America’s National Parks: Yosemite

ELITE TRAVEL

By Jeff Perkin

El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall tower majestically above the Merced River in the heart of Yosemite Valley.

John Muir

每個人都有對美的追求。我們喜愛遊玩，有時也需要歸心祈禱，讓大自然撫慰疲 倦的身心。

約翰 · 繆爾

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN AMERICAN ESSENCE MAGAZINE. Just by glimpsing a photograph of California’s iconic Yosemite Valley, it’s easy to understand why millions of people from around the world make the pilgrimage to its breathtaking landscapes every year. Yosemite is home to some of the largest waterfalls in North America, one of the biggest exposed-granite monoliths on earth, and a wide range of beautiful scenes indicative of the varied elevations and ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Whether you stand in a scenic meadow, look up the heights of a mighty sequoia, or look down from the edge of a sheer granite monolith, there is no shortage of reasons why Yosemite provided an impetus for the birth of America’s National Park System.

Inspired by its vast geological wonders, influential American historical figures such as President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir devoted themselves

瞥一眼加州最具標誌性的攝影作品——優勝美地山谷，這 歎為觀止的美景，足以說明為何每年都有數以百萬計，來 自世界各地的遊客趨之若鶩。優勝美地，是北美數一數二 的巨型瀑布聚集地，也是地表最大的裸露花崗岩所在地之 一，園區內涵蓋了內華達山脈各海拔生態的多樣景緻。無 論您是站在秀麗的草原，望向那壯觀的紅衫群，或鳥瞰花 崗岩下的崖壁，種種天然奇景，讓美國國家公園系統因運 而生——為保護自然生態而存在。 受這偉岸的地理奇觀所啟發，美國史上的知名人士， 如老羅斯福總統（Theodore Roosevelt）以及自然學 家約翰 · 繆爾（John Muir），都願奉一己之力，致力保 護優勝美地，確保其得以留存給未來的世代。 19 世紀， 美國建國之初大部分國土仍未開化，猶如「伊甸園」。 然而，優勝美地山谷壯麗的天然岩壁、茂密的草原，以 及豐富的森林植被，種種珍貴的自然環境，卻因開發而 面臨威脅，最終使其成為政府監督之地。

to protecting Yosemite for future generations. In the 19th century, most of the United States was still an undisturbed Eden in the eyes of the young nation’s citizens. Yosemite Valley, with its awe-inspiring walls, lush meadows, and abundant forest groves, was one of the most prized areas of this newly threatened Eden. The controversial battle to conserve Yosemite through government oversight set the precedent for the National Park System we know and love today.

YOSEMITE’S DRAMATIC HISTORY The history of Yosemite is a dramatic, dualistic microcosm that includes the violent expulsion of Native Americans, and the subsequent fight to halt the destructive practices of private commercial interests. Evidence of the presence of Native Americans in and around Yosemite Valley dates back thousands of years before non-indigenous settlers arrived. A tribe of Paiute Native Americans, the Ahwahnechee, once lived amid the immense granite monoliths of the epic valley they called Ahwahnee, meaning “large mouth.”

When the California Gold Rush suddenly brought tens of thousands of European Americans to the Sierras in the mid 1800s, life was forever changed for the indigenous people. Violent conflict was one predictable result of the newly arrived settlers claiming land and resources in their pursuit of striking it rich.

Gold provided the motivation for explorers to brave the largely undisturbed and rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains. As a result of growing conflict with the

精采歷史 優勝美地的歷史鎔鑄了眾多事件，充滿戲劇性，包含美 洲原住民的土地慘遭掠奪，以及隨後因私營商業活動帶 來的破壞與抗爭等事件。原住民居住於優勝美地山谷地 區可追溯至數千年前，遠在非原住民定居者到來之前。 派尤特人的其中一個部族，名為阿瓦尼奇，他們曾居住 在那巍峨的花崗群岩所在地，他們稱之為阿瓦尼，意即 「大口」，形容巨岩環繞的外壁地形。 19世紀中期，加 州掏金熱讓數以萬計的歐裔美國人湧入內華達山脈區， 帶給原住民天翻地覆的變化。每當有新的族群想占據此 地，進行資源開發時，流血衝突必然隨之而來。 金礦資源，讓探勘者大膽開墾內華達山脈內大片未 開化且崎嶇不平的地區。因此，新定居者和阿瓦尼奇的 衝突日益滋長，1851 年，名為馬里波薩大隊的民兵組職， 追趕部落直至山谷，燒掉他們的村落，強行驅趕。這支 民兵隊伍的一位領袖將此山谷命名為「Yosemite」，以 榮耀此次的驅趕行動。諷刺的是，彼時他們並不知道， 該詞彙是由另一名為米沃克（Miwok）的部落指稱阿瓦 尼奇人的方式，意思是：殺戮者。然而，除卻這些涉及 道德議題，及其帶來悲劇的衝突事件，民兵領袖如此描 繪這片風景： 「當我凝視，一種崇高的感覺擴散全身，我發現自己 的雙眼充滿了淚水，我激昂地說，『我在此見識了至高無 上的力量與榮耀，那岩群則是其鬼斧神工』。」 優勝美地的壯麗，口耳相傳至整個美洲地區。報章 雜誌開始印製早前造訪此地的藝術家 Thomas Ayres 之 插畫作品，其作描摹了高聳入雲的瀑布景觀，引起群眾對 此地的遐想。於是人們聚居於此，商業活動開始在這裡遍 地開花，越來越多人想藉此圖利。浪漫時期（1800~1850 年）藝術家 Albert Bierstadt 以及 Thomas Cole 的畫

