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