"What's the deal here?!" I hear you exclaim. "Did you keep the camera pointed towards the ground the whole time you were in Yosemite?!"
Well, no, but in retrospect we didn't really take a lot of pictures. Two factors caused this: the pathetic inadequacy of our photographic skills and equipment when faced with the stupendous scenery all around us, and the god-awfullness of much of what would have been in the foreground of those pictures. Buildings. Buses. Cars. Asphalt. People.
The previous time that I had been in Yosemite, we spent very little time on the valley floor, choosing instead to drive along the Tioga road straight to Tenaya Lake, and camp overnight among the Sunrise Lakes. As probably 99% of Yosemite visitors never leave the Valley, we saw few people and little obvious human impact, aside from the smoke of prescribed burns.
This time around, we were in that mass of humanity packed in on the valley floor. I guess it's a commonplace to bewail the impact that so many people crammed into the tiny space of a 1 x 7 mile valley, so I'll save the typing and just note that there are way too many people in Yosemite Valley in the summer. I have no idea what can be done about it; perhaps, like Zion, car travel could be restricted in certain months, and everyone forced to walk, bicycle or take the shuttle buses (very convenient, btw.). That would cut down somewhat on cars and car emissions. It would also cut down on the Park's accessibility, and make it harder for many people to visit, which could be construed as being antithetical to the Park Service's mission.
We were surprised to discover that not only are wood campfires allowed in the valley – the smoke from the fires forms a distinct smog layer in the valley as evening comes on – but that the Curry Village store will even sell you a nice bundle of firewood. I understand the appeal of a nice fire in the wilderness, but still...
In some ways, the valley is an advantage – it keeps almost all human crowding in one place, greatly lessening any impact on the rest of the park. Being selfish, though, it's unfortunate that one of my primary impressions of Yosemite from this summer is: asphalt.
Enough of my whinging. The picture is of the Merced near Happy Isles, where we decided it was getting too late to continue hiking towards Vernal Falls. The glow upon the water is the reflection of sunset from the lower flanks of Half Dome.
Posted by David Fleck at 23 December 2006 09:06 AM