Left: President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir, together above Yosemite Valley in 1903. Right: Artist Thomas Ayres captivated the American imagination with his sketches of Yosemite Falls.

_Public domain

Ahwahnechee, a group of armed settlers known as the Mariposa Battalion pursued the tribe into the valley in 1851, burning their villages and forcing them out. Mariposa Battalion member Dr. Lafayette Bunnell ironically named the valley “Yosemite” in honor of the expelled tribe, without knowing it was a name— created for the Ahwahnechee by surrounding Miwok tribes—that meant “those who kill.”

Despite the dark and morally questionable circumstances of this conflict in Yosemite Valley, Bunnell had these beautiful words to say about the landscape: "As I looked, a peculiar exalted sensation began to fill my whole being, and I found my eyes in tears with emotion. I said with some enthusiasm, ‘I have here seen the power and the glory of a Supreme Being, the majesty of His handiwork is in that testimony of the rocks.’"

Word of Yosemite’s unrivaled beauty quickly spread across the continent. Magazines printed the illustrations of early visiting artist Thomas Ayres, who depicted and described soaring waterfalls that captivated the American imagination. Settlers and commercial interests set up shop in the area. Romantic-era artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Cole painted scenes from Yosemite Valley that seemed to capture the presence of the Divine in their almost otherworldly depictions of the new and exciting landscape.

Meanwhile, the transcontinental railroad and the proponents of Manifest Destiny brought ever-increasing numbers of European Americans westward to experience the wonders of the frontier. Despite controversy over Native American displacement, this exalted new world was for many an untouched Eden that offered the possibility of communion with the Divine. All of this fervor was a growing threat for Yosemite, alarming naturalists who sought to protect this sacred place.

PRESERVING YOSEMITE’S GLORY Roughly 15 years after Westerners entered Yosemite Valley, it became clear that great efforts would be necessary to protect it. Overgrazing, logging, and poaching were growing threats to the area and its wildlife. In 1864, Sen. John Conness introduced a park bill to cede Yosemite Valley to California. The Yosemite Grant passed both houses of Congress and was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864. Nonetheless, this legislation was weak, and didn’t provide authority to evict homesteaders or stop private interests from harming the valley.

Yosemite Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in North America.

作皆取材自該地，描繪了這座山谷之美，畫境超凡，彷彿 能看見神性的存在。 與此同時，縱貫美洲大陸的鐵路系統建設，以及 19 世紀天命論（Manifest Destiny）的擁護者大增，人們 紛紛大舉西進，前來親眼見識此地。儘管原住民被迫移 居的議題飽受爭議，但人們對此「新世界」的描繪，猶如 對一座未受破壞的伊甸園之神往，這美好之地，保留與 上天溝通的可能。然而，這如浪潮般的喜愛與情感投射 也化作威脅，促使許多自然主義者用盡辦法來保護這片 自然「聖地」。

捍衛榮光 約莫在這些新移居者進入優勝美地山谷地區的15年後，人 們意識到，必須花費巨大的努力來保護它。當地居民過度 放牧、伐木，以及偷獵行徑，對該地的野生環境構成威 脅。1864年，參議員John Conness引薦一條公園法案， 將此地歸入加州管轄。該法案於參眾兩院通過，並由林肯

A dramatically beautiful view of Half Dome as seen from Glacier Point.

In 1890, famed naturalist and writer John Muir was one of the central lobbyists who succeeded in convincing Congress to set aside hundreds of square miles for Yosemite National Park. To Muir’s chagrin, the focal point of the park, Yosemite Valley, was still under California’s control. Muir, a cherished American figure, knew that the area was still under continual threat of being commercially exploited. This changed when he helped persuade President Theodore Roosevelt to sign the American Antiquities Act of 1906, which brought all of Yosemite under federal protection.

