Page 29 - AMA Summer 2023

group to shake out, soak in the surrounding beauty of the towering cliffs and waterfalls and acclimatise to the heat and altitude of the national park. The team orientated themselves to the ground, conducting a 20km low level trek across the valley floor, ticking off the big-ticket items such as El Capitan, Half Dome and the Lower Yosemite Fall. The trek progressed through lush and flooded meadows, providing ample opportunity for all to take regular breaks to either capture the back drops like wild paparazzi at a red-carpet event or listen to talks on the geological makeup of the igneous plutonic granite rock formations and the glacial valley evolution over the millennia. The team experienced a sighting of an American Black Bear with her cubs in the low woodland meadow amongst blooming dogwood trees, many Mule Deer, a couple of Coyotes and a mocking vibrant blue Steller’s Jay. On return to the lodge, the team received further lessons and Team 2 upped the cooking game in preparation for Trek 2.
THE YOSEMITE FALLS
On reflection, this walk presented the most challenging day for the group, with a steep ascent, and increasing temper- atures, trekking from the valley floor to the summit of the Yosemite Falls. The expedition group analysed swiftly that to get the rewards of the summit view, some effort would be required to earn it; under the watchful eye of the SML and MLTs, the
team carefully paced up the steady ascent, experiencing changes of vegetation zones as they zig-zagged up the popular trail. As the group began to tower above the valley floor, frequent gaps in vegetation provided panoramic views, with Half Dome the prominent feature towering into the blue skies above. As the team neared the summit, patches of snow stubbornly fought against the beaming sun as tired legs circumnavigated on the granite plateau to a grand exposure of the entire
valley, backed with the thundering noise of circa 7000 gallons of water per-second hammering over the cliff edges of this glorious waterfall; a truly unforgettable and powerful experience. The journey back down felt less laboured than the journey up as the team reflected on what they had just seen, adjusting to issued trekking poles, and wondering where that bar at the top had gone. At the point shy of the trek finish, the team encountered another American Black Bear, this time a lot larger and with
THE GRANITE PARK
Granite is the predominant rock type present in Yosemite. It is typically formed from molten rock, many miles below volcanos, and over millions of years in response to movements in the Earth’s tectonic plates; as oceanic plates sink beneath adjoining continental plates. Granite is an intrusive igneous rock, comprising large interlocking crystals and either light coloured minerals such quartz, potassium feldspar or plagioclase feldspar, and darker coloured minerals such as biotite and hornblende. Granite rock is typically classified based on their mineral proportions with designations such as granite, granodiorite, tonalite, and diorite. Although it is common to see only one type of granite rock in a feature, it is nonetheless possible to witness a mix of types. In Yosemite, El Capitan is a fine example of such a contrast, where the south east face is a blend of darker hornblende-rich diorite and lighter quartz and feldspar-rich granite.
Source: www.nps.gov/yose
El Capitan (Credit: Benjamin Farren, www.pexels.com)
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