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156-599: In addition to political advocacy, the Sierra Club organizes outdoor recreation activities, and has historically been a notable organization for mountaineering and rock climbing in the United States. Members of the Sierra Club pioneered the Yosemite Decimal System of climbing, and were responsible for a substantial amount of the early development of climbing. Much of this activity occurred in

312-601: A tourist activity. There are different activities associated with the sport. Mountaineering lacks formal rules – though appropriately empowered bodies make many pertaining to specific use of mountains and practices on them. In theory, any person may climb a mountain and call themself a mountaineer. In practice, the sport is defined by the safe and necessary use of technical skills in mountainous terrain: in particular, roped climbing and snow travel abilities. A variety of techniques have been developed to help people climb mountains that are widely applied among practitioners of

468-409: A "base camp," which is an area used for staging attempts at nearby summits. Base camps are positioned to be relatively safe from harsh terrain and weather. Where the summit cannot be reached from base camp in a single day, a mountain will have additional camps above base camp. For popular mountains, base camps may be at a fixed location and become famous. The Everest base camps and Camp Muir are among

624-425: A beneficial environmental impact, the Sierra Club expressed opposition to such reforms, arguing "Whatever the proposed project is — whether it's a pipeline or a highway or a solar farm — it should be subject to the same commonsense review process. If we want these projects to move forward faster, we shouldn't be weakening environmental laws, but investing more resources into the agencies and staff." The Sierra Club has

780-518: A bill on June 30, 1864, granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias to the State of California "for public use, resort and recreation," the two tracts "shall be inalienable for all time". This was the first time in history that a federal government had set aside scenic lands simply to protect them and to allow for their enjoyment by all people. Simply designating an area

936-407: A climber who ascends the rock. The first climber, called the leader , will reach a point on the rock and then build an anchor , which will secure subsequent climbers. Anchors could be created by using slings around a tree or boulder, or by using protection devices like cams and nuts . Once anchored, the leader will then belay the climber coming up from below. Once the follower reaches the leader,

1092-536: A couple of months, often as entire families with many possessions. Early hotels were therefore set up for extended stays and catered primarily to wealthy patrons who could spend extended periods away from home. One of these hotels—the Wawona Hotel , built in the 1880s—still operates. After the Valley became a park, the surrounding territory was still subject to logging, mining, and grazing. John Muir publicized

1248-630: A dam and aqueduct on the Tuolumne River, one of the largest southern Sierra rivers, as a way to increase and stabilize the city's water supply. Gifford Pinchot , a progressive supporter of public utilities and head of the US Forest Service , which then had jurisdiction over the national parks, supported the creation of the Hetch Hetchy dam. Muir appealed to his friend U.S. President Roosevelt, who would not commit himself against

1404-426: A few different forms of shelter depending on the situation and conditions; alpine shelters or arctic shelters. Shelter is a very important aspect of safety for the climber as weather in the mountains may be very unpredictable. Tall mountains may require many days of camping. Short trips lasting less than a day generally do not require shelter, although for safety, most mountaineers will carry an emergency shelter, such

1560-481: A history of filing lawsuits against new housing developments and trying to block legislative proposals to ease housing construction. Critics have characterized the Sierra Club's actions on housing as NIMBYism . In 2012, the Sierra Club sued to block the construction of a mixed-use development composed of 16,655 housing units (for an estimated 37,000 residents) and commercial space in Riverside, California. In 2018,

1716-553: A large Yosemite National Park surrounding the much smaller state park which had been created in 1864. This campaign succeeded in 1890. As early as 1889, Johnson had encouraged Muir to form an "association" to help protect the Sierra Nevada , and preliminary meetings were held to plan the group. Others involved in the early planning included artist William Keith , Willis Linn Jepson , Warren Olney , Willard Drake Johnson , Joseph LeConte and David Starr Jordan . In May 1892,

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1872-559: A large body of professional guides, equipment, and methodologies. In the early years of the " golden age ", scientific pursuits were intermixed with the sport, such as by the physicist John Tyndall . In the later years, it shifted to a more competitive orientation as pure sportsmen came to dominate the London-based Alpine Club and alpine mountaineering overall. The first president of the Alpine Club, John Ball ,

2028-607: A large variety of techniques and philosophies (including grading and guidebooks ) when climbing mountains. Numerous local alpine clubs support mountaineers by hosting resources and social activities. A federation of alpine clubs, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), is the International Olympic Committee -recognized world organization for mountaineering and climbing. The consequences of mountaineering on

2184-401: A light bivouac sack . Typical shelters used for camping include tents and bivouac sacks . The ability of these shelters to provide protection from the elements is dependent on their design. Mountaineers who climb in areas with cold weather or snow and ice will use more heavy-duty shelters than those who climb in more forgiving environments. In remote locations, mountaineers will set up

2340-554: A major part of Sierra Club culture, and in some chapters, constitute the majority of member activity. Other chapters, however, may sponsor very few outdoor or recreational activities, being focused solely on political advocacy. Generally, chapters in California are much more active with regard to outdoor activities. The Sierra Club presents a number of annual awards, such as the Sierra Club John Muir Award ,

2496-470: A majority in 1968, but in the April 1969 election the anti-Brower candidates won all five open positions. Ansel Adams and president Richard Leonard, two of his closest friends on the board, led the opposition to Brower, charging him with financial recklessness and insubordination and calling for his ouster as executive director. The board voted ten to five to accept Brower's resignation. Eventually reconciled with

2652-707: A means of payment. In the UK the term "hut" is used for any cottage or cabin used as a base for walkers or climbers. These are mostly owned by mountaineering clubs for use by members or visiting clubs and generally do not have wardens or permanent staff, but have cooking and washing facilities and heating. In the Scottish Highlands small simple unstaffed shelters without cooking facilities known as "bothies" are maintained to break up cross country long routes and act as base camps to certain mountains. Where conditions permit, snow caves are another way to shelter high on

2808-436: A new 300-car parking lot. The plan will allow the valley to accommodate a peak of 20,100 visitors per day. The plan has been criticized for prioritizing park visitors over the preservation of the river and the valley. Some believe there should be further limitations to the number of cars and parking lots in the valley, and more focus on public transportation. On busy summer days, there can be long delays and traffic gridlock at

2964-494: A park isn't sufficient to protect it. California did not set up an administration for the park until 1866 when the state appointed Galen Clark as the park's guardian. An 11-year struggle followed to resolve homesteading claims in the valley. The challenge of increasing tourism, with the need to first build stagecoach roads, then the Yosemite Valley Railroad , along with hotels and other facilities in and around

3120-413: A rope team. For example, when traveling over glaciers , crevasses pose a grave danger to a climber who is not roped in. These giant cracks in the ice are not always visible as snow can be blown and freeze over the top to make a snowbridge . At times snowbridges can be as thin as a few inches and may collapse from people walking over them. Should a climber fall, being protected by a rope greatly reduces

