A Traveler and his Cat exploring America.





Saturday, November 10, 2012

Vernal Falls and the Silly Sixties


Here is Vernal Falls in Yosemite showing by the water stain how wide the falls usually are.  Keep that in mind particularly on the right side straight above the brush growing out from the rock.

Here is a view from top and notice how smooth the rock is right up to the fence.  This shows the normal flow width.  The boulders to the right are pretty much under water most of the time.

To the left of the fence there use to be a hole in between those granite blocks.
  A hole you could crawl down into.

The Park Service has since plugged the hole with that one narrow rock wedged against the wall.  I think that is where the hole was.  Well when we were kids in the 60's we'd crawl down into that hole and scooch along a sloping wet narrow ledge towards the falls where we could see the falls spill over above our heads.
Great fun but scary as Hell.

Just above the falls is Emerald Pool.  We'd swim in the pool over to the other side.  Now it is signed to stay out under penalty of citation and fine.

Above Emerald Pool is the Silver Apron where we would slide down into Emerald Pool all but ripping out the seat of our cut-off jeans.  Believe me, you could really pick up some speed sliding down this thing.  Can't do that anymore under severe penalties of incarceration and deportation.  Well, not quite but the Park Service means business in keeping you from having any fun out of the water.

I am happy to have been able to do these crazy things. 
Today I wouldn't want to, rules or no rules - water is just plain too cold. 
Now, I just enjoy the scenery and my memories.

Here is a view looking back down onto the Mist Trail

If you missed the video of climbing up the Mist Trail you can see it here in this post.


This is linked to Weekly Top Shot

 

17 comments:

biebkriebels said...

It is nice to read about the old times before the tourist-industry took the park over. Such sweet memories of a joyfull youth. Children must be able to explore nature and not just walking over beaten paths.

Anonymous said...

great that you have those memories of such a cool place!

TexWisGirl said...

it is really pretty, even without full fall flow. i cannot imagine kids staying safe if they were still doing what you used to do. :)

Bruce Clark said...

Love your B & W photo. Great tones and textures.

Sharon M said...

I can't imagine just having that place to climb around as a kid. Must have been fantastic.

Jeanne said...

If it was scary for you, what was it like for your parents. I would die if i saw one of my kids down a hole like that.. lovely shots though in such a gorgeous place!

Kay said...

Nice shots - I especially love the black and white. This may go back into truly ancient history, but I remember when I was a child that the rangers at Yosemite would do a firefall over one of the cliffs at night. I don't know how long they did it, or when they stopped. . .
(visiting from Weekly Top Shot)

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are so beautiful.

Thanks for sharing.

My Sat break looking.

Loredana Donovan said...

Beautiful shots! Love all the rocks, hills, and waterfall. Nice shadows of the railing, too, and the black and white shot looks great. Thank you for visiting my blog :)

Loredana Donovan said...

P.S. cute cat!

theconstantwalker said...

It's a fantastic looking place... many thanks for sharing these images.

Judy said...

Sometimes I wonder whether sports are becoming more extreme because kids now can't do dangerous things in nature, the way we used to...
And I am astonished that I can say "kids now a days" with a straight face!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful scenery. I liked reading about your youthful experiences there!

Sandy's witterings said...

What a glorious looking place.
Perhaps it's as well they've blocked of the gap in the rock. Certainly me as an adult, takes the odd notion that I'm 14 again and not 47 when faced with that kind of adventure and likely have been through the gap as quick as you like - at 47, I'm more likely to need rescued.

lorik said...

What a fantastic place! Great shots..especially the b&w one.

renae said...

magnificent! did I say magnificent? oh i meant MAGNIFICENT!!!

those drop-off shots made me weak in the knees. common occurrence for me when viewing down steep cliffs.

i'm #81 at Weekly Top shot #56. come see me k?

Anonymous said...

SO gorgeous! Thank you for sharing on Weekly Top Shot #56!