Yosemite Valley

Location Description

354 photos

Entrance to the park on the Big Oak Flats road. Quite a...
Drove up to the Tunnel View ... this is the first view I...
Zooming in on Half Dome from the same spot.
Bridal Veil Falls. One of Dad's pictures (you can tell...
So this is Dad as well. Bridal Veil Falls.
El Capitan by PFH. Have to agree the foreground really...
Love all the granite in the Park.
A beautiful day and the Merced was just gurgling along. ...
The straightness of the trunk, and the regularity of the...
Yosemite Falls ... as close as we got. We were ready to...
Blurry shot of breakfast in the dark at 6:30 am before...
Monica, still in the shade around 8:30am at the top of...
Looking down from the start of pitch 5.
Yosemite Valley in the fall.
Sun creeping up above Half Dome. Now it's hot out!
John, taking a self portrait at the top of pitch 6 (I...
Another party above us at the top of pitch 7.
Monica, arriving at the belay ledge at top of pitch 6,...
Blurry shot with Monica at the top of pitch 6 and the...
View from the top of pitch 8: The party above us (Jesse...
Monica, starting pitch 9, a.k.a. the pendulum pitch. I...
Monica, clipping in to the fixed rope swing (the white...
Getting ready to swing.
First attempt.
Trying to get purchase.
Trying to hold on.
Grabbing for a hold.
About to make it?
D'oh.
Attempt #2.
Getting purchase again.
Hmm...
Ok, third time is the charm.
Going for it.
Moving feet up on tiny micro-nubs.
A little bit closer now...
Bingo!
Two hands.
Wait, one hand?
Why are you looking that way?
Grabbing for it.
Two hands again.
Here we go.
Getting feet up higher. At this point Monica wanted me...
Elevensies snack at the base of pitch 11.
View of Happy Isles / Illilouette Falls and the Glacier...
Rope mess.
Nipping at the heels of the party in front of us on...
Beach working his way up a lieback on pitch 12.
Monica finishing up pitch 13.
After this point the climbing eased up considerably as...
Trying to manage the ropes while belaying Monica at the...
Monica, tying in to the anchor at the top of pitch 15...
Monica, performing the pyschological crux of the route:...
Almost out of the woods, or rather almost into the woods.
Getting a bit closer.
Down-climbing the last ten feet of Royal Arches to...
Removing the last cam, at around 1:45. So, about 6 hours...
Lunchtime at the bivy ledge at the top of Royal Arches....
Monica eating lunch.
Scrambling up the last several hundred yards to the valley rim.
Since we had finished before our cut-off time of 2pm, I...
So instead we were treated to great views of the Valley...
The open granite slabs were a welcome change from the...
The views kept getting better and better.
Half Dome, just coming into view from behind the slabs...
Up up up we go.
Higher and higher.
Navigating past a tricky spot.
North Dome and Half Dome (and Monica). There is a...
So, I sort of messed up in estimating exactly which...
Regaining the park service trail at around 5pm, after...
Stopping at a scenic overlook to look over some scenery.
Monica and Half Dome.
John doing his best to recreate the photo Mom has framed...
Non-zoomed in shot of Half Dome.
Somewhat zoomed in.
Very zoomed in.
A very steep drainage into the valley.
Looking down from Yosemite Point.
Half Dome and most of Yosemite Village, including a very...
I might have messed up the first time, but this second...
More views off the edge of Yosemite Point. Certainly a...
Yikes, that's pretty steep. Lower Yosemite Falls / Creek...
Funny looking rock.
Monica wants to know what this is. Some sort of chestnut?
Sentinel Rock?
Sunset and alpenglow on Half Dome.
Alpenglow starts to fade and then the sky really lights up!
Yosemite Falls just before dark.
On Sunday morning Monica and I headed over to Manure...
Here Monica works her way through the crux 5.8 first...
The first pitch was an awesome splitter hand crack that...
Monica climbing first pitch of After Seven.
Monica stacking hands on the wider second half of the...
Past the hardest part.
Blurry picture of Monica climbing the third pitch of...
Monica, following the final relatively straightforward...