3276-405: A roped team may choose not to use anchors; instead, all members of the team will prepare to use their ice axes to self-arrest in the event should a team member fall. It is not always wise for climbers to form a rope team, since one falling climber may pull the entire team off the mountain. However, the risks of individual, unprotected travel are often so great that groups have no choice but to form

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3432-452: A roughly east–west direction, with an average width of about 1 mile (1.6 km). Yosemite Valley represents only one percent of the park area, but it is where most visitors arrive and stay. More than half a dozen creeks tumble from hanging valleys at the top of granite cliffs that can rise 3,000–3,500 feet (910–1,070 m) above the valley floor, which itself is 4,000 ft (1,200 m) above sea level . These streams combine into

3588-557: A shift to using smaller rock points, indicating development and use of the bow and arrow ; and the "Mariposa" phase, from 1200 until European contact in the mid-19th century. In the 19th century, it was inhabited by a Miwok band who called the Valley "Ah-wah-nee" and themselves the Ahwahnechee . This group had trading and family ties to Mono Lake Paiutes from the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. They annually burned

3744-412: A significant part of this natural community include: Yosemite National Park had a record number of 5 million visitors in 2016. In 2020 visitation dropped to 2,268,313 visitors. A reservation system was implemented in 2020, which required a reservation in order to enter the park. The reservation system has been periodically lifted and reimplemented since 2021. On July 24, 2018, several areas of

3900-405: A single issue with some kind of geography involved. While much activity is coordinated at a local level, the club is a unified organization; decisions made at the national level take precedence, including the removal and creation of chapters, as well as recruiting and removing members. The club is known for engaging in two main activities: promoting and guiding outdoor recreational activities, which

4056-562: A trip, safe climbers know what hazards to look for and how to recognize them. In situations where hazards are not able to be avoided, the climber must use their decision-making skills to mitigate those hazards. Climbers improve upon their ability to become a safe decision maker and recognize hazards by receiving proper education, training, practice, and experience as well as learning how to spot personal bias . Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( / j oʊ ˈ s ɛ m ə t i / yoh- SEM -ə-tee ; Yosemite , Miwok for "killer")

4212-495: A variety of hazards . When climbing mountains, there are two types of hazards, objective (mountain-based) and subjective (human-based) . Objective hazards relate to the environment, and may include inclement weather conditions, dangerous terrain, duration of exposure , and other environmental conditions. Subjective hazards relate to a climber's poor judgement, poor planning, lack of skills, faulty analysis and conclusions, or inadequate conditioning. In terms of objective hazards,

4368-535: A voluntary basis by members of alpine clubs. The manager of the hut, termed a guardian or warden in Europe, will usually also sell refreshments and meals, both to those visiting only for the day and to those staying overnight. The offering is surprisingly wide, given that most supplies, often including fresh water, must be flown in by helicopter, and may include glucose-based snacks (such as candy bars) on which climbers and walkers wish to stock up, cakes and pastries made at

4524-464: A young generation of Norwegian mountaineers such as George Paus , Eilert Sundt and Kristian Tandberg appeared, and later founded Norsk Tindeklub , the third oldest mountaineering association in the world. By the turn of the 20th century, mountaineering had acquired a more international flavour. In 1897 Mount Saint Elias (18,008 ft (5,489 m)) on the Alaska - Yukon border was summitted by

4680-665: Is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California , United States. The valley is about 7.5 mi (12.1 km) long and 3,000–3,500 ft (910–1,070 m) deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan , and densely forested with pines . The valley is drained by the Merced River , and a multitude of streams and waterfalls flow into it, including Tenaya , Illilouette, Yosemite and Bridalveil Creeks . Yosemite Falls

4836-520: Is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains . Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing , skiing , and traversing via ferratas that have become sports in their own right. Indoor climbing , sport climbing , and bouldering are also considered variants of mountaineering by some, but are part of a wide group of mountain sports . Unlike most sports, mountaineering lacks widely applied formal rules, regulations, and governance; mountaineers adhere to

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4992-435: Is also a prerequisite of success in all aspects of mountaineering. Alpine rock climbing involves technical skills including the ability to place anchors into the rock to safely ascend a mountain. In some cases, climbers may have to climb multiple pitches of rock to reach the top. Typically, for any one pitch, there is a belayer who is stationary and creates tension on the rope to catch a climber should he or she fall, and

5148-441: Is at least four feet of snow. The addition of a good quality bivouac bag and closed cell foam sleeping mat will also increase the warmth of the snow cave. Another shelter that works well is a quinzee , which is excavated from a pile of snow that has been work hardened or sintered (typically by stomping). Igloos are used by some climbers, but are deceptively difficult to build and require specific snow conditions. Mountaineers face

5304-510: Is considered to be the discoverer of the Dolomites , which for decades were the focus of climbers like Paul Grohmann and Angelo Dibona . At that time, the edelweiss also established itself as a symbol of alpinists and mountaineers. In the 19th century, the focus of mountaineering turned towards mountains beyond the Alps. One of the earliest mountain areas to be explored beyond the Alps in

5460-442: Is deemed obligatory, and in many cases is essential as some popular huts, even with more than 100 bed spaces, may be full during good weather and at weekends. Once made, the cancellation of a reservation is advised as a matter of courtesy – and, indeed, potentially of safety, as many huts keep a record of where climbers and walkers state they plan to walk to next. Most huts may be contacted by telephone and most take credit cards as

5616-415: Is done throughout the United States but primarily in California (especially Southern California), and political activism to promote environmental causes. Described as one of the United States' "leading environmental organizations", the Sierra Club makes endorsements of individual candidates for elected office. Journalist Robert Underwood Johnson had worked with John Muir on the successful campaign to create

5772-544: Is listed as a National Historic District and as a California Historical Landmark . After the creation of the Park Service, many separate hotel owners held separate concession contracts. The Yosemite Park Company had built the Yosemite Lodge and Yosemite Village had its own group of merchants. Fire had destroyed a number of the original valley hotels and concession owners came and went until Park Service forced

5928-508: Is the 1100 AD ascent of the Untersberg . The famous poet Petrarch describes his 26 April 1336 ascent of Mount Ventoux (1,912 m (6,273 ft)) in one of his epistolae familiares , claiming to be inspired by Philip V of Macedon 's ascent of Mount Haemo . For most of antiquity, climbing mountains was a practical or symbolic activity, usually undertaken for economic, political, or religious purposes. A commonly cited example

6084-456: Is the 1492 ascent of Mont Aiguille (2,085 m (6,841 ft)) by Antoine de Ville, a French military officer and lord of Domjulien and Beaupré. Because ropes, ladders and iron hooks were used, and because it was the first climb of any technical difficulty to be officially verified, this ascent is widely recognized as being the birth of mountaineering. Conrad Gessner , A mid-16th Century physician, botanist and naturalist from Switzerland,

6240-479: Is the highest waterfall in North America and is a big attraction, especially in the spring, when the water flow is at its peak. The valley is renowned for its natural environment and is regarded as the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park . The valley is the main attraction in the park for the majority of visitors and a bustling hub of activity during tourist season in the summer months. Most visitors enter

