June 19th - Yosemite National Park

From the top of Vernal Falls.

Group at the top of the falls.

Vernal Falls.

Popo, Mint, Noey, Eve, Pear, Wow & Yang (Thailand) hiking up the falls.

Yosemite National Park

Ascending all the way from the Yosemite Valley, that is located in the center of the two cliff fronts enclosing the park, all the way to the top of "Vernal Fall:, considered one of the most magnificent and picturesque waterfalls of the world, we got to see big and small rainbows and got dripping wet. The top of the Vernal Fall is 1538m above sea level. It was definitely exciting and breathtaking from the difference in altitude while hiking along a long, narrow path that had been carved in the vertical cliff.

Recently Yosemite has gotten a lot of rainfall, which made it impossible for us to go rafting on the Merced river that crosses the entire valley. Instead, we were able to explore the park by bike. On the remote trails through the woods, seeing blue birds, snakes, deer, and hit any crossing squirrels ;-). Besides the many wonderful waterfalls, some of us biked to the famous cliff formation called El Capitan. This is located at the far west end of Yosemite. The formation of the two almost identical cliffs, facing each other on either side of the river, are still a mystery for geologists today. The Native Americans explained this formation with a story: A husband and his wife were arguing in an unacceptable way, so the displeased spirit changed them in to rocks to stay facing each other.

All in all, Yosemite's beauty was overwhelming for all of us. There are varied conditions in four geographic areas. There is much diversity such as: high sierra(mountain peaks), granite cliffs, sequoia groves and valleys. The grey, huge, and vertical cliffs encompassing a flat, and incredibly lush valley created an unforgettable contrast. Yosemite is definitely a place for us to come back to!

"It's by far the grandest of all the special temples of nature."-John Muir

"This is the most beautiful nature I've ever seen."-Floris Van Dort (in this group from Denmark)

Gustavo Furlan (Brazil)

Yvonne Weber (Germany)

Michelle Rickenbach (Switzerland)