Names You Will Encounter Along the John Muir Trail – Part 2

Our journey down the John Muir Trail, name dropping all the way, continues this week.

Part 1 is here. Here we go with part 2.

Emerald Pool. This small lake (less than an acre) lies between Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall. In the late summer, when the Merced River carries a tiny fraction of the water it does in the spring, it can be quite benign. At other times it is one of the most deadly spots in the park. The National Park Service prohibits anyone from swimming in the pool because it is less than one hundred yards from the brink of Vernal Fall. Although there have been several fatalities over the years, this is also the spot where the only successful river rescue took place that cost the life of the rescuer. In 1997, Arjuna Babapulle saved his wife, after she slipped into the Emerald Pool, but at the cost of his own life. He was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero award.

Liberty Cap on the left, Nevada Fall on the right.

Nevada Fall. Sequestered in the heart of the Sierra Nevada, and arguably the most exquisite water feature within the range, Nevada Fall deserves to share the name of the larger Range of Light. The Native American name was Yo-wai-we. The fall is 594 feet high, less than a quarter of the height of Yosemite Falls.

Liberty Cap. This striking granite dome was formerly named Mount Frances, Gwin’s Peak, Bellow’s Butte, and Mount Broderick. In 1865, however, California Governor Leland Stanford declared that the shape of the dome reminded him of Lady Liberty on the half dollar. The name stuck.

Half Dome. Half Dome is probably the terrain feature most associated with Yosemite. In the excellent Shattered Air, Bob Madgic makes the case that it should more properly be called eighty-percent dome, but that name isn’t as poetic. The native name was Tissaack, and referred to a woman who was transformed into the mountain. The first ascent of Half Dome took place in 1875.

Donald Tresidder

Tressider Peak. Donald B. Tressider was the president of the Yosemite Park & Curry Company (and was the husband of Mary Curry). Among his many contributions to the park was the Ahwahnee Hotel, the Badger Pass ski area, and the High Sierra Camps. He was also the president of Stanford University.

We will continue to work our way towards Tuolumne Meadows next week.

Good hiking, Ray