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Glacier Point
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“In the mid 1920s there were 80 or 90 permanent residents in
the Valley…. With the first significant snowfall, the youngsters started
getting together to make snowmen, to skate or get involved in a snowball
fight…. The winters seemed colder then.” - Tom Sovulewski, born Yosemite
Valley, 1912*
I've been to Yosemite in all seasons, including a very snowy
winter 15 years ago that included a stay at the Wawona Lodge south of the park
and powder skiing at Badger Pass. This year couldn’t have been more different.
As the planet segues from the latest ice age into
accelerated global warming, the legendary icy winters that made Yosemite
accessible only to rugged pioneer homesteaders like James Hutchings have turned
meek and mild…and amazingly empty, at least until the word gets out. Keep in
mind that Yosemite is a National Park, and an individual pass for seven days
costs $10, a vehicle pass is $20. Various National Park passes—like a $10
senior pass–get you in for free.
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| El Capitan |
If you, like me, were used to seeing the soaring granite
cliffs and towering waterfalls of Yosemite over the heads of a hundred visitors
from all over the world, you’re in for a treat. On a recent visit, the trails
and roads were all but deserted. It felt almost like 1925, the year before Hwy.
140 was first paved and park visitation increased sevenfold. It’s well above
that now, with thousands of visitors a year—except in winter.
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| Bridal Veil Falls |
Why visit Yosemite? Sub-alpine belts of whitebark pine, red
fir and lodgepole pine cover the lower reaches of the valley, making it green
all year around, except for the wide golden meadows. Water, clear as green
glass, tumbles over elephant-sized boulders. There are things in life that
naturally take your breath away, and the 8,000-foot granite structures that
make the Valley’s walls are in that category. Gorgeous photos of Half Dome, The
Three Brothers, El Capitan and the waterfalls that leap from cliff tops must
number in the millions, but nothing takes the place of actually being there.
Nothing.
Go now.
*From Magic Yosemite Winters, Gene Rose (Coldstream Preess 1999)
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