Monica making a crux traverse on the sixth and final...
Getting a leg out.
Monica flaking the rope at the top of Manure Pile Buttress.
Monica at the top of Manure Pile Buttress.
Marlin, following at our heels, almost at the top of After Six.
View to the east from the top of Manure Pile Buttress.
Monica and Yosemite Valley with Half Dome and Sentinel...
John at the top of Manure Pile Buttress, relaxing his feet.
John and Sentinel Rock / Half Dome / Royal Arches.
Pretty good view of Royal Arches where we climbed yesterday
Royal arches, Tenaya Canyon / Clouds Rest, Half Dome.
I photographed Royal Arches from our vantage point atop...
Royal Arches without the markup.
Monica, Marlin and Dong eating lunch at the top of...
View of our climb from back at the bottom.
Monica, packing up to go climbing Saturday morning.
The great part about camping at Lower Pines is we don't...
Alex needs some practice pitching a tent. Check out the...
Fall colors come to Yosemite Valley.
Sun rises above the shoulder of Half Dome during the...
Crossing the Merced River.
5.8 offwidth at the start of Super Slide. I forget the...
Monica, ready to start Super Slide.
John, ready to start up Super Slide. Did I mention it was hot?
John, climbing the 5.2 first pitch of Super Slide (5.9).
Monica, seconding Pitch 2 of Super Slide (5.9).
Pitch 3 of Super Slide, at the upper right of the photo...
John, pulling up rope at the hanging belay at the top of...
John, baking in the sun at the top of pitch 3 of Super...
Jeff on lead while Jen belays on pitch 4 of Super Slide (5.9).
Jeff, pulling the 5.8 crux on pitch 4 of Super Slide.
Jen following on pitch 4 of Super Slide (5.9) I was able...
Jen, looking below.
Jen working her way up pitch 4 of Super Slide.
Jen smiling for the camera.
Marlin having fun leading pitch 3 of Super Slide (5.9).
Marlin throwing in a hand jam on pitch 3 of Super Slide (5.9).
Marlin moving up pitch 3.
Reaching for another jam on pitch 3 of Super Slide.
Monica arriving at belay station 3.
Alex, at belay station 3, waiting to rappel on Super Slide (5.9)
View from Pitch 3 on Super Slide. Not a bad backdrop for...
Monica climbing pitch 5 of Super Slide.
Half Dome, on the walk from the climb back to our campsite.
View of Church Bowl and Bishop's Terrace (5.8) which we...
Royal Arches, Washington Column and Half Dome in the...
Our campsite at Lower Pines in Yosemite Valley, right...
Hooking a finger lock and starting to transition to a lieback.
Trying to balance the lieback.
Yes! Past the crux.
Monica, trying her hand, or fingers on Conductor Crack (5.10d).
Monica climbing Conductor (5.10d)
On Saturday morning, the temperature in Upper Pines...
We ran into our friends Dong and Marlin, whom we have...
The first pitch was an awesome finger crack that widened...
And then at the top of pitch 2 we converged on the...
Three way high five. I think we'll submit the first one.
Philip and Heather and the cluster - of climbers above...
Monica, and two old-school climbers from Santa Cruz...
Marlin, after winning the coin toss, heads up pitch 3...
Marlin, jamming in a really comfortable hand crack.
Moving on up. Royal Arches, Washington Column and Clouds...
Marlin jamming away.
Marlin on the sharp end of the rope.
Dong, belaying Marlin. Nice pedicure by the way!
Monica, also hanging out sans-climbing shoes on our big ledge.
Dong and Monica.
Marlin, maybe half way up pitch 3 of Nutcracker (5.8).
I gave the camera to Dong and she snapped a few photos...
John moving up pitch 3 to the anchor at Marlin's waist.
Trying for another high-five photo. Not bad, though...
Dong, leading pitch 4 of Nutcracker (5.8).
Monica following pitch 3 as the climbers from Santa Cruz wait.
Monica hand-jamming up pitch 3. The climbers from Santa...
Monica, climbing pitch 3 of Nutcracker (5.8).
Monica, getting near the top of pitch 3.
Monica hangs out a few feet shy of the belay ledge as...