6396-402: Is used to describe terrain in which no technical equipment is needed. To traverse this terrain, mountaineers hike long distances to a base camp or the beginning of rough terrain, either following trails or using navigation techniques to travel cross-country. Hiking may be a strenuous activity, and adequate physical fitness and familiarity with the wilderness is necessary to complete a hike; it

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6552-650: Is widely recognized as being the first person to hike and climb for sheer pleasure. In the Andes , around the late 1400s and early 1500s many ascents were made of extremely high peaks by the Incas and their subjects. The highest they are known for certain to have climbed is 6739 m at the summit of Volcan Llullaillaco . The Age of Enlightenment and the Romantic era marked a change of attitudes towards high mountains. In 1757 Swiss scientist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure made

6708-470: The 4th millennium BC , were found in a glacier in the Ötztal Alps . However, the highest mountains were rarely visited early on, and were often associated with supernatural or religious concepts. Nonetheless, there are many documented examples of people climbing mountains prior to the formal development of the sport in the 19th century, although many of these stories are sometimes considered fictional or legendary. A rare medieval example of mountaineering

6864-786: The Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography , the Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award , the Edgar Wayburn Award for public officials, the Rachel Carson Award for journalists and writers, the William O. Douglas Award for legal work, and the EarthCare Award for international environmental protection and conservation. Land management, access, conservation are traditionally considered

7020-770: The Duke of the Abruzzi and party. In 1879–1880 the exploration of the highest Andes in South America began when English mountaineer Edward Whymper climbed Chimborazo (20,549 ft (6,263 m)) and explored the mountains of Ecuador. It took until the late 19th century for European explorers to penetrate Africa. Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa was climbed in 1889 by Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller and German geologist Hans Meyer , Mount Kenya in 1899 by Halford Mackinder . The greatest mountain range to be conquered

7176-676: The Echo Park Dam in Dinosaur National Monument in Utah , which had been announced by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1950. Brower led the fight, marshaling support from other conservation groups. Brower's background in publishing proved decisive; with the help of publisher Alfred Knopf, This Is Dinosaur was rushed into press. Invoking the specter of Hetch Hetchy, conservationists effectively lobbied Congress, which deleted

7332-794: The French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing , remain independent. The premier award in mountaineering is the privately granted Piolet d'Or , which has expanded from a single recognition to multiple. While there are many competitions, particularly in toproped climbing wall disciplines, there are no "official" world championships or other similar competitions for mountaineering broadly. Mountaineering techniques vary greatly depending on location, season, terrain, and route. Both techniques and hazards vary by terrain, spanning trails, rock, snow, and ice. Mountaineers must possess adequate food, water, information, equipment, stamina, and skill to complete their tasks. The term "walk-up" or "trek"

7488-492: The George Floyd protests and subsequent public reconciliation of systematic racism in public history , the Sierra Club described their own early history as intermingled with racism. In particular, the early Sierra Club favored the needs of white members to the exclusion of people of color, and Muir and some of his associates, such as Joseph LeConte , David Starr Jordan , and Henry Fairfield Osborn were closely related to

7644-579: The Golden Age of Alpinism , with the first mountaineering club – the Alpine Club – being founded in 1857. One of the most dramatic events was the spectacular first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 by a party led by English illustrator Edward Whymper , in which four of the party members fell to their deaths. By this point the sport of mountaineering had largely reached its modern form, with

7800-903: The Grand Canyon . The book Time and the River Flowing: Grand Canyon authored by Francois Leydet was published in the Exhibit Format book series. Opposing the Bridge Canyon and Marble Canyon dam projects, full-page ads the club placed in The New York Times and The Washington Post in 1966 exclaimed, "This time it's the Grand Canyon they want to flood," and asked, "Should we also flood the Sistine Chapel so tourists can get nearer

7956-895: The Grossglockner in 1800, the Ortler in 1804, the Jungfrau in 1811, the Finsteraarhorn in 1812, and the Breithorn in 1813. In 1808, Marie Paradis became the first woman to climb Mont Blanc, followed in 1838 by Henriette d'Angeville . The beginning of mountaineering as a sport in the UK is generally dated to the ascent of the Wetterhorn in 1854 by English mountaineer Sir Alfred Wills , who made mountaineering fashionable in Britain. This inaugurated what became known as

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8112-467: The Merced River , which flows out from the western end of the valley, down the rest of its canyon to the San Joaquin Valley . The flat floor of Yosemite Valley holds both forest and large open meadows , which have views of the surrounding crests and waterfalls . Below is a description of these features, looking first at the walls above, moving west to east as a visitor does when entering

8268-537: The Yosemite Firefall . This "fall" was large batches of red hot embers dropped from Glacier Point. The Park Service stopped this practice in 1969 as part of their long process of de-emphasizing artificial park attractions. On July 6, 1996, a massive rock slide , weighing an estimated 60,000–80,000 tons, crashed 1,800 feet (550 m) into the valley from the east side of Glacier Point, traveling at over 160 mph (260 km/h). Dust blanketed that part of

8424-521: The vasodilator padutin , and a stimulant tea made from coca leaves. K2 (8,611m), the second-highest peak in the world, was first scaled in 1954 by Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni . In 1964, the final eight-thousander to be climbed was Shishapangma (8,013m), the lowest of all the 8,000-metre peaks. Reinhold Messner from the Dolomites mountain range (Italy) was then the first to climb all eight-thousanders up to 1986, in addition to being

8580-529: The 1833 Joseph Walker Party, which was the first to cross the Sierra Nevada from east to west. The first descriptions of Yosemite, however, came nearly 20 years later. The 1849 California Gold Rush led to conflicts between miners and Native Americans, and the state formed the volunteer Mariposa Battalion as a punitive expedition against the Native Americans living in the Yosemite area. In 1851,

8736-474: The 1920s and 1930s, the Sierra Club functioned as a social and recreational society, conducting outings, maintaining trails and building huts and lodges in the Sierra. Preservation campaigns included a several-year effort to enlarge Sequoia National Park (achieved in 1926) and over three decades of work to protect and then preserve Kings Canyon National Park (established in 1940). Historian Stephen Fox notes, "In

8892-517: The 1930s most of the three thousand members were middle-aged Republicans." The New Deal brought many conservationists to the Democratic Party, and many Democrats entered the ranks of conservationists. Leading the generation of Young Turks who revitalized the Sierra Club after World War II were attorneys Richard Leonard and Bestor Robinson , nature photographer Ansel Adams , and David Brower . Adams sponsored Brower for membership in

9048-525: The 19th century were the mountains of Norway —particularly Jotunheimen —where British mountaineers such as William Cecil Slingsby , Harold Raeburn and Howard Priestman were early pioneers. Slingsby's book Norway, the Northern Playground contributed greatly to the popularization of mountaineering in Norway among the international mountaineering community. Around the turn of the century,

