1. Upper Yosemite Falls
Caroline Tan

2. My family traveled to Northern California this summer for our vacation
My family traveled to Northern California this summer for our vacation. We have family that live in the San Francisco bay area, but one day, we drove a few hours to hike Upper Yosemite Falls in the Sierra Nevada Valley. This photo is from the bottom, driving through the park.

3. My brother Eric and I hiked Upper Yosemite Falls this past June
My brother Eric and I hiked Upper Yosemite Falls this past June. My mom and I are avid hikers, so we ventured out west to find new trails to experience. The hike was roughly six hours, 7.2 miles, and an elevation gain of 2,700 ft.

4. This is a picture of the top of Upper Yosemite Falls
This is a picture of the top of Upper Yosemite Falls. You can see the massive amounts of granite in the photo, composed by hundreds of smaller bodies of granite to create that large structure. I learned that the granite was formed by solidification of previously molten rock material and after, was exposed by erosion of rocks.

5. This is me at the top of the falls, 2,700 feet above the park
This is me at the top of the falls, 2,700 feet above the park. This photo has more of an open view of the park that allows you to see the vastness of Yosemite Valley. Until it was filled with sediment and became a meadow, that valley once contained a lake.

6. I took this picture from the top point of the hike
I took this picture from the top point of the hike. Behind me, is a small water hole that feeds into the waterfall. At the point where you can’t see the water anymore, that’s when the falls start to drop to the bottom of Yosemite Valley. The rocks are kind of stacked on top of each other; this infers the former glaciated landscape of the national park before the glacier became loose and the transported rocks morphed the landscape.

7. Finally, this is my entire family at the top of the falls
Finally, this is my entire family at the top of the falls. From fellow hikers, we learned that Yosemite Falls is one of the tallest waterfall in North America and the entire park of Yosemite stretches over roughly 1,200 square miles. In conclusion, now that I have learned more from this class, I can understand and appreciate the formation and maintenance of Yosemite National Park.