Tuolumne Meadows

This was a tiny islet in the river/creek that runs through Tuolumne Meadows and the nearby backcountry. There hadn't been a lot of snow this past winter, so the river wasn't very high; the island was about two feet above water level. It's wooded with lodge pole pines (Pinus contorta). One in the middle is taller and thicker than the rest, but it looks mostly dead. Maybe an old fire burned it or lightning struck it and the rest--all about the same height and i have no idea how old--have grown since then. The undergrowth is wild onion (smelling it made me hungry!) and two other plants i can't yet identify.

I sat on the bow of the island to sketch for several hours on a comfy seat of roots and large granite stones, with the sound of the river and my classmates and the warm sun and a cool breeze...it was a lovely day, far from the very crowded Yosemite Valley that most everyone else visits. I must say though, it doesn't very much feel like 'wilderness' when you're only a 45 minute hike from a road and other hikers pass through to other parts of the park.