9204-881: The Battalion was led by Major Jim Savage , whose trading post on the Merced River the Awaneechee had raided. This and other missions (the Mariposa Wars ) resulted in Chief Teneiya and the Awaneechee spending months on a reservation in the San Joaquin Valley. The band returned the next year to the Valley but took refuge among the Mono Paiutes after further conflicts with miners. Most of the Awaneechee (along with Teneiya) were chased back to

9360-468: The California legislature to give Yosemite Valley to the U.S. federal government, and preserving coastal redwood forests of California. Muir escorted President Theodore Roosevelt through Yosemite in 1903, and two years later the California legislature ceded Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove to the federal government. The Sierra Club won its first lobbying victory with the creation of the country's second national park, after Yellowstone in 1872. In

9516-584: The Echo Park dam from the Colorado River project as approved in 1955. Recognition of the Sierra Club's role in the Echo Park dam victory boosted membership from 10,000 in 1956 to 15,000 in 1960. The Sierra Club was now truly a national conservation organization, and preservationists took the offensive with wilderness proposals. The club's Biennial Wilderness Conferences, launched in 1949 in concert with The Wilderness Society, became an important force in

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9672-486: The Merced River take drainage from the Sierra crest and combine at Merced Lake. The Merced then flows down to the end of its canyon ( Little Yosemite Valley ), where it begins what is often called the Giant Staircase . The first drop is Nevada Fall , which drops 594 feet (181 m), bouncing off the granite slope below it. Below is Vernal Fall , 317 feet (97 m) high, one of the most picturesque waterfalls in

9828-554: The Merced River. The following falls tumble from the Valley rim to join it at various points: The features in Yosemite Valley are made of granitic rock emplaced as plutons miles deep during the late Cretaceous . Over time the Sierra Nevada was uplifted, exposing this rock to erosion at the surface. The oldest of these granitic rocks, at 114 million years, occur along the Merced River Gorge west of

9984-486: The Sierra Club has expressed opposition to power lines and said that hydropower projects disrupt animal habitats. The Sierra Club opposes dams it considers inappropriate, including some government-built dams in national parks. In the early 20th century, the organization fought against the damming and flooding of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park . Despite this lobbying, Congress authorized

10140-521: The Sierra Club opposed SB 827 , which would have permitted dense housing near major public transit stations in California. Most other environmental groups supported the legislation, as dense housing construction near public transit was estimated to substantially reduce car pollution and help California reach its emissions target. Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Change and Business Program at UC-Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law, called it “one of

10296-405: The Sierra Club set a goal to close half of all coal plants in the U.S. by 2017. American business magnate and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $ 50 million to the Sierra Club's anti-coal work in 2011, and announced another $ 30 million gift to Sierra's Beyond Coal campaign in 2015. The Beyond Coal campaign says 187 coal plants have been closed since 2010. Other funders of

10452-529: The Sierra Club sued the Puerto Rican government for 18 renewable energy projects on more than 2,000 hectares of land. The Sierra Club argued that the land was ecologically sensitive and of high agricultural value. The Sierra Club said that building renewable energy projects on agricultural land was a "serious attack on the food security of Puerto Rico." A goal of the Sierra Club is to replace coal with other energy sources. Through its " Beyond Coal " campaign,

10608-525: The Sierra Club would officially participate in the first civil disobedience action in its 120-year history as part of the ongoing protest calling on the Obama administration to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, stating, "We are watching a global crisis unfold before our eyes, and to stand aside and let it happen—even though we know how to stop it—would be unconscionable." On February 13, 2013, Brune

10764-584: The Sierra Club's anti-coal campaign include the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation . The CEO of Chesapeake Energy , a natural gas company, donated $ 26 million to the Beyond Coal campaign between 2007 and 2010. The Sierra Club sued the Puerto Rico government in 2023 for its plans to build dozens of renewable energy projects. The Sierra Club said

10920-455: The Sierra Nevada were made on Sierra Club outings. Sierra Club members were also early enthusiasts of rock climbing. In 1911, the first chapter was formed, Angeles, and it began conducting local excursions in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles and throughout the West. Steve Roper 's Fifty Classic Climbs of North America , sponsored and published by the Sierra Club, is still considered one of

11076-415: The Valley and killed by the Paiutes after violating hospitality by stealing horses. While the members of that first expedition of the Mariposa Battalion had heard rumors of what could be found up the Merced River, none were prepared for what they saw March 27, 1851, from what is now called Old Inspiration Point (close to the better-visited Tunnel View). Dr. Lafayette Bunnell later wrote: The grandeur of

11232-477: The Valley has been curving gently to the left (north). Now a grand curve back to the right begins, with Yosemite Falls on the north, followed by the Royal Arches, topped by North Dome . Opposite, to the south, is Glacier Point , 3,200 feet (980 m) above the Valley floor. At this point the Valley splits in two, one section slanting northeast, with the other curving from south to southeast. Between them, at

11388-400: The Valley was met during the rest of the 19th century. But much environmental damage was caused to the valley itself at that time. The problems that Yosemite Park had under state control was one of the factors in establishing Yellowstone National Park as the first completely national park in 1872. Due to the difficulty of traveling there, early visitors to the valley came for several weeks to

11544-480: The Valley. Ayres' highly detailed angularly exaggerated artwork and his written accounts were distributed nationally and an art exhibition of his drawings was held in New York City. Two of Hutchings' first group of tourists, Milton and Houston Mann, built the first toll route into the valley, with the development of the first hotels in the area and other trails quickly following. Many of the early pioneers in

11700-497: The Valley. The Merced then descends rapids to meet Illilouette Creek, which drops from the valley rim to form Illilouette Fall . They combine at the base of the gorges that contain each stream, and then flow around the Happy Isles to meet Tenaya Creek at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley proper. Tenaya Creek flows southwest from Tenaya Lake and down Tenaya Canyon, finally flowing between Half Dome and North Dome before joining

11856-455: The World , with color photographs by Eliot Porter . These coffee-table books, published by their Sierra Club Books division, introduced the Sierra Club to a wider audience. Fifty thousand copies were sold in the first four years, and by 1960 sales exceeded $ 10 million. Soon Brower was publishing two new titles a year in the Exhibit Format series, but not all did as well as In Wildness. Although

12012-747: The administration of President Jimmy Carter . Efforts of the Sierra Club and others—including Black community organizers who fought against destructive "urban renewal" projects—led to passage of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Water Pollution Control Act . The Sierra Club formed a political committee and made its first presidential endorsement in 1984 in support of Walter Mondale 's unsuccessful campaign to unseat Ronald Reagan . McCloskey resigned as executive director in 1985 after 16 + 1 ⁄ 2 years (the same length of time Brower had led

12168-448: The bedrock valley floor, and much smaller Wisconsinian glaciers deposited glacial debris. The biological community on the floor of Yosemite Valley is a diverse one, with more than 400 species of grasses and wildflowers and thousands of species of insects having been identified there. At the most general level, the valley can be classified as a dry yellow pine forest with a number of large open meadows. Plant and animal species that make up

