Fascinating Yosemite

[Music] I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills whence cometh my help. The grandeur of gigantic walls and jagged peaks. The sheer immensity of half dome. A great cathedral open to the sky. The feathery plunge of waterfalls here in one straight drop of over 1,000 ft. Here is a great natural, a great national monument. Fascinating yuseite. [Music] The swirling Merced River rushes through canyons carved by glacial ice many centuries ago. Only the hardest boatman dares battle its twisting channels as it dashes with wild abandon down toward level land below. [Music] Even the valley at Yuseite is 4,000 ft above sea level. Here crystal clear air and wooded aromomas. Here an unbroken horizon of mountain peaks entirely surrounding tiny colonies. Here, the great outdoors gives joy and wonderment to hundreds of thousands. Here is a sanctuary for every living thing, a perfect playland for brein. From cub to grown-up, Yusede's bears seem to realize that no hunter's gun will ever disturb the peaceful calm of their valley. They come with a trust in mankind that must be seen to be believed. But while the brothers are enjoying man's bounty with politeness and very good manners, bare-faced thievery goes on at the back of the car. The oldest of living things, the sequoas, once grew in many parts of the world. Now they are seen only in isolated groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Neadas. One of these monster trees, the Wona, is familiar and famous the world around. Some of these giants are more than 3,000 years old. When winter comes, the sun reflects a new glory of vast shimmering delight. Granite spires are mantled and hooded with garments of glistening snow. [Music] Waterfalls trickle between delicate columns of fantastic ice. A new yuseite is born. The whole valley approaches the fairy realm of good Queen Meg. [Music] Winter, summer, spring or fall, Yoseite's appeal is endless, eternal. Miles of trails lead through snow tucked to trees. [Music] Mirror Lake, now a smooth expanse of deep clear glass, reflects the guardian heights of Mount Watkins. At every turn, there are breathtaking vistas. One moves in a rarified beauty that beggars all description. Peak after peak passes in review wherever one turns the eye. The three brothers, sheer granite walls. [Music] And again half dome now caressed by downy clouds. Cathedral spires. [Music] Mighty El Capitan. [Music] Mountains for companions wherever we walk. Mountains framed by giant sequoas. [Music] Winter sportsmen gather in the lodge at Badger Pass. Their car tops kept with snow. Although it is winter, all roads are open the season through. These young people, many from the sunny south, indulge in fun that is more common place in winintry clims. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, they are enjoying the thrills of modeling in snow. Here, the deer get hungry, too. The bear are tucked away in their hibernating dens for the long winter sleep. The deer are never disappointed. [Music] No, not even Bre Fox. Across this great valley come slays and happy riders. A new note of merrynt for days already filled to the full with glory and joy. Wolflike huskys are eager for their dash across the snow. But they're not really wolflike, just one of man's most obedient friends. The leader says it's time to go. And they're off. Away they glide their winding way through a frosty fairyland. [Music] But skiers are assembling for their exciting day on the snow-covered slopes, while others skate on the lake below. [Music] In a toe with a novel name of upsk, the long ascent of the mountain begins. It is a pull that carries its sportsman passengers to a height of more than 7,000 ft. As one car goes up, another goes down. Surely, this is preferable to climbing a foot. Finally, a point is reached where miles of snowy steeps slope in nearly every direction. [Music] A few moments for waxing and then an experimental start by a novice. [Music] followed by an expert. The swift descent is on. [Music] [Music] If winter comes, then spring must follow. The valley echoes as voices are raised in devout praise to the supreme architect of fascinating Yoseite. [Music] song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy. Oh, the darkness hide me. Glory of faithfulness, thy glory made only thy bite. [Music] Perfect in love and amen. [Music]