Many historians feel it was Roosevelt’s 1903 trip to Yosemite, where he spent time with Muir, that fueled his efforts to ensure the protection of the area. Muir’s passionate prose about the Sierras touched the hearts of many Americans. He knew Yosemite better than anyone, having tirelessly and joyfully explored much of the park’s lands—even his theory that glaciers had carved out the u-shaped granite valley during the last ice age was later proven correct, though it was ridiculed by geologists at the time. When Roosevelt visited the man who was so intimately acquainted with Yosemite, they explored the valley, hiked to Glacier Point (7,000 feet up), and camped in the snow after a snowstorm. Roosevelt wrote about the occasion, “It was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by the hand of man.”

Yosemite has received plenty of attention in its relatively short time as an American National Park. Fast forward to the late 1900s, and despite federal oversight, there were 1,300 buildings in Yosemite Valley, and 17 acres of the valley floor were covered by parking lots. While Muir may have found these developments distasteful, it was also well understood that in time Yosemite would be visited by millions. The first car entered Yosemite Valley in 1900, and today millions of people drive in every year. The ease of access allows modern Americans to simply pull up to some of the park’s most iconic views—locations that once required days of horseback riding to reach. There are pros and cons to these sorts of changes, but the men and women of Yosemite’s National Park Service work tirelessly to protect the area.

總統於1864年6月30日正式簽署。儘管如此，立法仍不 能有力地遏止農莊主與其他私人掠奪該地資源的活動。 1890 年代，著名的自然學者和作家約翰 · 繆爾等 人，成功說服議會保護這座綿延數百平方英里的國家公 園（歸聯邦政府管轄）。但因中心點的山谷地區，仍屬 加州治下。直至老羅斯福總統任內，威脅該地自然環境 的各種商業行徑，終於有了改變。 1906 年，總統簽訂了 美國古蹟保護法（Antiquities Act），讓優勝美地得以全 面受聯邦政府保護。 許多歷史學者認為，促成這項法案的通過關鍵，在 於老羅斯福總統於 1903 年親自造訪優勝美地，而隨行的 繆爾更是功不可沒。繆爾不遺餘力地保護自然環境，感動 了無數美國人。他深知，優勝美地的無與倫比，能讓人們 無止盡地探尋。他觀察入微，當時提出一項被眾多地質學 家質疑的理論——在上一個冰河時期，因冰川作用下形成 了 U 型的花崗岩山谷。後來的研究證實了其推論正確。

THE MAGNIFICENCE OF YOSEMITE People can’t help but stare in reverence at El Capitan. It’s one of the largest exposed granite monoliths in the world, soaring more than 350 stories (3,593 feet) above the valley floor. As documented in the popular film Free Solo, rock climber Alex Honnold risked his life in 2017 to become the first person to climb El Capitan—without a rope. Modern rock climbing was born on the walls of Yosemite; however, most climbers take days (with ropes) to reach El Capitan’s summit and have to sleep suspended on the rock face along the way. Perhaps equally iconic, Half Dome is aptly named for the smooth, round shape that the massive rock formation has on one side, while the other side drops straight down over the edge of a cliff into the glacially carved valley below.

而這一位熟悉優勝美地一切的人，作為老羅斯福總統的嚮 導，帶他深入探索這座自然聖殿，他們爬上冰川峰頂（高 7,000 英尺），他們還在暴風雪後於該地露營，當時老羅 斯福如此形容：「就像徜在一座盛大莊嚴的教堂內，任何 人工建設都無法與其壯闊與瑰麗匹配。」 優勝美地作為美國國家公園，在相對短的時間內獲 得高度關注。 20 世紀晚期，儘管在聯邦政府的監督下， 據統計，當時也已經有 1,300 座建設存在於優勝美地山 谷內，17 英畝山谷平面區，被建成停車場。儘管繆爾對 這些建設反感，但也不難理解，每年有數以百萬計訪客 湧入此地後的需求。自從 1900 年代，首臺車輛開入優 勝美地後，如今每年有數百萬民眾開車前來。當代人駕 著車，便能輕鬆地觀賞優勝美地最具代表性的風景，而 這些觀景區在過去，必須騎著馬，花費數天時間才能抵 達！種種改變，有利有弊，但喜愛它的人們，始終在保 育議題上努力。

(This is Tuolumne Meadows.)

The Merced River runs through a glacially carved canyon within Yosemite National Park and flows into Lake McClure Reservoir.

