奥姆斯特德观景点的日落，优胜美地国家公园，加利福尼亚州，美国 Sunset from Olmsted Point, Yosemite National Park, California, USA (© Robb Hirsch/Tandem Stills + Motion)

在花岗岩中读懂时间 Reading time in granite

优胜美地国家公园纪念日

从这里望去，优胜美地一些最著名的地标也呈现出截然不同的一面。通常所见的半穹顶从优胜美地山谷上方拔地而起，而在这里，它露出陡峭的北壁，让这个熟悉的标志性景观看起来几乎令人感到陌生。远处还有特纳亚峡谷、云歇峰、特纳亚湖，以及记录着数百万年隆升、侵蚀与冰川作用的浅色岩石。奥姆斯特德观景点得名于景观设计师弗雷德里克·劳·奥姆斯特德及其子小弗雷德里克·劳·奥姆斯特德；父子二人的自然保护工作推动了美国国家公园运动的发展。这里提醒着人们：优胜美地不仅景色壮美，还是一片仍在以岩石讲述自身故事的土地。

Yosemite National Park anniversary

On October 1, 1890, Yosemite became the nation's third national park. More than a century later, it still feels like a place that operates on geological time rather than human schedules. From Olmsted Point, the overlook in today's image, that timescale is impossible to miss. The smooth granite underfoot was sculpted by glaciers, while scattered boulders known as glacial erratics were carried here by ice and abandoned when it melted.

The view also turns some of Yosemite's most famous landmarks inside out. Half Dome, usually seen rising above Yosemite Valley, reveals its sheer north face from here, making the familiar icon look almost unfamiliar. Beyond it lie Tenaya Canyon, Clouds Rest, Tenaya Lake, and pale stone that records millions of years of uplift, erosion, and ice. Named for landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and his son, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., whose conservation work helped shape America's park movement, Olmsted Point offers a reminder that Yosemite is not just scenic; it is a landscape still telling its story in stone.

默塞德河, 优胜美地国家公园, 加利福尼亚, 美国 Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, USA (© Ron and Patty Thomas/Getty Images)

冰封的倒影 Frozen reflections

默塞德河, 优胜美地国家公园, 加利福尼亚

每一幅杰作都需要点睛之笔。而优胜美地的点睛之笔便是默塞德河。作为美国国家级“野生与风景河流”之一，这条水系起源于内华达山脉高处，汇集雪水，蜿蜒145英里，穿过优胜美地山谷，流入加州中央谷地。

这条河的西班牙语名"El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced"，意为"慈悲圣母河"，恰如其分地诠释了它的双重性：随季节更迭，时而宁静如镜，时而奔腾如潮。春季，融雪使河水暴涨，激流在石桥下奔涌，冲过如春瀑、内华达瀑等轰鸣的瀑布群，成为优胜美地的主角。夏季河水转为平缓，吸引着漂流者和游泳者。秋日落叶随水漂流，为河面添上点点金黄；冬日万物归寂，河面如镜般澄澈。有趣的是，这条河滋养着麦克卢尔湖——每逢秋冬季水位下降，湖底便会浮现一座鬼城。河流下游曾矗立着默塞德瀑布，这座淘金热时期繁华的磨坊小镇，如今已归于沉寂。

Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

Every masterpiece needs a brushstroke to tie it together. For Yosemite National Park, that stroke is the Merced River—painting reflections of granite cliffs, pine forests, and waterfalls across its canvas. One of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers, this waterway begins high in the Sierra Nevada. It gathers meltwater and winds 145 miles west through Yosemite Valley into California's Central Valley.

Its Spanish name, 'El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced,' translates to 'River of Our Lady of Mercy,' and suits it well: it offers both calm and chaos depending on the season. Spring turns the river into Yosemite's main act, as snowmelt sends torrents rushing beneath stone bridges and past roaring waterfalls like Vernal and Nevada Falls. Summer brings a gentler flow that attracts rafters and swimmers. Fall adds a hint of gold as leaves drift downstream, and winter slows everything to a reflective stillness. Interestingly, it feeds Lake McClure, where a ghost town rises when water levels drop in fall and winter. Along its lower stretches once stood Merced Falls, a bustling mill town during the Gold Rush era, now lying quiet.