12324-422: The board of directors voted to support PG&E's plan for the power plant. A membership referendum in 1967 upheld the board's decision. But Brower concluded that nuclear power at any location was a mistake, and he voiced his opposition to the plant, contrary to the club's official policy. As pro- and anti-Brower factions polarized, the annual election of new directors reflected the conflict. Brower's supporters won

12480-474: The books were successful in introducing the public to wilderness preservation and the Sierra Club, they lost money for the organization, some $ 60,000 a year after 1964. Financial management became a matter of contention between Brower and his board of directors. The Sierra Club's most publicized crusade of the 1960s was the effort to stop the Bureau of Reclamation from building two dams that would flood portions of

12636-464: The bottom of a mountaineer's boots and provide additional traction on hard snow and ice. For loose snow, crampons are less suitable, and snowshoes or skis may be preferred. Using various techniques from alpine skiing to ascend/descend a mountain is a form of the sport by itself, called ski mountaineering . Ascending and descending a steep snow slope safely requires the use of an ice axe and different footwork techniques that have been developed over

12792-602: The campaign that secured passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964, marking the first time that public lands (9.1 million acres) were permanently protected from development. Grand Teton National Park and Olympic National Park were also enlarged at the Sierra Club's urging. In 1960, Brower launched the Exhibit Format book series with This Is the American Earth , and in 1962, In Wildness Is the Preservation of

12948-649: The campaigns to save the Grand Canyon and establish Redwoods National Park and North Cascades National Park . During the 1970s, McCloskey led the club's legislative activity—preserving Alaskan lands and eastern wilderness areas, and supporting the new environmental agenda: the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, the Clean Air Act amendments, and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, passed during

13104-628: The ceiling?" The ads generated a storm of protest to the Congress, prompting the Internal Revenue Service to announce it was suspending the Sierra Club's 501(c)(3) status pending an investigation. The board had taken the precaution of setting up the Sierra Club Foundation as a (c)(3) organization in 1960 for endowments and contributions for educational and other non-lobbying activities. Even so, contributions to

13260-450: The club dropped off, aggravating its annual operating deficits. Membership, however, climbed sharply in response to the investigation into the legitimacy of the society's tax status by the IRS from 30,000 in 1965 to 57,000 in 1967 and 75,000 in 1969. The victory over the dam projects and challenges from the IRS did not come without costs. To make up for the power that would have been produced by

13416-413: The club had played the leading role blocking PG&E's nuclear power plant proposed for Bodega Bay, California , in the early 1960s, that case had been built around the local environmental impact and earthquake danger from the nearby San Andreas Fault , not from opposition to nuclear power itself. In exchange for moving the new proposed site from the environmentally sensitive Nipomo Dunes to Diablo Canyon,

13572-480: The club's legislative director, was named executive director in 1992. In the 1990s, club members Jim Bensman, Roger Clarke, David Dilworth, Chad Hanson and David Orr along with about 2,000 members formed the John Muir Sierrans (JMS), an internal caucus, to promote changes to club positions. They favored a zero-cut forest policy on public lands and, a few years later, decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam . JMS

13728-416: The club, Brower was elected to the board of directors for a term from 1983 to 1988, and again from 1995 to 2000. Brower resigned from the board in 2000. Michael McCloskey, hired by Brower in 1961 as the club's first northwest field representative, became the club's second executive director in 1969. An administrator attentive to detail, McCloskey had set up the club's conservation department in 1965 and guided

13884-667: The club, and he was appointed to the editorial board of the Sierra Club Bulletin. After World War II Brower returned to his job with the University of California Press, and began editing the Sierra Club Bulletin in 1946. In 1950, the Sierra Club had some 7,000 members, mostly on the West Coast. That year the Atlantic chapter became the first formed outside California. An active volunteer board of directors ran

14040-465: The construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam on the Tuolumne River . The Sierra Club continues to support removal of the dam. The Sierra Club advocates the decommissioning of Glen Canyon Dam and the draining of Lake Powell . The club also supports removal, breaching or decommissioning of many other dams, including four dams on the lower Snake River in eastern Washington . The Sierra Club opposes

14196-469: The contract. In November 2011, Sierra Club chairman Carl Pope stepped down amid discontent about the Clorox deal and other issues. Between 2007 and 2010, the Sierra Club accepted over $ 25 million in donations from the gas industry, mostly from Aubrey McClendon , CEO of Chesapeake Energy , a large gas drilling company involved in fracking . In January 2013, executive director Michael Brune announced that

14352-419: The core advocacy areas of the Sierra Club. Uniquely for a progressive organization, the Sierra Club has strong grassroots organization in rural areas, with much activity focused on ensuring equitable and environmentally-friendly use of public lands. This is particularly accentuated by the fact that the club attracts many people who primarily join the club for recreation and use of public land for hiking. In 2023,

14508-405: The country, Sierra Club also organizes hiking tours. Sierra Club's website has a "hiking near me" function. Section " Sierra Club Near You " shows all the upcoming trips in nearby area. The historic High Trips, sometimes large expeditions with more than a hundred participants and crew, have given way to smaller and more numerous excursions held across the United States and abroad. These outings form

14664-559: The dam had a friend in the White House. The bill to dam Hetch Hetchy passed Congress in 1913, and so the Sierra Club lost its first major battle. In retaliation, the club supported creation of the National Park Service in 1916, to remove the parks from Forest Service oversight. Stephen Mather , a Club member from Chicago and an opponent of the Hetch Hetchy dam, became the first National Park Service director. During

14820-403: The dam, given its popularity with the people of San Francisco (a referendum in 1908 confirmed a seven-to-one majority in favor of the dam and municipal water). Muir and attorney William Edward Colby began a national campaign against the dam, attracting the support of many eastern conservationists. With the 1912 election of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson , who carried San Francisco, supporters of

14976-462: The damage to the subalpine meadows that surround the Valley and in 1890, the government created a national park that included a much larger territory—enclosing Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove. As with Yellowstone, the new federal park was under U.S. Army jurisdiction until 1914. In 1906, the state ceded the Valley and Mariposa Grove to the federal government. The National Park Service , on its creation in 1916, took over Yosemite. Yosemite Valley

15132-501: The dams, the Sierra Club actually advocated for coal power plants. The result of the campaign and its trade-off was, in the words of historian Andrew Needham, that "the Grand Canyon became protected, sacred space," while "the Navajo Reservation"—which housed some of the main power plants picking up the slack—"became increasingly industrial." Despite the club's success in blocking plans for the Grand Canyon dams and weathering

15288-493: The dangers mountaineers face include loose or falling rocks, falling ice, snow- avalanches , the climber falling, falls from ice slopes, falls down snow slopes, falls into crevasses, and the dangers from altitude and weather. From 1947 to 2018 in the United States "2,799 people were reported to be involved in mountaineering accidents and 43% of these accidents resulted in death." Climbers themselves are responsible for nearly all climbing accidents. When planning and preparing for

