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Located on the rivers edge, these facilities are great accommodations for those that like to camp but do not have camping equipment. The shelters are made of concrete block walls on three sides, with the fourth wall made of canvas that divides the sleeping area from the patio eating area. The units are constructed on a concrete slab, with a double canvas roof. There are electrical outlets in the sleeping and cooking areas, a fire ring and picnic table.
The Merced River as it flows past Housekeeping Camp. The water is crystal clear and very cold. Though the river looks like mud in this photo, it is actually the river bottom you see.
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El Capitan, (Right), as seen from Housekeeping Camp rivers edge, is a 3,000 foot vertical rock formation in the Yosemite Valley, which is very popular with rock climbers.
The top of El Capitan can be reached by hiking out of Yosemite Valley on the trail next to Yosemite Falls, then proceeding west. For climbers, the challenge is to climb up the sheer granite face; there are dozens of named climbing routes, all of them long and difficult.
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Climbing history
The most prominent part of El Capitan, the "Nose", was first climbed in 1958 by Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore after 47 days of actual climbing spread over seventeen months. The team used rope, pitons and expansion bolts to make it to the top, using aid climbing much of the way. The route was repeated in 1960 by Royal Robbins, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt and Tom Frost, who took seven days. The first ascent of the Nose in one day was accomplished in 1975 by John Long, Jim Bridwell and Billy Westbay.
Efforts during the 1960s explored the other faces of "El Cap", including the North America Wall on the southeast side. As it became clear that any face could be conquered with sufficient perseverance and bolt hole drilling, some climbers began to eschew the use of bolts and attempted to find El Cap routes that could be climbed either free or with a minimal use of aid. Even so, the West Face was not free climbed until 1979 (Ray Jardine and Bill Price), the Nose was only freed by Lynn Hill in 1993 |
This distant view of Nevada Falls (left), and a view of Half Dome (right) on a summers afternoon, were taken from Washburn Point, which is a mile or so south of Glacier Point.
 Tunnel View, One of the most photographed scenes in Yosemite, can be seen at the turnout at the eastern end of the Wawona Tunnel on Route. 41. It provides a view of Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rock, and Bridalveil Falls,
While the members of that first expedition of the Mariposa Battalion had heard rumors of what could be found up the Merced River, none was 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 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 which 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.
I hope I have caught the same scene in this photo.
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