火瀑布，优胜美地国家公园，加利福尼亚州，美国 Firefall at Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California (© Gregory B Cuvelier/Shutterstock)

一个天然的矛盾体 A natural oxymoron

优胜美地国家公园的火瀑布

想亲眼目睹炙热的“火瀑布”吗？您没有听错，在优胜美地国家公园里就看到这样一个不可思议的景象。“火瀑布”是季节性瀑布，在冬季和早春时节，当降雪量充足且气温升高到足以融化积雪时，瀑布就会流下来。在二月份的几个星期里，如果天气晴朗，水流正常，而阳光照射的角度又恰到好处时，这条细长的瀑布就会呈现出火焰般的光彩。每年这个时候，会有上百名游客聚集在优胜美地山谷观赏这一奇特迷人的自然景象，山谷里人挤人，连找位置观赏都是一种挑战。有趣的是，这种自然现象被称为“火瀑布”，也是对历史上著名的“优胜美地国家公园火瀑布”的致敬，在1872年至1968年，公园里举办过“人造火瀑布”活动，主办方将余火未尽的木块、煤块推到悬崖下，在黑夜中形成一道炽热亮眼的“火瀑布”。随着时间的推移，公园管理员逐渐认识到这不是一个明智的主意，最终取消了这一活动。

Yosemite National Park, California

Fancy witnessing a fiery waterfall? The seemingly impossible can be found at this time of year on the eastern side of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park's famous rock face. Horsetail Fall is a seasonal waterfall that flows only when there has been plenty of snowfall, and when temperatures have been warm enough to melt it. For a couple of weeks in February, if skies are clear, water is flowing, and the sun shines at just the right angle, the long, slender waterfall takes on a glowing, flame-hued appearance. Hundreds gather in Yosemite Valley to see this mesmerizing natural spectacle. The phenomenon has earned the moniker 'firefall,' an homage to the historic Yosemite Firefall, a manmade event from the top of the park's Glacier Point that took place between 1872 to 1968. Eventually, park rangers decided that dumping embers over a cliff onto the land below wasn't the brightest idea.

优胜美地国家公园的马里波萨谷巨杉林，美国加利福尼亚州 Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, California (© Orbon Alija/Getty Images)

温暖的阳光穿过古老森林 Warm light through an ancient forest

马里波萨谷巨杉林

四月的最后一个星期五是美国的植树节，这一天，人们会庆祝植树成果、倡导保护树木。植树节最早起源于19世纪70年代初的内布拉斯加州，1872年，就职于《内布拉斯加州城市新闻》的记者朱利叶斯·斯特林·莫顿(Julius
Sterling Morton)在公共平台上发起了美国第一个植树节，并提议为内布拉斯加州人民设立一个种树日，于是植树节应运而生。

Arbor Day

We're celebrating Arbor Day with some of Yosemite's most famous residents, the giant sequoia trees of Mariposa Grove. The day champions the planting and preservation of trees and can trace its roots back more than 150 years. In 1872, Nebraska City News editor Julius Sterling Morton proposed a day for locals to plant trees, and the idea grew and grew. Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day, most commonly on the last Friday in April, although different states might observe it on the best dates for tree planting in their area.

Giant sequoias, like the ones on our homepage, have been around for a very long time. Geological evidence suggests that they are the third-longest-lived tree species in the world. There are hundreds of them in Yosemite's Mariposa Grove, including the famous Grizzly Giant, which is estimated to be about 3,000 years old. Let's hope it is around for thousands of Arbor Days to come.

新娘面纱瀑布,  优胜美地国家公园, 加利福尼亚州 Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite National Park, California (© Jeff Foott/Minden Pictures)

风之精灵

半穹顶景观点上空的银河，优胜美地国家公园，加利福尼亚州 Milky Way rising above Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California (© Cory Marshall/Tandem Stills + Motion)

你能把灯关掉吗? Could you turn off the lights?

Dark Sky Week

During International Dark Sky Week, we're counting ourselves lucky to have this spectacular nighttime view, considering the astonishing fact that 83% of the global population lives under a light-polluted sky. Unneeded artificial light is classified as a pollutant and has been proven to have harmful side effects. Not only does it waste money and energy, it also disrupts plants and animals, is believed to impact the climate, and blocks our view of the universe.

Encouraging people to get away from artificial light is one of the goals of International Dark Sky Week, and today's photo shows just how magnificent that can be. Here, we're treated to a beautiful view of the Milky Way from Yosemite National Park in California. Yosemite is part of a network of national parks monitoring dark night skies to gather a complete data set of light pollution. They've learned that 'two-thirds of Americans cannot see the Milky Way from their backyard, and if current light pollution trends continue, there will be almost no dark skies left in the contiguous United States by 2025.'

Luckily, dark sky is a recoverable resource. There are ways to reduce our light use and improve the view of the night sky for everyone. Think about it over the course of the next week, preferably while gazing at a night sky undisturbed by light pollution—or at least a beautiful photo of one.

