Tuesday, January 13, 1970

Place: CA-Merced

From Wikipedia
Merced River-56' (Gustine) (37.3491040, -120.9754833)
Merced Lake-7,208' (Merced Peak) (37.7382750, -119.4132319)
Merced Pass
Merced Peak
Merced Gorge-2,359' (El Capitan) (37.6763179, -119.7468370)
South Fork of the Merced-1,398, (Kinsley) (37.6538196, -119.8887868)
North Fork of the Merced-932' (Bear Valley)

From Up and Down California by William Brewer   THE OBELISK GROUP (MERCED PEAKS) FROM PORCUPINE FLAT
From a sketch by J. D. Whitney
Description:
MERCED RIVER, GROVE, LAKE, PEAK (11,722), PASS[Yosemite, Mount Lyell]
“The river was named by the Spaniards, in honor of the Virgin, El Rio de Nuestra SeƱora de la Merced (the river of our Lady of Mercy). This name was given to the stream by an exploring party under Sergeant Gabriel Moraga in 1806, as an expression of their joy and gratitude at the sight of its sparkling waters, after an exhausting journey of forty miles through a waterless country.” (Sanchez: Spanish and Indian Place Names of California, 1922, pp. 282-283.) Fremont called this river the Aux-um-ne'. (Fremont: Geographical Memoir upon Upper California, 1848, p. 17.—Fremont: Memoirs, 1887, p. 444.)

Merced Grove of big trees was discovered by surveyors for the Coulterville Road in 1871 or 1872 and named by the president of the Turnpike Company, John T. McLean. (Letter from J. T. McLean, 1899.) “In the last two days travelling we have found some trees of the Red-wood species, incredibly large —some of which would measure from 16 to 18 fathom round the trunk at the height of a man’s head from the ground.” (Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard, Written by Himself, Clearfield, Pa., 1839, reprinted and edited by W. F. Wagner, Cleveland, 1904, p. 180.) Leonard was with Joseph R. Walker’s party crossing the Sierra in 1833. His mention of the big trees is the earliest known and probably applies either to the Merced Grove or to the Tuolumne Grove. (Farquhar: Exploration of the Sierra Nevada, in California Historical Society Quarterly, March, 1925, IV:1, p. 7.)

Merced Lake was called by John Muir “Shadow Lake.” (Scribner’s Monthly, January 1879, p. 416.) “1 first discovered this charming lake in the autumn of 1872, while on my way to the glaciers at the head of the river.” (Muir: The Mountains of California,; 1894, p. 115.)

Merced Peak is also called “Black Mountain” in Whitney’s Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 109. “The last name had, however, been previously given to the highest point of the mass of ridges and peaks at the southern extremity of the range, south of the divide between the San Joaquin and the Merced. All these points, except Gray Peak, have been climbed by the Geological Survey.”

“The range to which it [Mount Clark] belongs is sometimes called the Obelisk Group; but, oftener, the Merced Group, because the branches of that river head around it.” (Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 97.)

“Merced Peak (culminating point of Merced Group).” (Wheeler Survey: Geographical Report, 1889, p. 134.)

Merced Pass was found by Corporal Ottoway while scouting for Lieutenant Denson in 1895 and named by Benson. (H. C. Benson.)

MERCED RIVER, LAKE, PEAK, GORGE, GROVE—The Merced River is the main river in Yosemite National Park, heading on the high peaks of the Sierra Crest and flowing through Yosemite Valley into the San Joaquin River. Merced Lake is located about 13 miles upstream from Yosemite Valley from Happy Isles. Merced Peak is near the southern end of the Clark Range, close to the southern boundary of the Park. The Merced Gorge is the canyon of the river west of Yosemite Valley, while the Merced Grove of Giant Sequoias is the large grove in the southern part of the park.
The name Merced (mercy) is the shortened form of the Spanish name for the river, “El Rio de las Mercedes”, or is sometimes given as “Nuestra Senora de la Merced.” It was named by Gabriel Moraga in 1806.
The Indians called the main branch, “Ahwahnee”. Up to Vernal Fall it was called “Can-o-pah” or “Yan-o-pah”, meaning water cloud. and above Vernal to Nevada Fall, “Yo-wy-we-ack”, the twisting rock branch. The north branch of the Merced, or Tenaya Creek, was called “Py-we-ack” which means “glistening rocks” because of the glacial polish. The south branch, or Illilouette Creek was called “Too-loolo-we-ack” which may have meant “the beautiful.”  Yosemite Valley Place Names (1955) by Richard J. Hartesveldt

