Page 47 - Contrast2014

Though most associate Yosemite with still and snow-
covered mountains, the sound of rushing water that Muir
so enjoyed is audible from the Valley's six different
waterfalls. Most notably, Yosemite Falls, the fifth largest
waterfall in the world and the biggest in the United
States, rumbles down the mountains in three parts to
form a total drop of 2,425 feet. In the summer, skilled
hikers can approach the waterfall from its highest point,
but in the winter the trail is too blocked by snow and ice
for travel.

For this reason, the shuttle stop nearest to Yosemite
Falls is always swarming with tourists attempting to get a
look at the waterfall from the bottom during the winter
months. The path, lined with trees and covered in ice,
provides the best view of the waterfall as a whole because
it is difficult to see the entire cascade from the viewing
decks directly beneath it. Tourists with cameras in
mittened hands pause at various points along the trail,
attempting to capture the vastness and immensity of the
water plunging down the mountain.

The viewing decks feature a permanent sheet of ice at
this time of year, so visitors cling to the guardrails and
each other while tilting their chins to take in the rolling
waters. A pleasant rumble is audible as water splashes to
the bottom and rolls onto the large rocks that line the
river.

These rocks provide excellent means for curious
sightseers to get closer to the waterfall. They inch to the
end of the viewing deck and shimmy onto the rocks,
feeling alone and overwhelmed by the sound of water as it
sweeps by.

It is here, the division between the deck viewers and
the rock climbers, that we see the vast array of visitors,
the contrasts between the thrill-seekers and the tourists,

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