15444-581: The definitive rock climbing guidebooks in the United States. The Wilderness Travel Course is a basic mountaineering class that is administered by the Sierra Club. In World War II , a number of Sierra Club leaders joined the 10th Mountain Division . Among them was David R. Brower , who managed the High Trip program from 1947 to 1954, while serving as a major in the Army Reserve. In many areas of

15600-435: The early eugenics movement in the United States . Michael Brune, writing as the executive director of the Sierra Club, disavowed founder John Muir in the summer of 2020, but some board members said Brune's characterization of Muir was not representative of the organization. In January 2023, former NAACP president Ben Jealous became the organization's new executive director, making him the first African American to fulfill

15756-433: The eastern end of the valley, is Half Dome , among the most prominent natural features in the Sierra Nevada. Above and to the northeast of Half Dome is Clouds Rest , at 9,926 feet (3,025 m); it is the highest point near Yosemite Valley. Snow melting in the Sierra forms creeks and lakes. In the surrounding region, these creeks flow to the edge of the Valley to form cataracts and waterfalls. A fan of creeks and forks of

15912-475: The first decade of the 1900s, the Sierra Club became embroiled in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir battle that divided preservationists from "resource management" conservationists. In the late 19th century, the city of San Francisco was rapidly outgrowing its limited water supply, which depended on intermittent local springs and streams. In 1890, San Francisco mayor James D. Phelan proposed to build

16068-471: The first of several unsuccessful attempts on Mont Blanc in France. He then offered a reward to anyone who could climb the mountain, which was claimed in 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard . The climb is usually considered an epochal event in the history of mountaineering, a symbolic mark of the birth of the sport. By the early 19th century, many of the alpine peaks were reached, including

16224-610: The first professional female mountaineers) made ascents in the Himalayas, including one of the Nun Kun peaks (23,300 ft (7,100 m)). A number of Gurkha sepoys were trained as expert mountaineers by Charles Granville Bruce , and a good deal of exploration was accomplished by them. In 1902 the Eckenstein–Crowley Expedition, led by English mountaineer Oscar Eckenstein and English occultist Aleister Crowley

16380-429: The first without supplemental oxygen. In 1978 he climbed Mount Everest with Peter Habeler without supplemental oxygen, the first men to do so. Long the domain of the wealthy elite and their agents, the emergence of the middle-class in the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in mass interest in mountaineering. It became a popular pastime and hobby of many people. Some have come to criticize the sport as becoming too much of

16536-458: The group's namesake, the Sierra Nevada . The Sierra Club operates only in the United States and holds the legal status of 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare organization. Sierra Club Canada is a separate entity. The Sierra Club's stated mission is "To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore

16692-402: The group. Michael Brune , formerly of Rainforest Action Network , served as the organization's executive director from 2010. Brune succeeded Carl Pope . Pope stepped down amid discontent that the group had strayed from its core principles. In January 2023, former NAACP president Ben Jealous became the organization's new executive director, making him the first African American to fulfill

16848-534: The high mountains themselves – in extremely remote areas, more rudimentary shelters may exist. The mountain huts are of varying size and quality, but each is typically centred on a communal dining room and have dormitories equipped with mattresses, blankets or duvets, and pillows; guests are expected to bring and use their own sleeping bag liners . The facilities are usually rudimentary, but, given their locations, huts offer vital shelter, make routes more widely accessible (by allowing journeys to be broken and reducing

17004-418: The hut, a variety of hot and cold drinks (including beer and wine), and high carbohydrate dinners in the evenings. Not all huts offer a catered service, though, and visitors may need to provide for themselves. Some huts offer facilities for both, enabling visitors wishing to keep costs down to bring their own food and cooking equipment and to cater using the facilities provided. Booking for overnight stays at huts

17160-401: The ice, as well as traditional rock climbing equipment for anchoring in mixed terrain. Often, mountaineers climbing steep snow or mixed snowy rock terrain will not use a fixed belay. Instead, each climber on the team will climb at the same time while attached to anchors, in groups of two. This allows for safety should the entire team be taken off their feet which also allows for greater speed than

17316-547: The importation of energy from Quebec's hydropower plants to New York, arguing that importing excess energy by the Quebec plants will cause environmental damage and lead to fewer in-state New York renewable energy projects. Some chapters of the Sierra Club have lobbied against solar power projects, whereas other chapters have defended solar power projects. The Sierra Club opposed the Battle Born Solar Project,

17472-521: The largest solar project in the U.S., citing its potential impact on desert tortoise habitats. The Sierra Club sued the federal government to stop the 663.5-megawatt Calico solar station in the Mojave Desert in California, saying it would imperil protected wildlife. In response to proposed reforms to streamline the permitting process for environmental projects amid concerns that environmental permitting reviews were delaying and blocking projects with

17628-591: The last 30 million years, glaciers have periodically filled much of the valley. The most current glaciation , the Wisconsinian was not, however, the most severe. Ice ages previous to the Wisconsinian were colder and lasted longer. Their glaciers were huge and covered nearly all the landmarks around Yosemite Valley except Half Dome, Eagle Peak , Sentinel Dome , and the top of El Capitan. Wisconsinian glaciers, however, only reached Bridalveil Fall in

17784-404: The leader will often transfer all necessary protection devices (known as a rack) to the follower. The follower then becomes the leader and will ascend the next pitch. This process will continue until the climbers either reach the top, or run into different terrain. For extremely vertical rocks, or to overcome certain logistical challenges, climbers may use aid climbing techniques. This involves

17940-619: The left, and Cathedral Rocks on the right with Bridalveil Fall . Just past this spot the Valley suddenly widens with the Cathedral Spires, then the pointed obelisk of Sentinel Rock to the south. Across the Valley on the northern side are the Three Brothers , rising one above the other like gables built on the same angle – the highest crest is Eagle Peak, with the two below known as the Middle and Lower Brothers. To this point

18096-448: The most famous base camps. Camping is not always an option, or may not be suitable if a mountain is close to civilization. Some regions may legally prohibit primitive camping due to concern for the environment, or due to issues with crowds. In lieu of camping, mountaineers may choose to stay in mountain huts . The European alpine regions, in particular, have a large network of huts. Such huts exist at many different heights, including in

18252-598: The most important climate bills in California.” The Sierra Club argued the bill sought to take away the sacrosanct right of localities "to make smart local decisions about development." In 2023, the Sierra Club lobbied against AB 1633, which prevents NIMBY abuse of the California Environmental Quality Act to block new housing developments that already comply with local and state land use and environmental regulations. Mountaineering Mountaineering , mountain climbing , or alpinism

18408-424: The mountain. Some climbers do not use tents at high altitudes unless the snow conditions do not allow for snow caving, since snow caves are silent and much warmer than tents. They can be built relatively easily, given sufficient time, using a snow shovel. The temperature of a correctly made snow cave will hover around freezing, which relative to outside temperatures can be very warm. They can be dug anywhere where there