Just hanging out.
Dong, pulling a roof on pitch 4 of Nutcracker (5.8).
Monica, climbing pitch 4 of Nutcracker.
Monica on the final stretch of pitch 4 of Nutcracker...
Dong, pulling the 5.8 crux of the route: a dead-vertical...
Chris, hand jamming his way up pitch 4.
Just couldn't resist taking a few photos since he seemed...
Monica hanging (literally) at the belay at the top of pitch 4.
Chris, climbing pitch 4, again.
Marlin, at the top of Nutcracker (5.8). A fun day, and a...
Monica, approaching the top of the climb.
Making the last couple of moves.
Annnnd.... done.
On the hike back down.
Walking back down to the bottom.
East Buttress of El Cap silhouetted against the main wall.
Stopping to take in the view on the way back to our camp...
On Sunday morning, Monica and I got out early to get in...
I recommended left side in.
Smiling for the camera.
Getting inside the off-width.
Making the difficult first couple of moves.
And through the worst of it.
At the anchor.
Pitch 2 of Bishop's Terrace was the real business....
Moving up the double-crack system.
Monica hugging the refrigerator.
Getting some hand jams in.
Monica jamming away.
Moving a hand up.
Jamming up the final headwall.
Getting a full hand two hand jam.
Basically at the top.
Monica, looking a bit tired.
Monica didn't like my compliment on her new hairdo.
John the horse at the base of El Cap.
Looking up at the Salathe Wall. Can horses climb?
John, on the first pitch of Salathe Wall on El Capitan.
Climbing up the first pitch of Salathe Wall (5.10c).
Up up up.
Still near the bottom.
Much higher up on the first pitch of Salathe Wall (5.10c).
John, hugging the double-crack system on the first pitch...
Joe, starting up Salathe Wall.
Ian, also on Salathe Wall, pitch 1. If you zoom in, you...
Great note, pinned to a rock on the approach trail to El Cap.
Last weekend Jeff and I took a trip to Yosemite Valley...
When aid climbing, using gear and ropes to make upward...
Next step: haul the pigs. We named this big one Babe and...
Anchor setup for hauling at the top of pitch 2. There...
View from our vertical camp site of part of the Salathe Wall.
Middle and Upper (or Lower) Cathedral Spires.
Self portrait at top of pitch 2 of the Muir Wall.
Jeff aiding up the second pitch.
Jeff approaching the belay.
Spot the climbers. I think there are at least 3.
Sun setting on Cathedral Rocks.
Jeff taking in the view from our camp.
Jeff aiding La Escuela (5.11b free, not sure what the...
Jeff posing for a photo.
Looking for a piece to place.
Making progress.
John on his first aid lead: first pitch of La Escuela.
A little closer.
And with El Cap looming above.
Quite the surprise when we returned to base of Muir Wall...
But was actually dropped food from the portaledge 350+...
Spaghetti-o grenades. We got some schrapnel on the haul...
Can you spot Alex Honnold?
4am found us up and at 'em packing up camp and headed to...
Sun rising in Yosemite Valley.
We weren't the only ones to show up.
Relaxing. Central Pillar of Frenzy (a climbing route)...
El Capitan! The Nose goes basically straight up the...
Alex (shirtless, bottom left) about to take the first...
John and Alex
Hans leading after the pendulums, standing on a chockstone.
Alex, gripping what looks like an enormous chockstone...
Alex on Dolt Tower, Hans leading on toward El Cap Tower....
Alex managing the rope while Hans climbs.
Hans on Texas Flake.
Hans Florine on the top of Texas Flake (does it look...
Hans leading the bolt ladder up to Boot Flake while Alex...
Hans leading boot flake to set up the king swing.
Alex Honnold belays Hans up the intimidating leaning...
Almost to the top.
From the top of the Boot Flake, Hans is lowered and can...
Hans swinging across to Eagle Ledge on the king swing.
Alex now takes the lead. The transition was very...
Hans following Alex on the Lynn Hill traverse.
I see maybe one piece of protection between the...
Alex passes a NIAD (Nose-In-A-Day) party that had...
Alex, leading the great roof approach in cruise mode,...
