A walk in the park

  Micah Gell-Redman dries off at the top
of Vernal Falls after a hike up the Mist Trail.

By Matt Goulding
Daily Bruin Reporter I am small. I am insignificant. I am but a
speck on Mother Nature’s meticulously constructed smorgasbord
of of awe-inspiring eye candy. I am another victim of Yosemite
National Park. I am not the only one, though. This past weekend,
the surreal slopes and raging waters of Yosemite Valley gave 18
UCLA students strangely comforting feelings of inferiority. Under
the command of the overwhelmingly feisty Professor Clarence Hall,
the crew from earth and space sciences deparment’s Natural
History of Southern California class set out Thursday for a
five-day final in one of nature’s most curious playgrounds.
“My first impression was that it wasn’t real,”
said fourth-year comparative literature student Lynzie Baldwin.
“I felt like I had just walked into a painting.” Upon
exiting the Wawona Tunnel en route to the heart of the valley, the
park reveals itself in dramatic fashion. The granite face of El
Capitan and the majestic waters of Bridalveil Falls tantalize the
optics, while an intimidating Half Dome lurks in the background.
The U-shaped valley of Yosemite was carved out by a series of
glacial formations millions of years ago, Hall said. The resulting
peaks, domes and stairstep valleys make most geologists giddy and
the class followed suit. Hall, who began the class more than 25
years ago, said he wanted to provide a natural classroom where
students could learn geology and botany through hands-on
experience. “Not many students at UCLA have had an outdoor,
firsthand learning experience outside of Los Angeles,” he
said. Yosemite, as one of the world’s most extraordinary
geologic formations, was a perfect setting for this experience.
“Yosemite is a beautiful outdoor lab for the study of
ecology, biology, zoology, geology, forest management and the
management of large numbers of people,” Hall said. But
managing large groups of people is one of Hall’s specialties.
Early Friday morning, with the Memorial Day crowds streaming
steadily into the park, we began our ascent up the Mist Trail, en
route to Vernal and Nevada Falls. Hall conducted lectures on the
dusty paths as students compiled lists of native plants and
geomorphic features. The moisture from the waterfalls gives birth
to rainbows that completely encompass the hiker. While hiking up to
the tops of Vernal and Nevada, lunching climbers can enjoy the
unique panoramas.

  Photos courtesy of Ryan Falvey Tourists stand in front of
the famous sequoia the Grizzly Giant in Yosemite National Park.
Johanna Lombard, a park ranger in Yosemite, said the abundance of
waterfalls in the valley is the biggest draw for the 3.5 million
visitors that the park plays host to annually. “There are so
many that you can see from your car or get to in such a short
walk,” Lombard said. “It’s a simple way to enjoy
the beauty of Yosemite.”

While most visitors scrambled from one waterfall to the next, we
spent the overcrowded weekend days outside of the valley in more
manageable areas like Glacier Point where the view of Half Dome
left most jaws sore. The Mariposa Grove, located 36 miles south of
Yosemite Valley, provided for an encounter with one of the oldest
living things on earth, the giant sequoia. Trees such as the
park’s famous Grizzly Giant were but saplings when Homer was
writing the Iliad or when the Roman Empire was in its Pax Romana.
Lombard said other popular summertime activities include
backpacking and whitewater trips. For the real adventurous,
including a few members of Hall’s class, spelunking offered a
chance for man to grapple with nature. Thrill-seekers had to
approach this sport carefully, as the dark caves can be dangerous
for novices. Although visitors are confronted with a plethora of
options in Yosemite, there are many factors one must consider
before coming to the park. Beginning in late May, the valley is
packed full of tourists for most of the summer. Traffic jams are
common on the main roads, and campsite reservations must be made
months in advance. Deaths occur yearly from careless play near
waterfalls and rivers. Crime is not completely uncommon either.
“You have the occasional car theft,” Lombard said.
“And drunken fights in the campgrounds occur every once in
awhile.” The class tried desperately to avoid such
misfortune. Many in the class spent the late afternoons in the
frigid waters of the Merced River, where the snows of the High
Sierra are still fueling fury in late May. The force of the river
gave a good scare to one overzealous classmate, whose
less-than-heroic dive into the waters left him in a frenzy as the
rapids carried him away. The family element that so accurately
defines a class of this caliber became most prevalent at night. As
the sun went down, the Upper Pines campground came alive with the
sounds of acoustic guitars, bongo drums and spontaneous eruptions
by members of the class. Black bears may have loomed outside of the
campsite hoping for picnic basket infiltration, but no one in the
group seemed too concerned. Lauri Holbrook, adviser for the earth
and space sciences department, has made the trip to Yosemite for
the past three years, and understands the dynamics of the class.
“Because of Yosemite’s natural and historical
significance, it provides a great backdrop for the intense
family-style relationship that develops for these students
throughout the quarter,” Holbrook said. All families need a
head, and this family was no exception. Hall, through his wealth of
knowledge, his perpetual drive and wacky vernacular, has students
hanging on his every word. “He is the class,” Baldwin
said. “He’s the first professor I’ve had who has
put so much of himself into the class. He doesn’t just teach
us about flowers and rocks, he teaches us about life.” Hall,
who is always humble, can only give you his all too familiar smirk
at such a comment. Yosemite and the classroom will always be his
focuses. While places like Death Valley and Cuyamaca State Park are
favorites of Hall and his classes, he said the geologic features,
coupled with the social setting Yosemite provides, make this trip
special every year. “Yosemite is the incomparable
valley,” said Hall.

For more information, go to www.nps.gov/yose.

STAYING IN YOSEMITE VALLEY SOURCE: Yosemite
Guide, Spring Original graphic by JOAN ONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Web adaptation by STEPHEN WONG/Daily Bruin