return to visible flow this weekend.
Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-68756937088786269592016-09-25T16:57:00.000-07:002016-09-25T16:57:21.795-07:00Summer AdiosWe had a rainy day in the Valley last week = the end of summer's endless blue skies. Park visitation is slowing down, and my overstuffed schedule is slowing enough to pick up these notes again; I should acknowledge that my field season is just not the time for me to have much desk time. Last year showed an increase in visitors and this year is up 20% over that; some say we'll reach 5 million visitors by year's end. The publicity around the NPS centennial and low gas prices are likely factors in the growth. The portion of European visitors seems to be up despite the poor exchange rate for them. <p>
Bucks have lost their velvet. Dogwoods sport bright red berries. The river dropped to 30 cfs (and bumped up a bit from recent high country precip). There were hints of snow in/above Tuolumne. Indian hemp is turning its brightest yellow, but oaks, maples and cottonwoods are still green. Lower down, the poison oak is nearly bare now.<p>
Lyell 'Glacier' continues to shrink away; last winter's roughly normal snowfall did not grow the ice much. Our bighorn sheep herds are doing well. The past 2+ weeks have shown a steady sequence of small, shallow earthquakes beneath the southern Clark Range. Our fire season has been minimal; one lightning fire started 12 June near Chilnualna Lake and has crept through only about 300 acres in 3 months- the kind of low-intensity fire we need more of.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaLVqQX5GnIwP-NiJA9S2JCmls8poCjPeRUf3x1ciRr0EsYBiA-xrgO2j0ulMvx58PzdDrZd0ScPrVSblFqOrG1Hz-zVGZc857exHtB3isBd9fNMTBdncVFg37uLTH-5GnXHmS0bw8XLd/s1600/IMG_7585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaLVqQX5GnIwP-NiJA9S2JCmls8poCjPeRUf3x1ciRr0EsYBiA-xrgO2j0ulMvx58PzdDrZd0ScPrVSblFqOrG1Hz-zVGZc857exHtB3isBd9fNMTBdncVFg37uLTH-5GnXHmS0bw8XLd/s320/IMG_7585.JPG" width="240" height="320" /></a></div> <p>Traffic flow in the Valley is exciting at the moment, with construction on the road and parking in the Yosemite Village day parking area. If you come for a visit between now and next spring, you'll find some disruptions to driving and parking, but the end result should be a nice improvement. Also in the spring, Mariposa Grove will reopen to the public - great changes are taking place there, too.
Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-55978329717257928102016-05-19T15:37:00.000-07:002016-05-19T15:37:18.571-07:00Hello to ClarkiaIt's a very nice spring in Yosemite. Waterfalls are cranking; the Merced peaked just a little early, at an above average (not extreme) flow a few days ago. Another peak is possible, though seems unlikely. Snowpack water content from 1 May was 57% of normal for the Merced watershed. Lower elevation streams are shrinking away, but tributaries like Sentinel and Ribbon are flowing strongly in multiple channels. Meadows are wet. Tioga Road opened to cars yesterday - and we expect snow tomorrow night. There is still a lot of snow and runoff in the high country, so consider that in hiking plans.<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkTzmYW37bJ5fiQvYnZS9HQzMP_rFubFUWOR_uOc12u38g1s1CaRKidy06lFINX6z8QBt_5z2Hz_bxoWgbKwDlgoZQAerGy_MTL8IdO2iMSuI9dg9stSavVLZ33zX0rBnaU7VklOwK_FF/s1600/IMG_6998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkTzmYW37bJ5fiQvYnZS9HQzMP_rFubFUWOR_uOc12u38g1s1CaRKidy06lFINX6z8QBt_5z2Hz_bxoWgbKwDlgoZQAerGy_MTL8IdO2iMSuI9dg9stSavVLZ33zX0rBnaU7VklOwK_FF/s320/IMG_6998.JPG" /></a></div>
Wildflowers continue to delight: dogwoods are fading in the Valley, but yet to emerge at Tuolumne Grove.
