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The best way to start this trip report is with words from none other than John Muir, who created and defined the wilderness preservation movement.
"
Yosemite is so wonderful that we are apt to regard it as an exceptional
creation, the only valley of its kind in the world but Nature is not
so poor as to have only one of anything. Several other yosemites have
been discovered in the Sierra that occupy the same relative positions
on the Range and were formed by the same forces in the same kind of
granite. One of these, the Hetch Hetchy Valley..."
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John Muir called it Tuolumne Yosemite and stood it side by side as an exact counterpart of Merced Yosemite, with " sublime rocks and waterfalls... gardens, groves and meadows of its flowerly park-like floor." It is a shame not to be able to see the lower magnificence of this flooded valley, but what still exists is awe inspiring. Among the prominent features are Kolana Rock, Le Conte Point and the Wapama and Tueeulala falls.
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| Kolana Rock |
Le Conte Point |
Wapama Falls |
Tueeulala Falls |
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We made three days trips into the valley, each with it's own unique flavor. Sunday was a Naturalist hike with Christine White Loberg, an experienced Park Ranger and photographer. Monday was an early morning hike with John Senser to capture the essence of wildflower photography, and soak in his archeological and historical knowledge of the Sierra. And Tuesday was topped off with an energetic hike to the waterfalls for evening light photography with Christine again. The weather was hot but we made good use of the overflowing Wapama falls shower to cool off.
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| Flowers Along the Way |
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| Harvest Brodiaea |
Live Forever |
Waterfall Buttercup |
Narrow Leaved Mule Ear |
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The Waterfalls
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| Tueeulala Mist |
Lower Tueeulala |
Wapama Wind Force |
Wapama Water Wave |
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Fun Stuff
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Black Widow
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Dogwood
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Marmot
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Tueeulala B+W
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These three days were part of a YExplore weekend adventure. In conjunction with the wonderful scenery and expert guides, were three nights of lectures and slide shows at the Evergreen Lodge. Sunday included a talk by Ron Good, Executive Director of the Restore Hetch Hetchy committee. Monday was a combination Yosemite history, art and photography lecture with a slide show by James McGrew, that was informative and delivered with a whole lot of enthusiasm. And Tuesday night was Christine White Loberg and her photo show, that we unfortunately had to miss to get back to the Bay Area for, ugh you guessed it, work! You can learn more about YExplore and their guides by following the hyper-links above. If you want a customized and personal experience, YExplore is the way go. If you do not believe me, just check out the article that recently ran in US News & World Report.
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Hope you have enjoyed this photo trip and as always, May our paths and errands meet...
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