Any day I get paid to hike is a good day.

It only took a week: one week after arriving here and I was scheming to get out... out of the office and into the park. I turn to my boss (Greg) "Hey, what do you think if I work four 9-hour days, then cut out a half day early once a week so I can go hiking?" Greg looks at me and says,"Actually, I think hiking is a great use of your work time, anytime." "Really?" "Yes! It is part of our job to know the park, to get out and look around!" We tossed around some ideas before settling on 13,053' Mt. Dana.

The start of my hike:


So the very next day I took off for Mt. Dana, up on Tuolumne at the top of Tioga Pass. A mountain I had always been aware of, but never had managed to hike. The tallest mountain in Yosemite National Park. Best to do it now, while the weather was stable and warm, before the snows close the road ... and cover all the interesting rocks! I arrived at the trailhead at noon (after a morning meeting and driving), and set off on the steep but technically easy route.

Perfectly camouflaged - so much for safety orange while hiking alone:


As it turns out... Dana is quite interesting geologically. A palette of different colors and textures in the rocks speaking of ancient volcanos and deformation.


So many interesting rocks that I had a convenient excuse to stop, oh, every 50 feet to take pictures and examine the rocks. No, it wasn't because I was totally out of breath from the high altitude and thesis-induced low fitness level.








I made it to the top, took some victory pics...



Pika above 12000' building a winter nest - only other critter around!


Yea, so Dana is NOT made up of granite. Dana is actually much older - hundreds of millions of year - and made up of remnents of old volcanic rocks that were cooked a bit with the granite pluton bubbled up. Metamorphosed brecciated tuffs, basaltic/rhyolitic lavas, green epidote bands...



Check out the fracture pattern on the next one! Funny thing was, I was in the YV visitor center a couple days before and learning about how arrowheads were cut... very similar! The strike the arrowheads and cleave off pieces. This looks pretty similar.



This too:


More interesting fractures, these speak of ancient earth stresses.


As do these!


I was also totally checking out the Dana Couloir, the Solstice Couloir, and the Third Pillar (which is waaaaayyy across the summit plateau on the other side of Glacier Canyon!)

Top of Dana Coulouir:


Top of the Third Pillar, with fancy lense:


Glacier Canyon:


And all the scenery around Lyell Glacier.




I have more pics here... Mt Dana Album

Veggie Box!!!

Today a wonderful thing happened: the VEGGIE BOX arrived. Yep, there is a weekly veggie box delivery in El Portal (and Yosemite Valley!), driven in from Mariposa, 30 miles west of here. I ordered the regular veggie box plus the special tomato bag plus the special fruit bag.

This is extra exciting here in El Portal. Yes, veggie boxes are always exciting, but here there isn't really a grocery store. In fact, there isn't a restaurant. Or a gas station (there used to be). Or any other kind of shop. No downtown. El Portal isn't an old town, it's an old railroad outpost, the "Gateway" to Yosemite, where people disembarked from a train, and loaded into a wagon for the 16 mile (and 12 hour) trek into Yosemite Valley.

Which isn't to say it's a bad place. There are probably 1000 people living here, maybe more. Most of the housing is owned by the park, and most of the people who live here work in the park. And despite the lack of downtown, there does seem to be things to do (or, at least, when there is something to do, *everyone* shows up, so I hear... looking forward to the magic Taco Truck that comes twice a month.) El Portal has a community hall and a post office. And there IS a small market - about the size of a convenience store, but with much, much better selection then your average Shell station.

Nevertheless, after living near the Berkeley Bowl, the (food) downsize is significant, even for somebody like me who is used to small towns. There's no going out to eat, no takeout, not even for lunch, unless you want to drive 30 minutes (except for a couple of mega-hotels within 5 miles, but there seems to be a disconnect - I don't think any locals ever go over there). So, yea, the veggie box is extra exciting.

