Nov. 8, 2015 - Yosemite Scenery - part 1

At the end of October, Diana and I went to Yosemite National Park with a Road Scholar tour group. Scenic photography is not my specialty but the grandeur of Yosemite inspired me. This is Half Dome, one of the most famous granite rock formations in the park. It’s a favorite rock climbing destination. From the base to the top is a gain of 4800 feet in elevation. The round trip is 15 to 18 miles and it takes most people 10 to 12 hours.

HalfDomeseenfromtheAhwahneeHotelYosemiteNationalPark20151030

Here is a side view of Half Dome. The climbing trail is on the opposite side. Our guide for the trip has climbed it many times and her husband has climbed it over 100 times. He even runs to the top of it as a training exercise. I think she said it takes him about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Wow!

HalfDomeseenfromGlacierPointYosemiteNationalPark20151029

Another famous Yosemite rock formation is El Capitan, a huge wall of granite. It’s 3000 feet high and there are over 100 climbing routes up this sheer cliff. It takes most people 4 or 5 days to get from the bottom to the top. They sleep on narrow ledges or on boards supported by their climbing ropes.

CapitanYosemiteNationalPark20151027

In this closer view of El Capitan, you can just barely see the trees on top, but they are actually full-grown trees that are 150 feet tall.

CapitanYosemiteNationalPark20151027

Here’s a picture of both El Capitan, on the left, and Half Dome in the center.

CapitanandHalfDomeYosemiteNationalPark29151031

This formation is called Cathedral Rocks.

CathedralRocksYosemiteNationalPark20151027

Here’s one of the best places to view the beauty of Yosemite Valley. El Capitan is on the left, Half Dome is visible in the distance near the center of the photo, and Cathedral Rocks can be seen just to the right of center.

YosemiteValleyNationalPark20151027