The foothills show nice swatches of Clarkia (Farewell-to-Spring); buckeye and elderberry are in bloom. The Valley has azalea showing up, violets, groundsel, snowplant. Gooseberry has gone to fruit. <p>
Tanagers, grosbeaks and vireos fill the canopies with song. Mallard ducklings are paddling the quiet waters already. Flickers and hairies are in/out of nest cavities now. Bears are active at most elevations.<p>
Pent up interest in real winter (after 4 dry years), in serious waterfalls, promotion of the NPS centennial, and likely some other factors have boosted visitation to levels that are at times uncomfortable. As of late April we were up a shocking 40% over last year, making some park staff concerned about the coming summertime crowds. Weekends have featured mile-long entrance gate lines, slow crawls through Valley gridlock, full parking lots and much disappointment all around. During this busy past week, however, I did three all-day hikes in the park and saw not one single person the whole time, just bears, flowers and peaks.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC0YNlnisA8ettJkukWBntYw2AvtM3HVnsn5VcA4odIJutfvfSKEFvkjIKcr4vGB3h7HGnHHvs7gvyOqpRkrXBgACrwuivEewlEbIkTkb2UmO0_vmBHooiZHN0RZrcs8u0VSY0fmShaVF/s1600/IMG_6985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC0YNlnisA8ettJkukWBntYw2AvtM3HVnsn5VcA4odIJutfvfSKEFvkjIKcr4vGB3h7HGnHHvs7gvyOqpRkrXBgACrwuivEewlEbIkTkb2UmO0_vmBHooiZHN0RZrcs8u0VSY0fmShaVF/s200/IMG_6985.JPG" /></a></div> <p>It is not hard to avoid the congestion if you start early and seek out remote routes. Leave your car in a gateway town and take the <a href="http://yarts.com/">YARTS </a>bus to the Valley. For good reason, the world wants to and deserves to see Yosemite. It's amazing 12 months a year, every year. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-2215080689517968882016-03-22T12:14:00.000-07:002016-03-22T12:14:04.161-07:00Vernal DiseaseAfter 4 dry winters, this wet season has brought on an explosion of spring flora at lower elevations west of the park boundary. Though the mature ponderosas west of the park are undergoing shocking mortality, the forbs are flaunting the virtues of an annual lifestyle. Poppies, redbud, popcorn flower, fiddlenecks, woodland star, baby blue-eyes, birdseye gilia, filaree and more are all at/near their maximum bloom. The Merced Canyon is lush and dazzling right now.<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinld7YNEpUL4K6sk3p5yAy01p6Y80fYGw-yDJ9m39W0ugdP1mk2jMXk9-I117srjVbvPCcZtIT6fCdXXr_e1HHCRuNNjLqQ7yArxPb_SfNlvX_CAFqnUq6ZLKiZ9lskTkbFtRqgM-P_3Lv/s1600/IMGP5219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinld7YNEpUL4K6sk3p5yAy01p6Y80fYGw-yDJ9m39W0ugdP1mk2jMXk9-I117srjVbvPCcZtIT6fCdXXr_e1HHCRuNNjLqQ7yArxPb_SfNlvX_CAFqnUq6ZLKiZ9lskTkbFtRqgM-P_3Lv/s320/IMGP5219.JPG" /></a></div>
Last week was warm and dry, the snow line retreated uphill. We had a bit of rain yesterday and last night, also with a high snowline. Depending on the aspect, there's a lot of dry ground at 6000' already. All this melt has swollen the river early; the Merced has been running above average for several months now. Today it's at over 200% of average, and it shows the classic diurnal cycling of melting snow. This is exciting to have all this water flowing but it's early; the river and waterfalls shouldn't be so big for another month and a half. We are seeing some of May's runoff happening now, suggesting that mid-summer flows will be quite low. This projection could change, depending what the next two months bring us for cloud cover (sun is a more important snow-melter than warmth), cold and storms. <p>
Despite green spring conditions down low, there's still abundant snow above 7000 feet. With yesterday's overcast numerous snow worms were observed on the surface at our ski area at Monroe Meadows. These are not a mythical creature; they're relatives of the better-known (though still mysterious) ice worms of Alaska (Mesenchytraeus). Like the ice worms, our winter annelids are seldom seen atop the snow. <p>