18564-535: The natural environment can be seen in terms of individual components of the environment (land relief, soil, vegetation, fauna, and landscape) and the location/zone of mountaineering activity (hiking, trekking, or climbing zone). Mountaineering impacts communities on economic, political, social and cultural levels, often leading to changes in people's worldviews influenced by globalization, specifically foreign cultures and lifestyles. Humans have been present in mountains since prehistory. The remains of Ötzi , who lived in

18720-543: The organization), and assumed the title of chairman, becoming the club's senior strategist, devoting his time to conservation policy rather than budget planning and administration. After a two-year interlude with Douglas Wheeler, whose Republican credentials were disconcerting to liberal members, the club hired Michael Fischer, the former head of the California Coastal Commission , who served as executive director from 1987 to 1992. Carl Pope , formerly

18876-493: The organization, assisted by a small clerical staff. Brower was appointed the first executive director in 1952, and the club began to catch up with major conservation organizations such as the National Audubon Society , National Wildlife Federation , The Wilderness Society , and Izaak Walton League , which had long had professional staff. The Sierra Club secured its national reputation in the battle against

19032-403: The park, including the Valley, were closed due to wildfires in the area. Several trails lead out of the Valley, including Yosemite is now a world rock climbing attraction. The massive 'big walls' of granite have been climbed countless times since the 1950s and have pushed climbers' abilities to new heights. While climbers traditionally take several days to climb the monoliths , bivvying on

19188-542: The past century, such as the French technique and German technique . Teams of climbers may choose to attach everyone together with a rope, to form a rope team. The team may then secure themselves by attaching the rope to anchors. These anchors are sometimes unreliable and include snow stakes or pickets, deadman devices called flukes , or buried equipment or rocks. Bollards , which are simply carved out of consolidated snow or ice, also sometimes serve as anchors. Alternatively,

19344-442: The projects were planned to be built on lands that were ecologically sensitive and of high agricultural value. At the time, Puerto Rico was overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels for its energy use, while only 2% of its energy came from renewable sources. The Sierra Club is "unequivocally opposed" to nuclear power. The Sierra Club has lobbied against hydropower projects and large-scale dams. In lobbying against hydropower projects,

19500-456: The quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives." The Sierra Club is governed by a 15-member board of directors. Each year, five directors are elected to three-year terms, and all club members are eligible to vote. A president is elected annually by the Board from among its members. The executive director runs the day-to-day operations of

19656-403: The risk of injury or death. The other members of the rope team may proceed with a crevasse rescue to pull the fallen climber from the crevasse. For extremely slippery or steep snow, ice, and mixed rock and ice terrain climbers must use more advanced techniques, called ice climbing or mixed climbing. Specialized tools such as ice screws and ice picks help climbers build anchors and move up

19812-542: The rock faces, modern climbing techniques help climbers ascend the cliffs in mere hours. Many climbers stay at Camp 4 before beginning big wall climbs, which became notable after World War II as "a birthplace of rock climbing’s modern age" and was introduced into the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Half Dome figures prominently on the reverse side of the California state quarter. Hiking to

19968-508: The role. The Sierra Club is organized on both a national and state level with chapters named for the 50 states and two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.) California is the lone state to have numerous chapters named for California counties. The club chapters allow for regional groups and committees, some of which have many thousands of members. These chapters further allow for special interest sections (e.g. camera, outings), committees (conservation and political), and task forces on

20124-531: The role. In 2024, Sierra Club listed nuclear power as one of the sources included in Clean Energy Standard (CES). In 1901, William Colby organized the first Sierra Club excursion to Yosemite Valley . The annual High Trips were led by mountaineers such as Francis P. Farquhar , Joseph Nisbet LeConte , Norman Clyde , Walter A. Starr, Jr. , Jules Eichorn , Glen Dawson , Ansel Adams , and David R. Brower . A number of first ascents in

20280-415: The scene was but softened by the haze that hung over the valley – light as gossamer – and by the clouds which partially dimmed the higher cliffs and mountains. This obscurity of vision but increased the awe with which I beheld it, and as I looked, a peculiar exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being, and I found my eyes in tears with emotion. Camping that night on the Valley floor, the group agreed with

20436-536: The sport. Despite its lack of defined rules and non-competitive nature, certain aspects of mountaineering have much of the trappings of an organized sport, with recognition of specific climbing activities – including climbing wall -based competition – by the International Olympic Committee ; on a club level, the prominent international sport federation the UIAA counts numerous national alpine clubs as its members, while others, such as The Mountaineers and

20592-601: The suggestion of Dr. Bunnell to call it "Yo-sem-i-ty", mistakenly believing that was the native name. The term is from the Southern Sierra Miwok word Yohhe'meti, meaning "they are killers," which referred to Savage and the Mariposa Battalion. . James Hutchings—who organized the first tourist party to the Valley in 1855—and artist Thomas Ayers generated much of the earliest publicity about Yosemite, creating articles and entire magazine issues about

20748-399: The top of Half Dome is one of the most popular hikes from the valley, and very crowded. The park now requires permits to use the trail, and in 2011 the permits sold out very quickly after becoming available. The park now uses a lottery system for hikers to apply for permits. Habitation of the Yosemite Valley proper can be traced to about 3,000 years ago when vegetation and game in the region

20904-418: The traditional technique of belaying one climber at a time. This technique is known as simul-climbing or a running belay and is sometimes also used on ice, however, the risk of dropping frequently displaced ice on the lower team member(s) limits its usefulness on ice. Traditional belays are also used; in this case, this is sometimes necessary due to ice fall hazard, steepness, or other factors. Climbers use

21060-414: The transition from 501(c)(3) to 501(c)(4) status, tension grew over finances between Brower and the board of directors. The club's annual deficits rose from $ 100,000 in 1967 and 1968 to some $ 200,000 in 1969. Another conflict occurred over the club's policy toward the nuclear power plant to be constructed by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) at Diablo Canyon near San Luis Obispo, California . Although

21216-594: The two largest companies to merge in order that one single concession contract could be given. In 1925 the two family-run companies became the Yosemite Park and Curry Company and went on to build and run the Ahwahnee Hotel as the company headquarters for years, introducing a number of traditions, including the Bracebridge dinner . Curry Village was the site from where villagers and visitors watched

21372-503: The use of equipment, such as ladders, fixed lines , and ascenders to help the climber push themself up the rock. In alpine climbing, it is common for climbers to see routes of mixed terrain. This means climbers may need to move efficiently from climbing glacier, to rock, to ice, back and forth in a number of variations. Compacted snow conditions allow mountaineers to progress on foot. Frequently crampons are required to travel efficiently and safely over snow and ice. Crampons attach to

