The Wondrous Yosemite Valley

When I was young(er), I used to go on vacation to the amazing Yosemite National Park. We'd rent a cabin, go to Wawona area and visit the local swiming holes like a place called Sliding Rock and Mermaid Lagoon, both located on the South Fork of the Merced River, hike the trails, and of course, go visit the main tourist spots in Yosemite Valley, such as the grand granitefacade of El Capitan, Cathedral Rock, Bridleveil Falls, and the most famous landmark, the steep cliffface of Half Dome. At the main view point area, there is a diagram of how the whole valley formed after millions of years, and I kinda got what the diagram meant, but I never really undersood it. All I understood was that these natural wonders were here in the now, for all to treasure. But, now that I am in a geology class, I can delve even more into how the valley came to be, and why. So, without futher exposition, I rode the express lane on Google and found the magic website to tell me more at http://www.yosemite.ca.us/formation/. It's a very well done website, since it has artist depictions about how the valley looked at different points in time and what caused the formation. Here we go!:
It all began.....50 million years ago.......Imagine if you will: a beautiful woodland valley, with rolling hills, deep forests, and the pre-Merced River flowing right down the middle. It would be like this until 10 million yeras ago, the land has changed and the hills slope a little steeper due to the river cutting it a bit more sharply, making the elevation a little higher, the climate getting a little bit more cold and dry, and sequoias and spruce began to dominate the forest. 3 million years ago: The river has cut and sculpted a canyon, and uplift has developed. the canyon is as much as 3,000 feet deep. The Ice Age is approaching, and the forests are slowly dying. 1 million to 250,000 years ago:  the once young and dynamic canyon is filled with glacier faces, completely shrouded in snow and ice. The Ice Age has come. However, the young protruding face of Half Dome is 900 feet above the ice, and the Merced still flows along the top of the glacier, high above the U-shaped forming of the valley, getting steeper as time goes on. Shift to 30,000 years ago: The valley is still pretty much a glacier, a smaller one ending near the young Bridalveil Falls. The canyon now stands above the glacier, but erosion from the glacier wasn't powerful enough to keep enlarging the valley. 10,000 years ago: The glacier has melted completely, but it ended up daming the valley, making a small lake. The glaciers had delved at least 2,000 feet into the bedrock face, and the Lake Yosemite fillded parts of the valley with silt, created the valley floor of today. Frost-splitting caused the formation of the dazzling waterfalls that cascade down around the valley. And thats how you get the astounding formation of Yosemite Valley!! Now, it's picture time!!













Artist depiction of the young valley 50 MYA.













Artist depiction of the Tioga glaciation 30,000 years ago.

Beautiful view of Bridalveil and Half Dome in the distance.(tomknoth.com)

Grandeur of the granite face of El Capitan. (astronomynotes.com)
 Helpful guide to the sites you see in the valley. (mariposachamber.org)
The best view of the valley is from Glacier Point. (yosemitebestwestern.com)
The majestic Cathedral Rocks, reflected perfectly in Mirror Lake. (dannyburk.com)

Oh, and a few last tips if you are interested in going to see this wonder of the natural world!:
1.) Make sure you have good gas mileage, because there are no gas stations in the valley!!
2.) Go to Glacier Point to see a great level view, but also go to the valley to get an idea of how far up you were!!
3.) You can climb Half Dome!! Awesome!! But:
a.) Get up early and leave early, because you have a long day ahead of you! (10-14 hour hike!!)
b.) Elevation at the top is 8,842, so don't go if you don't like heights! There is NO RAILING near the edge!!
c.) The Mist Trail is spectacular: 900 feet of spectacular waterfalls to see! And you might get wet!
d.)To get UP Half Dome, you need a permit to take the cable section of the trail. This is because this place is so popular, there is need of a crowd control factor!! The cable route is very steep up the side, and almost goes vertical on the way up! Make sure you're in good shape to make the climb! And don't go when its covered in thunderclouds, or risk getting struck by lighting!!
e.) If you're worrided about facilities and food and water, there are stops like Curry Village along the way, at happy Isles, and Little Yosemite Campground. (and of course, the forest...)
f.) And lastly, the distance factor! There are different trails you can take, but here's the ones listed on yosemitehikes.com where the information came from:
1.) Mist Trail: 14.2 miles round trip.
2.)John Muir Trail( He's the guy that founded the park! Be happy he did!!) 16.5 miles round trip
3.)Glacier Point: 20 miles round trip.
4.)Tenaya Lake: 23 miles round trip.
5.) Little Yosemite Valley Campground: 7 miles round trip (shortest one!!)

I personally have never taken the climb, but most of my family has, and they told me it was a challenging, but very rewarding to take part in. I have climbed some of the trails and gone near the falls, and I'm telling you, it's one of the most fantastic feelings in the world: to be so close to the power of nature, and revel in it's grandeur. And now that I know a thing or two about geology, I can even more appreciate and understand the wonders of this valley. So everyone, take a weekend, of a week, or even two to visit this fantastic place! Seeing pictures is one thing, but being there is the experience you should crave for! In my opinion, it should be on everyone's bucket list, and you'll regert it if you don't!!