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Hetch Hetchy Reflections by John P. DeGrazio

Hetch Hetchy is Yosemite’s hidden treasure and the Tuolumne River’s Twin Valley to it’s Merced counterpart. I can’t describe how beautiful a place Hetchy Hetchy truly is; not with photos and certainly not with words. I recently hiked out there with a client and our original plan was to see the Wapama Falls. Unfortunately, a recent rock slide closed the trail so we happily made a detour to the Poopenaut Valley. I was curious what Poopenaut meant and found two results. 1. The name of an edible celery-like plant eaten by the natives of the valley. 2. The name of an early European settler in the 1860’s of German descent. Like the challenges facing today’s Hetch Hetchy, I quickly learned there’s no clear cut or easy answer.

Photographer in Poopenaut Valley by John P. DeGrazio

Poopenaut Valley by John P. DeGrazio

We arrived at Poopenaut far from the crowds of it’s sister valley of the Merced. To be fair, there are no crowds to be seen anywhere at this time of year in Yosemite. Exploring the banks of the Tuolumne without seeing another soul was refreshing. We were a couple of miles downstream from the dam and what seemed like a world away. Now, I do not wish to be controversial; but after walking around Poopenaut, one can only wonder what it would be like if all of Hetch Hetchy Valley were unencumbered. I understand the economic impact of a statement like that, but John Muir certainly fought hard to prevent the building of the O’Shaughnessy Dam.

The Poopenaut Valley remains pristine and full of life and color, even in December after a recent storm. If it were economically viable for the city of San Francisco to collect their water further downstream, all of Hetch Hetchy could possibly return to its full grandeur. A grandeur admired by John Muir, a man who spent his last days on earth fighting for its protection.

“After my first visit, in the autumn of 1871, I have always called it the Tuolumne Yosemite, for it is a wonderfully exact counterpart of the great Yosemite, not only in its crystal river and sublime rocks and waterfalls, but in the gardens, groves, and meadows of its flower park-like floor. The floor of Yosemite is about 4,000 feet above the sea, the Hetch -Hetchy floor about 3,700; the walls of both are of gray granite, rise abruptly out of the flowery grass and groves are sculptured in the same style, and in both every rock is a glacial monument. Standing boldly out from the south wall is a strikingly picturesque rock called “Kolana” by the Indians, the outermost of a group 2300 feet high, corresponding with the Cathedral Rocks of Yosemite both in relative position and form. On the opposite side of the Valley, facing Kolana, there is a counterpart of the El Capitan of Yosemite rising sheer and plain to a height of 1800 feet, and over its massive brow flows a stream which makes the most graceful fall I have ever seen.” – John Muir

Dam Release Blasting Rocks by John P. DeGrazio

Hetch Hetchy Present Day by John P. DeGrazio

The view of Hetch Hetchy today remains remarkable, even with the dam. The dam itself seems unnatural and does not fit into the landscape. In fact, the landscape is constantly being altered as you can see with these rocks being blasted by its release. This is the current view of Hetch Hetchy Valley.

And here is a photo from the Online Archive of California of what Hetch Hetchy used to look like before the dam.

If only there were an easy solution where the natural beauty of John Muir’s day could  return without disruption of water flow to the city of San Francisco.

Who is this Don Pedro anyway?

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