21528-487: The valley for days, and the wind speed in front of the slide is estimated to have been 300 mph (480 km/h). One person was killed in the slide. In 1987, Congress designated 122 miles of the Merced as a Wild and Scenic River . Yosemite National Park contains 81 of these miles, and the valley contains eight of those miles. This designation will "... preserve the Merced River in free-flowing condition and to protect

21684-470: The valley from roads to the west and pass through the Tunnel View entrance. Visitor facilities are in the center of the valley. There are both hiking trail loops that stay within the valley and trailheads that lead to higher elevations. Yosemite Valley is on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, 150 miles (240 km) east of San Francisco . It stretches for 7.5 miles (12.1 km) in

21840-532: The valley of European descent, and a few Native Americans, are buried in Yosemite Cemetery . The work of Ayres gave Easterners an appreciation for Yosemite Valley and started a movement to preserve it. Influential figures such as Galen Clark , clergyman Thomas Starr King and leading landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted were among those who urged Senator John Conness of California to try to preserve Yosemite. President Abraham Lincoln signed

21996-488: The valley, then visiting the waterfalls and other water features, returning east to west with the flow of water. The first view of Yosemite Valley many visitors see is the Tunnel View . So many paintings were made from a viewpoint nearby that the National Park Service named that viewpoint Artist Point . The view from the lower (western) end of the Valley contains the great granite monolith El Capitan on

22152-463: The valley. The El Capitan pluton intruded the valley, forming most of the granitic rock that makes up much of the central part of the valley, including Cathedral Rocks , Three Brothers , and El Capitan. The youngest Yosemite Valley pluton is the 87-million-year-old Half Dome granodiorite, which makes up most of the rock at Glacier Point , the Royal Arches , and its namesake, Half Dome. For

22308-462: The valley. The glaciers widened the valley, but much of its width is in fact due to previous stream erosion and mass wasting along vertical joints in the valley's walls. After the retreat of many of these glaciers, a stand of Ancient Lake Yosemite developed. The valley floor owes its flatness to sediment deposited by these stands (the last glaciers in the valley were small and did not remove much old lake sediment). The last stand of Lake Yosemite

22464-494: The vegetation on the Valley floor, which promoted the black oak and kept the meadows and forests open. This protected the supply of their principal food, acorns , and reduced the chance of ambush. At the time of first European contact, this band was led by Chief Tenaya (Teneiya), who was raised by his mother among the Mono Lake Paiutes . The first non-Native Americans to see Yosemite Valley were probably members of

22620-642: The water quality and the outstandingly remarkable values (ORVs) that make the river worthy of designation." In March 2014, the park system released the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/EIS to address the preservation of the river, safety, and to improve the visitor experience in the park. The plan will restore meadows and river bank areas and remove non-essential roads. Camping capacity will increase by 37%, and recreational services will be expanded. The plan calls for an 8% increase in parking for day use visitors to Yosemite Valley, including

22776-439: The weight of equipment needing to be carried), and offer good value. In Europe, all huts are staffed during the summer (mid-June to mid-September) and some are staffed in the spring (mid-March to mid-May). Elsewhere, huts may also be open in the fall. Huts also may have a part that is always open, but unstaffed, a so-called winter hut. When open and staffed, the huts are generally run by full-time employees, but some are staffed on

22932-541: The young botany professor, Willis Linn Jepson from the University of California, Berkeley helped Muir and attorney Warren Olney launched the new organization modeled after the eastern Appalachian Mountain Club . The charter members of the Sierra Club elected Muir president, an office he held until his death in 1914. The first goals of the club included establishing Glacier and Mount Rainier national parks, convincing

23088-641: Was about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long and was impounded by a terminal moraine near the base of El Capitan. It was later filled by sediment, becoming a swampy meadow. The parallel Tenaya Canyon and Little Yosemite Canyon glaciers were, at their largest, 2,000 feet (610 m) deep where they flowed into the Yosemite Valley near the base of Half Dome. They also formed Clouds Rest behind Half Dome as an arête . Near Glacier Point there are 2,000 feet (610 m) of mostly glacial sediment with at least six separate sequences of Lake Yosemite sediments. Here, huge and highly erosive pre-Wisconsinian glaciers excavated

23244-463: Was also a pioneer in developing new equipment and climbing methods. He started using shorter ice axes that could be used single-handedly, designed the modern crampons , and improved on the nail patterns used for the climbing boots. By the 1950s, all the eight-thousanders but two had been climbed starting with Annapurna in 1950 by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal on the 1950 French Annapurna expedition . The highest of these peaks Mount Everest

23400-469: Was arrested along with forty-eight people, including civil rights leader Julian Bond and NASA climate scientist James Hansen . In May 2015, the Sierra Club appointed its first black president of the board of directors, Aaron Mair . The Sierra Club endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election , citing its opposition to Donald Trump 's environmental deregulation. In 2020, in wake of

23556-481: Was climbed in 1953 after the British had made several attempts in the 1920s; the 1922 expedition reached 8,320 metres (27,300 ft) before being aborted on the third summit attempt after an avalanche killed seven porters. The 1924 expedition saw another height record achieved but still failed to reach the summit with confirmation when George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared on the final attempt. The summit

23712-477: Was finally reached on 29 May 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay from the south side in Nepal . Just a few months later, Hermann Buhl made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat (8,125 m), on the 1953 German–Austrian Nanga Parbat expedition , completing the last 1,300 meters walking alone, self-medicating with pervitin (based on the stimulant methamphetamine used by soldiers during World War II),

23868-432: Was similar to that present today; the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada had acorns, deer, and salmon, while the eastern Sierra had pinyon nuts and obsidian . The prehistory of the area is divided into three cultural phases on archaeological grounds: the "Crane Flat" phase, (1000 BCE to 500 CE) is marked by hunting with the atl atl and the use of grinding stones ; the "Tarmarack" phase (500 to 1200 CE), marked by

24024-491: Was successful in changing club positions on both counts. In 2008, several Sierra Club officers quit in protest after the Sierra Club agreed to promote products by Clorox , which had been named one of a "dangerous dozen" chemical companies by the Public Interest Research Group in 2004. According to Carl Pope, the Sierra Club chairman, the deal brought the club $ 1.3 million over the four-year term of

24180-793: Was the Himalayas in South Asia. They had initially been surveyed by the British Empire for military and strategic reasons. In 1892 Sir William Martin Conway explored the Karakoram Himalayas, and climbed a peak of 23,000 ft (7,000 m). In 1895 Albert F. Mummery died while attempting Nanga Parbat , while in 1899 Douglas Freshfield took an expedition to the snowy regions of Sikkim . In 1899, 1903, 1906, and 1908 American mountaineer Fanny Bullock Workman (one of

24336-413: Was the first to attempt to scale K2 . They reached 22,000 feet (6,700 m) before turning back due to weather and other mishaps. Undaunted, in 1905 Crowley led the first expedition to Kangchenjunga , the third highest mountain in the world, in an attempt which Isserman, Angas Weaver and Molenaar describe as "misguided" and "lamentable" due to Crowley's many failings as an expedition leader. Eckenstein

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