March 28th marks the 202nd birthday of Guardian Galen Clark. Mr. Clark will again be appearing to share his tale at the <a href="http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/yosemite-theater">Yosemite Theater</a> this spring starting on April 7. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-90635227548473676462016-03-04T10:17:00.000-08:002016-03-04T10:17:53.552-08:00Spring-ishFebruary was remarkably warm in Yosemite and we had only one storm. The Merced Canyon below the park is filled with flowers now. Redbuds and poppies are near their brightest already. Popcorn flower, rue anemone, shooting stars, fiddlenecks, fiesta flower, and many others are profuse in bloom. Many of these flowers will suffer from the heavy storms that are arriving this weekend. We had a bit of rain last evening, but it'll be heavy on Saturday and Sunday, with possible flooding. The snowlevel is forecast to start high (7-8000'), and later drop to below 4000 feet. <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3S_OZ1oTz6C2r8TO8aPHSh4iZUh4ES50FNOu7eMbz4utUMkGx-ISOr88J2tFUgfdnAtpHBCMzdbDonRGYruT_yf2bGlIDYzWcgp9uVPDfLvJU-I08GUbd3CkAO_oaigQOABYwQ1tcWwz/s1600/IMG_5844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3S_OZ1oTz6C2r8TO8aPHSh4iZUh4ES50FNOu7eMbz4utUMkGx-ISOr88J2tFUgfdnAtpHBCMzdbDonRGYruT_yf2bGlIDYzWcgp9uVPDfLvJU-I08GUbd3CkAO_oaigQOABYwQ1tcWwz/s320/IMG_5844.JPG" /></a></div>
The warm temperatures have melted a lot of snow, such that our snowpack has below-average water content now. Yosemite Falls and the other falls are running really big. We are seeing April's runoff now; an extra-wet March is needed to get the Sierra a 'normal' season of precipitation.<p>
Those facility names/logos did change with the arrival of our new concessioner this week. Many people seem not to realize that this names trademark situation is not over yet. Temporary signs have been put in place, and there are several legal proceedings underway that will finalize a determination at some future point. Whatever the outcome, it's my hope that people will focus on the real Yosemite, rather than on the transient resort infrastructure or the names of these facilities. Our national park and the experiences it offers are treasures belong to us and that can never be taken away.
Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-84317081963726961182016-02-19T12:47:00.001-08:002016-02-19T12:47:42.442-08:00Otters and WatersThe river otters (at least 3) that had been in El Portal for a couple of months, are now being seen in Yosemite Valley. Our natural 'firefall' has suddenly made national news, though Horsetail Fall has been putting on its bright February sunset displays for millennia. Conservancy naturalist, MRoss reports 15-16 species of wildflowers in bloom along Foresta Road above El Portal. Bobcat sightings seem to have increased in the Valley recently. Swifts have emerged on some warm days to feed on airborne insects over the canyon. Many of us felt a couple of earthquakes on the 16th; they were a 4.8 and a 4.3 magnitude, 16km deep, on the east side of the Sierra, NW of Big Pine. <p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFn5GDkMA_F2LSg6KlOLegs2qrZUOqNMwZH-Ku7-kzNDJwSuGhhr2DM2OdF5lPWUKD6U3lN-no1Z56KckeSzwB5WyRt55X6HAE_WRuLKO8XIax1SldUC2WEm_xYNpCDhLKy0dhhLb0xnW/s1600/IMG_6867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFn5GDkMA_F2LSg6KlOLegs2qrZUOqNMwZH-Ku7-kzNDJwSuGhhr2DM2OdF5lPWUKD6U3lN-no1Z56KckeSzwB5WyRt55X6HAE_WRuLKO8XIax1SldUC2WEm_xYNpCDhLKy0dhhLb0xnW/s320/IMG_6867.JPG" /></a></div>
Our snowfall has been near average at this point in the season; it's been warm here for two weeks, so there's been a lot of snowpack consolidation and melting. The Merced River is flowing at better than 150% of average. Sentinel, Ribbon and Royal Arch Falls are very healthy now. We are all hoping that there'll be another couple stormy months yet. <p>
