Ask Melvin Ng

When I arrived the the Yosemite National Park, I was simply mesmerized by its beauty and serenity. The magnificient view of nature just captivated me so much that I’ve vowed to go back one more time, and this time around to actually camp overnight!

On the way to the Yosemite National Park, we passed by El Capitan, the single largest piece of rock! This rock is also one of the favorites amongst mountain climbers. Because it’s so high up, it takes days for climbers to reach the top. Because of that, the climbers will actually eat, sleep, pee and poop while hanging on the cliff.

As you can see, there’s a valley where the El Capitan is. This was formed a long time ago when the glaciers cut through the rocks, hence the huge ‘U’ shaped valley. If a valley is formed by river cutting through it, then the shape would be more like ‘V’ shaped.

Forest fire is another thing that’s pretty common at Yosemite National Park. Usually these are caused by lightning more than anything else. Also, at times the fire is purposely left to burn in a controlled manner so as to fertilize the soil, and reduce the amount of dead wood in order for younger and newer trees to grow. (Kids, don’t try this at home!)