黑暗天空周

在国际黑暗天空周期间，考虑到全球83%的人口生活在轻度污染的天空下这一令人震惊的事实，我们认为自己有幸拥有这一壮观的夜景。不需要的人造光被归类为污染物，并已被证明具有有害的副作用。它不仅浪费金钱和能源，还扰乱动植物，被认为会影响气候，阻碍我们对宇宙的看法。

鼓励人们远离人造光是国际黑暗天空周的目标之一，今天的照片展示了这是多么壮观。在这里，我们可以在加利福尼亚州约塞米蒂国家公园欣赏到银河系的美景。约塞米蒂是国家公园网络的一部分，该网络监测黑夜天空，以收集光污染的完整数据集。他们了解到，“三分之二的美国人无法从自家后院看到银河系，如果目前的光污染趋势继续下去，到2025年，毗邻的美国将几乎没有黑暗的天空。”

幸运的是，黑暗的天空是一种可回收的资源。有一些方法可以减少我们的光线使用，改善每个人的夜空视野。在接下来的一周里好好想想，最好是在凝视没有光污染的夜空时，或者至少是一张美丽的照片。

暴风雪散去，加利福尼亚优胜美地国家公园 Clearing snowstorm, Yosemite National Park, California (© Jeff Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motion)

Ansel Adams' enduring vision

Of all the camera-wielding luminaries who've snapped this eastward view of Yosemite Valley, few can hold a 'candela' to Ansel Adams, born this day in 1902. The legendary photographer of Western landscapes was given his first camera here in Yosemite as a boy. The national park was his favorite place in the world, and he returned every year for the rest of his life.

Adams' style is one of the most recognizable in photography: Bright whites against deep blacks, with high horizon lines that leave most of the frame filled with landscape, a narrow lens aperture placing every tiny detail in biting focus. Unlike many photographers of the day who considered themselves more journalist than artist, Adams was a visionary: Instead of plainly documenting what he saw, Adams aimed to convey the enchantment, awe, and terror his beloved landscapes made him feel, spending hours in the darkroom fine-tuning exposures to match what he visualized. 'Clearing Winter Storm'—the photo that today's image pays tribute to—was taken around 1937, depicting ominous clouds gathering around El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall, whiting out the distant peak of Half Dome.

While Adams had to lug bulky box cameras and light meters into the wilderness to capture his vision, chances are you've got the whole setup in your pocket. Why not grab that phone of yours, venture outside, and celebrate this legendary shutterbug's birthday with some masterful nature snaps of your own?

安塞尔·亚当斯的不朽愿景

在所有手持相机拍摄到约塞米蒂山谷东面景色的名人中，很少有人能为1902年出生的安塞尔·亚当斯（Ansel Adams）奉上“烛台”。这位西方风景的传奇摄影师小时候在约塞米蒂得到了他的第一台相机。国家公园是他在世界上最喜欢的地方，他余生每年都会回来。

亚当斯的风格是摄影界公认的最具代表性的风格之一：明亮的白色与深黑的对比，高水平的线条让大部分画面充满了风景，狭窄的镜头光圈将每一个微小的细节都置于扣人心弦的焦点。与当时许多认为自己更像记者而不是艺术家的摄影师不同，亚当斯是一个有远见的人：他没有简单地记录他所看到的一切，而是致力于传达他所钟爱的风景带给他的魅力、敬畏和恐惧，他花了数小时在暗室微调曝光，以符合他所想象的《清冬风暴》（Clearing Winter Storm）——这张今天的照片是在1937年左右拍摄的，描绘了不祥的云层聚集在埃尔卡皮坦（El Capitan）和布里达尔维尔瀑布（Bridalveil Fall）周围，使远处的半圆顶峰黯然失色。

虽然亚当斯不得不拖着笨重的盒式摄像机和测光表到荒野中捕捉他的视野，但你很可能已经把整个设置都放在口袋里了。为什么不拿起你的手机，到外面去冒险，用你自己掌握的自然快照来庆祝这个传奇的shutterbug的生日呢？

优胜美地国家公园中的春季瀑布 Vernal Fall in Yosemite National Park, California (© elvistudio/Shutterstock)

National Parks Week begins

To kick off National Park Week, which starts today, we're turning our lens on Vernal Fall in California's Yosemite National Park. This time of year, the waterfall flows in a torrent, but by late summer it can be reduced to a trickle of small streams slipping over the edge. Most years, Vernal Fall is at full power by May, as the spring thaw in the mountains melts the snowpack, turning the falls into a raging tumble of water spilling to the valley floor where the Merced River flows.

真实的“雪国圣地”
美国，优胜美地国家公园

不是所有地方都可以叫“优胜美地”
看一眼便深入灵魂

优胜美地国家公园位于内华达山脉，每到冬季这里就会变成一片冰雪世界。这就构成了我们今天看到的景象，当冬雪不期而至，披上白色“雪衣”的树枝、半冻的美熹德河和远处的斯通曼大桥构成了一幅绝美画卷。在冬天，国家公园管理局会将优胜美地的部分地区对公众开放。这里还有个有意思的变化，护林员们会把公园里熊群的追踪项圈拿走，以防止打扰到冬眠的熊。看来熊在睡觉时也喜欢留一点点隐私呢！文/时尚旅游

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