Aerial views of Yosemite

[balzaccom]

Caught these as I flew in to SFO yesterday. If you had any doubt about how dry a year it was, these should convince you. The first is Banner, Ritter, and the Minarets, with Garnet, Thousand Island, and Waugh lakes in clear view...through the smoke and haze of the big fire.



The second one is of the Clark Range and Illilouette Canyon, with Mt. Starr King in view as the three bright white granite domes just left of center. The ridge in the back is the area around Isberg and Post Peak Passes.




I could not see any snow at all on Red Peak Pass...

[bbmq]

These are great pics but also very telling of the effects of wildfires and dry conditions in the area. I'm doing a 5-day hike during the week following Labor Day and one of my concerns is fires. One of the things included in my trip is going over Half Dome but I wouldn't be very excited about it if the visibility would be limited. Do you have any info about fires in the area?

Thanks in advance.

[balzaccom]

Here's a link to a story about that fire:

http://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/i ... ust-2-2013