Yosemite – Grandeur Even on Soggy Days

Yosemite National Park  – urban release

A few days in and around Yosemite National Park can do wonders for adjusting an urban warrior’s attitude. In this, I speak from experience. Although the park is crowded in prime season, with noise and traffic by the roadways and main paths, the sights more than compensate for this. And, one can reap further benefits by going out early in the morning or by finding less well-travelled paths. There are still places where one can find real peace and temporary release from the challenges of city life. It is restorative.

Drought, what drought? Birds, what birds!

Although drought has stressed the park — as can be seen from the dead pines and other sad trees that dot some slopes — the area still manages to host an abundance of nature. We set out on a guided bird walk led by Michael Ross (Yosemite Conservancy) and never left the paved roads and pathways. Yet, stopping every few meters to listen and observe, we spotted birds all around. In addition to some familiar peri-urban avians like ravens and Steller’s jays, we found forest birds like acorn woodpeckers and western wood-pewees and less familiar flyers like Bullock’s Oriole, yellow-rumped warblers, and northern rough-winged swallows. Standing there quietly on the edge of a meadow or woods, nature goes on about its business all around you. It draws you in.

Yosemite Valley - looking eastward as the rain clouds rolled in

Yosemite Valley – looking eastward as the rain clouds rolled in

Despite the drought, the weather was cool, rainy and at times downright soggy. The rain offered some advantages to those with Gore-Tex lined shoes and a willingness to explore. First of all, it transformed views around the valley into scenes reminiscent of Chinese scrolls, with lush greenery mixed with granite mountains and low clouds. Second, it gave the many waterfalls along the valley walls a turbo-boost, helping them to live up to their reputation. Third, it helped to reduce the flow of tourists along the pathways to the favourite sights. These benefits far exceeded the disadvantage of getting a little wet along the way.

Glacier Point in a Cloud

Glacier Point in a Cloud

 

An evolving park

On the way to Vernal Falls

In our wanderings over the course of a few days, I was a bit haunted by reflections from a piece that William Least Heat-Moon wrote for National Geographic Magazine called “Yosemite – Grace Under Pressure” (January 2005). He described the fate of the original inhabitants of the valley, most of whom were driven out or marginalised by insurgent Euro-Americans, and the damage to the environment in the early quest by the new arrivals to exploit the natural riches. He also pointed to reasons for optimism in that the park has managed to preserve the transcendent “grand beyondness” of the valley and brought people closer to nature.

Ken Burns reinforces this view in his film Yosemite – A Gathering of Spirit (2014), which highlights the efforts to protect the valley and surrounding region. Shown regularly at the visitor’s center, the film is uplifting and a fine way to dry out on a rainy afternoon. At the park museum next door, there are efforts at educating the visitor to the Native American history. An interesting model village and various exhibits highlight their culture and traditions. My favourite part of this was a demonstration by a Native American artist on the craft of basket making, taking redbud twigs and transforming them into practical works of art.

Beyond the valley

Yosemite Park is huge and one can only manage to cover selected highlights over a short visit. Beyond Yosemite Valley, there are sights such as the wonderful giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove (closed from June 2015 for two years of renewal) or open expanses at Tuolumne Meadows (which we saved for our next visit). There are big rewards in getting away from the main path and onto some of the side trails. Taking a little extra time, one can find calm and better observe the natural world all around. Walking the trails, thick with organic material that absorbs footfalls, is good for the soul. Thankfully, it is still here to be found and very worthy of our efforts to preserve it.

From our room at a B&B in Fish Camp, CA

My take on the view from our room at a B&B in Fish Camp, CA

Photos and sketch by Doug, (c) 2015

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The Joys of Meudon Forest in August

Meudon Forest

August in the greater Paris area is wonderful. Taking care to avoid the main tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower or Versailles, one will find the rest of the metropolis  transformed. Many of the local denizens head out of town for summer holidays and some of the restaurants and smaller shops close for their annual break. The folks who stay behind seem be calmer and less aggressive. Perhaps there is less stress when the boss is away in Provence for a few weeks? In any event, it is a great time to hike and bike, taking advantage of local green space like the Meudon Forest.

Located just 20 minutes by train (RER C) from the Eiffel Tower, Meudon Forest can easily be reached on foot from the Chaville-Velizy train station. The existence of the forest is an amazing feat of planning, given the various economic and social pressures. In the 1600s, royals cobbled together land that had been hardscrabble farms and replanted it as a hunting reserve. The forest survived the revolution and the dense urbanisation of the surrounding area in modern times. The forest service has even improved the land in some ways to make it more friendly to people (e.g., by developing a network of trails throughout) and wildlife (e.g, by replanting native species in some areas). Wild boar, foxes, weasels and various other creatures roam freely: the two halves of Meudon forest are connected via a short tunnel under a busy road and the habitat is connected to a big, neighboring forest via a wildlife bridge across a large highway.

Meudon Forest now extends for 1100 hectares (2700 acres) and it remains a producing woodland. Occasionally, we see selective logging operations underway, though the forest managers take care to avoid clearcuts and preserve a continuous woodland. Hard to believe that timber, pulpwood and firewood are being harvested just a few miles from the heart of the densely built-up Paris metropolitan area!

During the summer, the contrast between the forest and the build up areas is striking. When I head out for a hike, run or off-road bike adventure, the city can be quite hot, but once I’m into the trails of the forest, the temperature is several degrees cooler. The soil is rich in organic material and absorbs the pounding of feet or wheels. In the quite of August, the birds are quite active and one hears woodpeckers overhead in the old oak trees that the loggers have bypassed. There are woodland smells in the air and wildflowers wherever there is a sunny border.

And, there are occasional wonders to be found. There are two pre-historic monoliths from a people gone thousands of years and whose history is lost to us. (One of my jogging routes passes by one of these monolith rocks; I sometimes stop to place my hands on it to pay my respects and reconnect with the past.) There are also neolithic tomb rocks relocated from Brittany in the 1800s, strangely, by a group of Christian missionaries from that region. There are ponds with various water foul, nutria rodents, and an annual toad migration (a key forest road is closed during the season to protect them). There are foundations of an old chapel and other structures. There are rocky outcrops offering hikers splendid views of Versailles. On occasion, there is a fellow who sits near the edge and plays bongos on a lazy summer evening.

When Fall arrives, the bountiful chestnuts will attract many folks who come out from Paris to reap a harvest, off-road cyclists will reclaim some trails, and horse riders from the local stables will reclaim some others. The occasional loggers will turn up. But, for now, there is peace in Meudon Forest.

View of l’Etang de l’Ursine with Velizy-Villacoublay in the background

Ursine Pond at the edge of Meudon Forest

Map of Chaville showing Meudon Forest (problems viewing? Click here)

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