Nowhere will you see the majestic operations of nature more clearly revealed beside the frailest, most gentle and peaceful things. Nearly all the park is a profound solitude. Yet it is full of charming company, full of God's thoughts, a place of peace and safety amid the most exalted grandeur and eager enthusiastic action, a new song, a place of beginnings abounding in first lessons on life, mountain-building, eternal, invincible, unbreakable order; with sermons in stones, storms, trees, flowers, and animals brimful of humanity. ~ John Muir
And with an introduction like that, it was impossible to limit my photo selection to only one!
El Capitan ("the captain", "the chief") is a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation located on the North side of the Yosemite Valley . . .
Vernal Falls (Yan-o-pah (little cloud))taken from the Mist Trail is 317 feet high . . .
The Half Dome , located on the northeast end of the Valley is a granite crest rising more than 4,737 ft above the valley floor. The final 400 ft ascent is made with the help of two steel cables used as handholds.
The view from the top is breathtaking . . .
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Kathy, your photos are breath-taking too! What amazing views. Perfect for the protection theme! Love the John Muir quote too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great inspiring post and have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Annie, thanks so much for comments. Glad you liked the photos. I love that quote from John Muir a lot. He really captured the essence of the Yosemite Valley so well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Annie! Have an awesome Weekend too!
Kathy, great take on this theme. I love your photos!
ReplyDeleteSheri
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteYour photos are absolutely gorgeous! And I love the quote too. Makes me what to get there right now.
Happy weekend.
Stunning photos, Kathy! I have yet to visit Yosemite National Park. It's a shame, since I've been living in the American West since 1986. I shall correct that soon.
ReplyDeleteLove the quote; very inspiring. Did you hike to the top of Half Dome?
Have a fun weekend! ;)
Great shots! Yosemite is such an amazing spot - thank goodness for Muir.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he was also behind the preservation of Muir words near San Francisco?
What a fabulous post! :)
ReplyDeleteYosemite is one of my favorite parks. It was basically my 'backyard' when I grew up in the Central Valley of California. Lots of great memories and my first exposure to the beauty and calm of nature.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post.
Gorgeous photos, Kathy! The views really are spectacular. Hiking Gros Morne this summer in Newfoundland will be my first mountain climbing experience, I can't wait to experience mountain-top views in person! Have a wonderful Sunday, Kathy :)
ReplyDeleteYosemite is a place I have always wanted to visit. Beautiful photos! It must be amazing to be there in person. How long did it take to climb to the top? Was is scary?
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. I appreciate all of your comments.
ReplyDeleteSheri, glad you loved my photos and take on the theme. It was fun writing this post and remembering how beautiful this part on earth is!
Candi, thanks so much. I’m glad you liked the photos and quote. Reading Muir’s words makes me also want to get back to the Yosemite too! Have a great weekend!
Maria, thanks so much for your comments. The Yosemite is a stunning park and I can’t believe that I hadn’t seen it before I did. I loved that quote by Muir and it is very inspiring to me to read it also. I did hike up to the top of the Half Dome. In total it was a 12 hour hike going up and down again. It was a loooong day! It funny that you mentioned living in the west and not having visited the Yosemite. There are so many places that I feel that I should visit too here in the west, but I just never seem to find the time. It took me years before I visited the Grand Canyon for example and there are so many other National Parks in the west that I would love to find the time to visit. Maybe one day. I hope you get to visit the Yosemite National Park in the near future. It is a fantastic park and a very popular subject for professional photographers. Thanks again Maria and have a great Sunday!
Jerry, yes, thanks goodness for Muir. And as for the Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco, Muir was sort of indirectly connected. The name was given by a U.S. Congressman named William Kent who wanted to name them after Muir for his campaign efforts to establish the National Park System. Thanks for asking the question because I did not know that and it is very interesting how that piece of land came to be protected. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muir_Woods_National_Monument
Leslie, thanks so much for your comments. I’m glad you liked it! :)
Marta, thanks so much for your comments. How lucky that you lived so close to the Yosemite. It’s about a six hour drive for us. If we were closer, I think I’d visit there more often. Having been there I can understand the reason for your great memories. It’s such a beautiful place to camp and hike it!
Anne, thanks so for your comments. How fun that you’re going to be doing some mountain climbing. When you reach the top, there is this wonderful inner peaceful excitement feeling. I remember just sitting there in the silence and being overtaken by a sense of calm and peace. It’s a great feeling and you will totally enjoy the experience. I look forward to reading about your experience this summer. Have a wonderful Sunday too Anne!
Girasoli, thanks for your comments. The Yosemite is an awesome place to visit! And yes it is very amazing to be there in person. It took our group 12 hours to hike up then back down again. We started at 3:30 am to make it to the top of the Half Dome then hike back down. It’s funny but the group we were with hiked it at least 2-3 times before, but for three of us it was the first time. And being that I didn’t know what to expect I was intimidated or scared a t the thought until I reached the bottom of the dome and looked up the cables. There was an inner voice that went Yikes! But then I got over it and continued. The cables look scary but it wasn’t half as bad as it looks. They have these wooden planks going across the cables for your shoes to grip onto. And the view at the top was all worth it!
Thanks again everyone for all of your wonderful comments! Have a great Sunday!
What beautiful photos! You must have had a fantastic time there.
ReplyDeleteA great take on the theme!
Breathtaking, Kathy! Love your photos and your descriptions. In my 'younger' days, I camped most of the national parks across country and Yosemite was a close first to Grand Teton. Thanks for bringing back fond memories for me too! Enjoy a fun day, menehune
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra, thanks so much for your comments! Glad you liked my photos and we definitely had the best time! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteHi Flygirl, thanks so much for your comments. I'm glad that it brought back some fond memories for you. The Grand Teton must have been amazing to see in person! Thanks again and have a great day!