According to GNIS:
  • Merced Gorge
    • In Yosemite National Park, extends southwest from Elephant Rock, at mile marker 118 on Merced River to mile marker 114, 2.9 km (1.8 mi) east of El Portal. (US-T121)
    • Also called Merced Canyon-Browning, Peter. Yosemite Place Names. Lafayette, California: Great West Books, 1988. p92
  • Merced Lake-In Yosemite National Park, on the Merced River at mile marker 140, 1.9 km (1.2 mi) east of Echo Valley and 2.6 km (1.6 mi) north-northeast of Quartzite Peak. (US-T121)
  •  South Fork of the Merced River
    • In Yosemite National Park, heads on the south slope of Merced Peak, flows southwest, west, and northwest to it junction with Merced River, 4.8 km (3 mi) southwest of Trumbull Peak. (US-T121)
    • Also called the South Fork of the Merced-Miscellaneous Sources - A brief description and the year of publication (if known) follow: 1871/CA Geological Survey Annual Report
    •  Also called Illilouette-Miscellaneous Sources - A brief description and the year of publication (if known) follow: 1871/CA Geological Survey Annual Report
  • Merced River
    • Named by Spanish explorers under Sergeant Gabriel Moraga on September 29, 1806, five days after the feast of Our Lady of Mercey. (US-T121)
    • In Yosemite National Park, heads at the junction of Lyell Fork Merced River and Merced Peak Fork, flows west through Lake McClure to the San Joaquin River 45 km (28 mi) west-northwest of Merced. (US-T121)
    • Also Called:
      • Aux-um-ne
      • Aux-um-nes
      • Auxumne River: Sanchez, Nellie Van De Grift. Spanish and Indian Place Names of California. San Francisco, California: A.M. Robertson, 1922. p283
      •  El Rio De Nuestra Senora De La Merced
      • El Rio De Nuestra Senora de la Merced:  Browning, Peter. Yosemite Place Names. Lafayette, California: Great West Books, 1988. p91
      • Noto River: Smith, Jedediah S. The Southwest Expedition of Jedediah S. Smith; His Personal Account of the Journey to California, 1826- 1827. Glendale, California: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1977. p144
      • Rio De La Merced
      • Rio De Nuestra Senora De La Merced: Smith, Jedediah S. The Southwest Expedition of Jedediah S. Smith; His Personal Account of the Journey to California, 1826- 1827. Glendale, California: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1977. p144
      • Rio de la Auxumnes: Browning, Peter. Yosemite Place Names. Lafayette, California: Great West Books, 1988. p91
      • Rio de la Merced: Browning, Peter. Yosemite Place Names. Lafayette, California: Great West Books, 1988. p91
      • Rio de las Mercedes: The American Guide Series, Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration. A state by state guide series published by various publishers, in the late 1930's and 1940's. Each book studies and describes each state's history, natural endowments, and special interests. Use code US-T125/Name/YYYY/p#. California/p443
      • River of Our Lady of Mercy: The American Guide Series, Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration. A state by state guide series published by various publishers, in the late 1930's and 1940's. Each book studies and describes each state's history, natural endowments, and special interests. Use code US-T125/Name/YYYY/p#. California/p443
      • Wa-kal-la: Gudde, Erwin G. California Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1949. p211      

Trips:
  • May 14, 2014 - Backpack trip to Little Yosemite Valley
  • May 15, 2014 - Return trip back to car from Little Yosemite Valley
  • May 28, 2014 - West Yosemite Valley Loop hike
    March 11, 2015 - Hite Cove day hike with Meetup group
    April 11, 2015 - Meetup day hike around the East end of the Valley April 15, 2015-Meetup hike from Briceburg to the BLM boundary
    October 31, 2015 - Walk around West end of Yosemite Valley with meetup group
    November 11, 2015 - Meetup day hike around the East end of the Valley
    March 16, 2106 - Hike up to Hite Cove
    March 24, 2016 - Meetup hike, wildflowers galore
     April 23, 2016 - Meetup hike around the east end of the valley
    April 30, 2016 - Meetup hike around the west end of Yosemite Valley
    • March 23, 2019 - Meetup hike from Briceburg going west towards Railroad Flat in the rain.
    • November 10, 2019 - Day hike on the Valley Loop Trail with Steven, Andrea, Sherri and Gary
    • March 24, 2021 - Walked Incline Road with Betty, Rose, Sherri and Gary 
    • April 16, 2021 - Walked from Railroad Flat to the North Fork of the Merced-Andrea, Lawrence, Sherri, Korra, and Gary 
    • May 5, 2021 - Walking the middle portion of Yosemite Valley on the Valley Loop Trail with Rose, Sherri and Gary
    •  November 2, 2021 - Day hike around the central part of Yosemite Valley
    • January 6, 2021 - Afternoon trip to the Valley in the snow. Walked around Leidig Meadow. Spectacular in the snow
    •  April 28, 2022 - Stroll along the east end of Yosemite, a lot of it along the Merced.
    • May 10, 2023 -  Same stroll as on April 28, 2022. We walk this with Jessi, Sherri and Gary
    • May 23, 2023 - Exploring Yosemite Valley, tourist style, with Connie, Steve, Sherri and Gary


References:
Pictures:

South Fork Drainage near Merced Peak
South Fork

South Fork
Around Briceburg

Around Briceburg

Around Briceburg




May 10, 2023 - From Happy Isles bridge

May 10, 2023 -From a trail along the Merced


May 10, 2023 -From Valley View

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