The other reason I'm looking forward to the Taco Truck is to meet some more folks. I've met a lot of people, and I'm totally comfortable introducing myself to anyone I see, but I don't have any friends yet. And I'm totally ok with that right now - I'm not lonely, partly because I'm enjoying some "me" time, partly because I talk to people at work, and partly because I've already had visitors! Mike and Phil stopped in last Thursday on their way to the eastside for a climbing and beer-drinking trip (Team OverReach), and mostly were around to see me in my uniform and giggle. So here you go, yes, sometimes I wear a uniform, usually when doing field work... courtesy of Phil and Mike.

Then my friend Kelly hosted his birthday here, like he does every year, and a bunch of fun people showed up to climb and camp at Hardin Flat (an hour away). Kelly's birthday party was my very first trip to Yosemite, or actually, mountain trip of any sort, when I first arrived in Berkeley oh so many years ago. We climbed, partied at Hardin Flat (I camped there), then I hung out with Ann and Xavier on Sunday in the Valley. So no, I'm not lonely :).




Took some pics of El Cap at night, with Phil's camera. Very busy...

Return to Balance

Yes, I know, Return to Balance was the title of Ron Kauk's film which, of course, was filmed in Yosemite, but it concisely describes how I feel at the moment. For example, today I worked a full day, rode my bike to the village store, went for a run in the dark, made zucchini bread, surfed the internet, and emailed/interacted with friends. I can't remember the last time I did all of those different things in a single day. As most of you know, I'm finishing my PhD thesis and have just moved to Yosemite. And while, I'm happy to be done with my thesis, the whole process of writing it is completely draining. A singular focus on one thing, no exercise, no fun... all for a 300-page document that maybe 3 people will read. Maybe. Totally anticlimatic. Just get it done.

And that's how I arrived on Monday night... not even excited to be arriving, not sad to be leaving Berkeley and many loved ones behind, none of that. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying... it's not that I don't miss people, didn't have a fantastic time in Berkeley, and wasn't totally excited about spending the winter in Yosemite, doing *science*, no less. There was simply no room in my brain for reflection and anticipation. I was totally out of balance.

But really, none of that is the point of this blog. The point is that, well, moving here is very interesting to me, and mildly interesting to you (obviously, you're reading this!). I know that about 4 people will read this blog and 2 of them are my parents. I'm not really a journal keeper, and I don't think of myself as so highly interesting as to deserve a biography. Yet, I'm getting some interesting questions from people about my experience, and frankly, I'm finding moving here to be, well, amusing. It is different than any other place I lived, in a good way. It's not similar to Berkeley, not similar to the small towns in Vermont or Wyoming where I've lived, and not similar to visiting Yosemite as a tourist/climber/weekend warrior. It's just not. Kind of in the same way that college is not like any other place, but this is not like college either. And so, I have something to write about.

And so, without further ado (or further unnecessary verbosity!), I'll introduce my life here in Yosemite!

Starting with some quick answers:

1. No, I'm not a park ranger. I don't do bus tours or give talks to tourists either. I'm a geologist. That's right, I do science. What does that mean? Well, without going into much detail, lets just say I'm doing almost exactly the same thing I've been doing for the last 4 or so years in Berkeley. What is that exactly? I'll get to it later, in another blog post.

2. No, I haven't gone climbing yet. I just got here!

3. Yes, they plow the roads in winter. Well, some of the roads. But it doesn't snow much in El Portal anyway. More on that later.

4. Yes, I live in El Portal. No, that is not Yosemite Valley, it is 10 miles downstream in the Merced River Canyon (west) of Yosemite Valley. There are park offices here, and also a fair number of residents. My commute every day is like 1 mile on a bicycle. Maybe less. Here's a view off my deck, and of the Merced River just below:



It is very quiet here. Actually, it is extremely loud... I can hear the roar of the Merced River and the peepers. I am living in a 2 bdrm apartment, official park housing. Some photos of the living area and apartments are below:



Last week there was a mass exodus, apparently, of all the seasonal employees. Which is why I'm here now: during summer, there isn't enough housing for everybody. But during winter, there's room, even for geology interns like me! In fact, I am currently living alone here, until my Austrian geologist roommate arrives in December. Very excited about that, actually.

And so, here I am, moved in, forgot some important stuff, still haven't found the laundry, but doing quite well, and enjoying the quiet time. I'll be posting more stuff as it happens, but for now... adieu!