76 



YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



Y YOSEMITE CHAPEL - Except 

 <2Q for the iMountain House at Glacier 

 ^* Point, built one year earlier, the 

 chapel is the oldest structure in use in 

 Yosemite National Park. It was built in 

 1879 from funds collected from Sunday 

 school children all over the country. 

 Erected originally near the foot of the 

 Four Mile Trail, the chapel was later 

 moved to its present site. This chapel 

 is unique in that it serves all faiths. 



y VIEW OF YOSEMITE FALLS. 

 _fh Along the edge of the meadow 

 *" down-valley from the Old Village 

 vou will have one of the finest distant 

 views of Yosemite Falls. Detailed de- 

 scription under V-13, page 69. 



SENTINEL ROCK — From here Sen- 

 tinel Rock can be seen to your left and 

 slightly down-valley rising some 3,000 

 feet above the valley floor. It was named 

 from its fancied likeness to a gigantic 

 watchtower. Although Sentinel Rock 

 has been climbed many times by various 

 routes, it was not until 1949 that the 

 face was scaled in a feat of skill and en- 

 durance which took 5 days. 



Y FOUR-MILE TRAIL. Beginning 

 ~« at the far end of this parking area 

 and at the base of Sentinel Rock 

 is the Four-Mile Trail, the most popular 

 trail to and from Glacier Point. It 

 presents fine scenic views especially at 

 Union Point. The original trail, com- 

 pleted in 1872, was the first to the val- 

 ley rim and, as the name implies, was 

 about four miles long. Later rebuilding 

 has lengthened it to about five miles. 

 The first tourist accommodations were 

 built at the foot of the Four-Mile Trail, 

 of which the Lower Hotel erected in 

 18 56 was the earliest. In 1869 "Black's" 

 was constructed on the site of the Lower 

 Hotel and "Leidig's" was built nearby. 

 Here, too, the chapel was built in 1879. 

 All that remains today are the locust 



Sentinel Rock and Sentinel Falls in Spring 



trees planted at the site of the old well. 



SENTINEL FALLS is on the right as 

 you face Sentinel Rock. Prominent only 

 in the early spring and summer, they 

 start in the highest hanging valley in 

 the vicinity. The water cascades down 

 the face of the cliff some 2,000 feet in 

 a series of spectacular leaps and drops. 



Y VIEW OF EL CAPITAN. El Capi- 

 oo tan is one of the largest exposed 

 monoliths of granite in the world. 

 The sheer cliff is about 3,000 feet high 

 and the summit of the rock is 3,5 64 feet 

 above the valley floor. Look for the 

 dark mass on the face of the cliff which 

 suggests the map of North America. An 

 80-foot pine tree many hundred years 

 old is rooted in cracks on the face of El 

 Capitan and can be located by follow- 

 ing the "map" downward through Cen- 

 tral America to an overhanging ledge. 

 El Capitan was named for its imposing 

 position and dominating si/e among the 

 valley cliffs. 