Almost out of frame...
Alex approaches the great roof. His technique was...
45 seconds later, almost across.
And 3 minutes later finds Alex leading Pancake Flake.
Awkward 5.11c stemming finish to Pancake Flake. With...
Hans almost catches up to Alex. Alex has mostly been...
Alex, somewhere around Changing Corners (the hardest...
A photographer hanging from an identical green rope...
Hans jugging up the hardest pitch of the route. NB: it...
Alex rehydrates from a pre-stashed (?) water container.
Alex pulling some serious moves towards the top of the climb.
Standing victorious on top. 2900 feet in 2 hours and 23 minutes.
After breakfast we headed back to El Cap to do some...
Getting my balance.
Throwing in a nut.
Found an OK rest.
Moving on up.
My face barely kissing the El Cap headwall (Salathe...
Monica breezing through the wide crux of Moby Dick (5.10a).
With the sky.
We ran into Yosemite Hardman Jim, who has climbed El Cap...
Looks fun right? Jim says you can buy these knee pads at...
Getting an upside-down chicken wing to allow a rest....
Nothing says raptor closure like comic sans.
Tourists taking photos of El Capitan.
Monica on her first real outdoor aid climb. Jugging and...
Higher up, almost done cleaning the first pitch.
While I was leading the second pitch, Allan and April...
Monica and April on La Escuela. Allan belaying from the...
The famous heart ledge. Took a picture for Monica since...
I think this is what in the military would be called a...
As luck would have it, Jay was able to transform part of...
Jay quickly convinced the entire group (Monica, John,...
At which point the ladies unfolded their camp chairs and...
The climb, named - appropriately enough - Bad Ass Momma,...
This steep, overhanging crack required any number of...
Looks fun, right?
Jay, nearly at the top.
Victorious, after 30 feet of progress on unlikely terrain.
Soaked from all the work
I've never seen one of these! On the hike back to the car...
On the way to our climb at Five Open Books (near Lower...
Monica climbing the second pitch of The Surprise (5.10a)...
Monica, having fun on the sustained second pitch.
View of Sentinel Rock from the top of Five Open Books.
Not a bad backdrop to an afternoon of climbing. Royal...
Tying in at the base of Middle Cathedral Rock.
John climbing up pitch 3 through a beautiful section of...
Pulling through the roof on pitch 3.
An oldie but a goodie... Monica climbing a pitch 4 or 5...
John peeking around to see what's up there.
After the roof the crack widens significantly to about...
Small chimney on pitch 5.
John and Dong at the 5th and final belay ledge of...
5:47 PM... on the rappel down.
Monica on the epic 0.8 mile 1500 feet of elevation gain...
Lower Cathedral Spire on the approach!
The epic approach did have a nice view. Note Yosemite...
Nice looking chockstone at the beginning of the 4th...
Looking up at the money pitches (4 & 5) of South By Southwest.
Monica gets ready to follow the 4th pitch.
Monica past the tricky 5.10d crux on pitch 4.
Pitch 5, a.k.a. the money pitch: 5.10 steep hands...
Monica coming through the cave to the summit of the tower.
View from the top of Lower Cathedral Spire: El Capitan.
Yosemite Valley including roaring Yosemite Falls at the left.
Self portrait on the summit.
Monica on the summit.
Monica and El Cap.
Pondering the yonder.
Great view of El Capitan.
On rappel on the way back down. This route was steep! I...
Monica, fixing a rappel on the way back down. "Pitch 4"...
Back at the base of the spire. Monica after our 5th and...
Monica on the hike back down the endless boulder field.
Sentinel Rock
El Cap at sunset.
View from the trail.
Yosemite Falls was raging and the Merced river was brimming.
Dogwood trees were in bloom.
After 3+ years of waiting, Jeff finally got his custom...
Merced River Sunday morning near Cookie Cliff on Highway 140.
Me at the top of pitch 1 of Outer Limits at Cookie...
Ringneck snake at the base of the climbing routes.
Joe gives a spot while Dong tries Crack-a-Go-Go (5.11c)...
Merced River and Bridal Veil falls in the background. If...