The Valley has been incredibly busy this winter, with holiday weekends featuring hour-long entrance gate waits, crawling traffic, and parking very hard to find. The road to Badger Pass had to be closed last weekend, as there was nowhere for cars to go. Is it pent up excitement that we finally have a real winter? Will this spring/summer be extra crowded because we'll have more (enduring) waterfall flow than we've seen in five years? Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4902787544710830482.post-90894772845290118562016-01-15T10:32:00.002-08:002016-01-16T09:03:20.156-08:00Ahwahnee Hotel, No; Ahwahnee, YesInteresting changes may be underway in our park regarding the historical nomenclature of a handful of facilities, related to the turnover of the concessioner. (It will be some time before we hear the last word on this matter.) These changes are profoundly upsetting to many people, but it's my sense that Yosemite will not notice our legal squabble. Remember Hutchings House? How about Hutchings Hotel? What about Sentinel Hotel? Upper Hotel? Maybe Coulter and Murphy's? These were all more or less the same place, operating under different names over the years. No harm done. <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg46tuNU_1sMyznq0-rZ2epZ8JIKRN0UvqTWUrOWmVQ7ektQJXQvlKI_d857CxhL68ZO-af2ONaakYg7NrJGw0uVuKOsZTStuSprbUmWq7oq5CXLyBHmj3UW0kKW0eLEZIsFGLGeGfK6X/s1600/IMGP5120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg46tuNU_1sMyznq0-rZ2epZ8JIKRN0UvqTWUrOWmVQ7ektQJXQvlKI_d857CxhL68ZO-af2ONaakYg7NrJGw0uVuKOsZTStuSprbUmWq7oq5CXLyBHmj3UW0kKW0eLEZIsFGLGeGfK6X/s320/IMGP5120.JPG" /></a></div>
A key Yosemite Valley location in a certain point of time was Royal Arch Farm. To the surprise of locals and visitors it was replaced by Harris' Camping Ground. With some fuss from some people, that, in turn, was eliminated and replaced with a commercial stable that came to be called Kenneyville. Kenneyville was central to the experiences of thousands of park visitors for decades; most people couldn't imagine it being removed from Yosemite Valley, yet it was. Its location was taken by the Ahwahnee.<p>
Even Yosemite Falls, North Dome and giant sequoia trees had different names (many) over the millennia. <p>
Can you picture Yosemite Valley in 1925? In 1925 there was no such thing as The Ahwahnee Hotel - and Yosemite was still grand. Neither John Muir nor Galen Clark ever imagined such a hotel but Yosemite moved them nonetheless. Now there is such a hotel, and its traditional name appears to be changing. The hotel will really be the same - so will Curry Village, Yosemite Lodge, Badger Pass and Wawona Hotel (which reverts to an earlier name), whatever they're called. <p>
Not neglecting the importance of labels and traditions, I genuinely feel that Yosemite won't be changed. Have amenities distracted us from what the national park and the land truly are? Rocks and trees, water and seasons, won't be a whit less wonderful. Jays and oaks won't care, bears and domes won't be diminished if we re-label a hotel. People will come from around the world to experience this landscape. They will marvel at the park's terrain and heritage, but won't miss the luxurious Stoneman Hotel, stopping at Oh My! Point or browsing Jorgensen's Studio. Kudos to NPS for not spending $51m of public money (or letting Aramark spend this, which their customers will have to make up), but black marks on NPS/Interior solicitors for allowing this difficulty to develop, starting in 1988. Let's remember that our structures and names are transient, but nature's beauty endures (and changes) no matter what we do. Pete Devinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742976191149061973noreply@blogger.com2