El Capitan

Saturday was cloudless, sunny and beautiful. In the woods below the sheer face of El Capitan, after the stunned silence of being in its presence started to wear off, we looked for climbers, with our binoculars. Right up close to the sheer, 3000' cliff, they were hard to spot with our 8x40 compacts.

You had to watch a while to see if what you'd spotted was gear or people. In about half an hour of watching, one climber managed to traverse about 20 feet under an overhang; slow going!

El Capitan (3)

Zoomed in to the camera's maximum optical resolution, equivalent to a 118mm lens on a 35mm camera, this shows about the lower half of the full pitch. The climber in the picture is still just a tiny dot!

El Capitan (3xl)

Zoomed in digitally, you can now make out the shape of the climber, working up a crack in the lower middle of the 3000' climb.

From Washburn Point

Getting to our drive up to Glacier Point a day late, this is from the higher Washburn Point, along the way. Looking over the Little Yosemite Valley, Vernal (lower) and Nevada falls.

From Washburn Point (2)

Looking over the Little Yosemite Valley, Vernal (lower) and Nevada falls. Max optical zoom.

Half Dome (2)

From Washburn Pt., at midday, Half Dome's profile.

Fat Squirrel

Living large off the tourist traffic at Glacier Point.

Grouse

Also living off tourist traffic at Glacier Point.

Half Dome, from Glacier Pt.

Now we can see the vertical face of Half Dome.

North and Basket Domes

From Glacier Point, I think, midday on Saturday. It was a real circus up there, with the tourists packed against the fences with almost no gaps. We enjoyed the view, but didn't linger.