Yosemite Sam

Try as I might to make it sound glamorous, much of what I do for a living comes down to, essentially, counting things.  The aggregate of many little pieces of data, organized effectively and presented within a rational context, becomes more than a set of numbers - it becomes a steering mechanism for business decisions, and a catalyst for transforming an idea into a real thing.  But it still begins with a count.

As the sun rises over California, it illuminates Yosemite Valley's north wall - roughly one hundred million square feet of granite, stretching seven miles across and more than half a mile high in most places.  It is an expanse that defies quantifying, too vast to fully explore within the space of my years.

It is a canvas for light, and shadow, and time.

But parts of it are known to me.  Gazing at the wall, from left to right, the major features announce themselves: El Capitan, Eagle Peak, Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Point, Washington Column, North Dome.  The tops of all of these icons may be reached from the valley floor by traversing the Yosemite Falls trail.  And, to quote John Muir, "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

This weekend I sought to scale the falls, and continue on toward North Dome for a mile or two, and gain access to the views over the eastern part of the High Sierra.  I was going to pack that and the return trip into a single day...which mandated an early start.  

Yosemite Creek is the source which feeds the falls, and it in turn draws from a fairly modest watershed (by comparison to some of the other rivers and creeks in the region).  As such, it dries up quickly in the spring.  This year, with California's ongoing drought, the overall volume of the falls was already diminished...but not its splendor.

Up at the top, the creek slips over a smooth granite bed, flanked by boulders and a smattering of pine trees.  The whole scene is overlain with a pattern of velvety shadows from the winter sun, and a gathering crescendo as the waters near their final moments at this elevation.  

Having sustained only minor injuries during the ascent, I continued on to an overlook near Yosemite Point (recognizable from the valley floor as the rock face that juts out east of the falls, before the wall returns back some distance) and took stock of some terrain that will be the subject of a long hike in May.  Off in the distance: Cloud's Rest, Half Dome, and Mount Clark...among other interesting things.  

It is quiet up here, save for an occasional breeze that whooshes up through the canyon.  Some scouting leads me near to the cliff edge, where a handy tree provides both shade and a nice back rest for siesta purposes.  I close my eyes, and log some time here.