Say hello to the three most common trees of Yosemite Valley: ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, and California black oak. You probably know them from how they block your view of the granite walls. They’re those usually green things always in the way of a better photograph, but right now we want you to greet them face-to-face in a manner that you might have missed. The bark of the ponderosa pine slots together in sheets of jigsaw puzzle pieces, and the loss of any single flake simply reveals further intricacies. In contrast, the incense-cedar bands its red bark in long stretches as if it resists the wind by adopting the tension and texture of a great rope. Finally, the black oak - prone to sickness, prone to rot, yet prone to live for centuries once established - announces its stubbornness with an armor of obdurate gray. In the race to see as much of Yosemite as possible, you’ll likely notice not the bark of trees but the litter of fallen leaves and needles, large cones, and classic acorns. Bold to the eye in shape and color, these are the parts of trees that come and go. Bark, too, regrows in part when shed to protect the living cells underneath; however, a tree’s bark enjoys no full renewal scheduled by the seasons, no full rebirth. Instead, it remembers. It remembers the scarring of fires, the scurrying of squirrels, the dwelling of insects, and the feasting of birds. It remembers the drop of branches grown in a more favorable time as well as all the separate moments when a person chose to challenge it with hand or tool. All of this is recorded on a tree until a mightier event should overwrite it. The big rocks not far in the distance indeed have a story, but if you want a fuller history of Yosemite, look to the trees that stand in the way. Learn to read their bark and the pace of their growth, and you will find a livelier tale of Yosemite than the rocks alone can tell. #yosemitenps #yosemite