Yosemite Falls, a three-part waterfall, is one of the highest waterfalls in North America. When the water is flowing at its peak, the 2,425-foot drop creates a thunderous sound across the valley. Other waterfalls in the valley include Bridalveil Fall and Vernal Fall. In spring, Yosemite’s waterfalls pour down hundreds of thousands of gallons every minute. The Merced River flows through the southern part of the park, where one can enjoy breezy meadows while walking among vibrant dogwood trees—and may even be lucky enough to spot a black bear at a distance.

People who want to get away from the crowds can drive out of the valley and up into the park’s alpine high country. There they’ll find the vast Tuolumne Meadows and glacial lakes such as Tenaya Lake. Avid hikers can retrace Muir’s steps on the John Muir Trail, or hike up to heights of 13,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Visitors can also walk among some of the oldest living things on earth in one of Yosemite’s three giant sequoia groves. Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove is

天地未言之美 凝視這座地表最大的裸露花崗巨岩酋長岩（El Capitan） 之際，難免心生敬畏。從山谷底層起算，巨岩逾350層樓 高（約3,593英尺）。攀岩者Alex Honnold挑戰以徒手 攀登（無繩索），成為史上第一位爬上酋長岩的挑戰者， 這項壯舉的全過程，被拍攝成了奧斯卡得獎紀錄片《Free Solo》。其實，現代攀岩也誕生於優勝美地的岩壁上。多 數的攀岩者採用繩索登上岩峰，並在岩面上過夜，耗費數 日才得以完成全程攀岩。 同樣別具標誌性的半圓之丘（Half Dome），得名 於其中一側是光滑的圓形岩頂，而沿著懸崖邊峭下望的 另一側，是由冰川切割而成的山谷。 優勝美地瀑布（Yosemite Falls），是一座三段式 瀑布，為北美最高瀑布之一。在豐水期，2,425 英尺高的 銀泉傾洩而下，在山谷內產生如雷般的巨響。此外，還 有秀麗的新娘面紗、春之瀑布等。春季，優勝美地的瀑 布每分鐘會瀉下數十萬加侖的水量，美熹德河的流水流 經公園南方，穿越生意盎然的山茱萸樹叢，享受微風輕 拂的草原景致，幸運的話，也可以望見野生黑熊，感受 春天的生機。

IMAGES BY SHUTTERSTOCK AND UNSPLASH.

Top left: Yosemite National Park has an abundance of wildlife, including bears. Bottom left: Tuolumne Meadows is one of the largest high-elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada, at at 8,600 feet high. Right: Grizzly Giant, a 209-foot-high sequoia in the Mariposa Grove. It’s estimated to be 2,900 years old.

a sequoia that measures an incredible 96 feet around its base and is estimated to be about 1,800 years old.

Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, wrote: “The parks do not belong to one state or to one section. They have become democratized. Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon are national properties in which every citizen has a vested interest; they belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of Arizona.” It is this American spirit that led the National Parks to become the solemn retreats they still are today.

Visiting Yosemite for the first time is a life-changing experience. People from all walks of life and all over the world are united in their love for Yosemite’s unique magnificence—words can't express the deep effect that its trees, walls, and waterfalls have on us. Through places like Yosemite, we appreciate the sacred interconnectedness of nature, of which we all form a small part. In the words of William Shakespeare, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

若欲遠離人群，可驅車往上行駛至高原處，有一片 名為 Tuolumne 的廣大草原，還有 Tenaya 冰河湖。熱 愛健行的登山客可以踏上約翰 · 繆爾步道，登上海拔高 達 13,000 英尺的內華達山脈地區；遊客還可以穿梭在 地表最古老的紅衫群間，灰熊巨木（Grizzly Giant）是 Mariposa 紅杉林區的著名巨杉，高 96 英尺，樹齡約有 1,800 年。 斯蒂芬 · 馬瑟（Stephen Mather）是國家公園服 務處的首任局長。在任期間，他總結了國家公園的願 景：「這些公園不屬於任何一州，或任一獨立方，它們 已然民主化，優勝美地、黃石以及大峽谷都是深受每一 位公民喜愛的國家資產，它們屬於麻州人、芝加哥、佛 州人，就如同它們屬於加州、懷俄明州以及亞利桑那州 那般。」國家公園體現美國精神，如今仍是屬於眾人的 休憩勝地。 那些我們在樹林裡、岩壁上，瀑布間獲得的真實觸 動，言語難以盡數，初次造訪優勝美地或許會為您的生 命帶來改變。無論人們從何處來，平日裡過著什麼樣的 生活，都受優勝美地的獨特召喚而聚集於此。我們心懷 感激，與崇高的自然產生共鳴，而我們都屬於這偉岸之 下渺小的一部分。