Photo: Andrew Burr
Tyler Jetty attempts a project in the granite
stronghold of Yosemite National Park.Choosing a favorite stone is like choosing a favorite color: pointless... and maybe even a bit childish.

Merced River and El Capitan in Winter, Yosemite
Valley.Still, while I don't think I've had a favorite color since grade school, ask me what's my favorite rock, and I won't hesitate: it's granite. Granite is El Capitan, in Yosemite; Hampi, India; and the Buttermilk boulders of Bishop. Granite is Joshua Tree; City of Rocks; and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Photo: www.dreaminvertical.com
Good Morning Sunshine in the Buttermilks.From The Mandala to Midnight Lightning to the Nose to Eternal Flame, this one wonderful stone comprises many of the world's most inspiring climbing areas and climbs. So what makes granite granite?

Granite is a type of intrusive igneous rock, which means it forms from the slow cooling and solidification of magma liquid rock deep underground. This slow cooling gives granite that hard, rough texture that chews your fingertips and shoe rubber.

The time the magma takes to cool dictates the size of the crystals: a long, slow cooling process allows ample time for large coarse crystals to grow, forming, for example, the sharp, knobby faces in Vedauwoo and Joshua Tree.

Read more of this story UC #36 > February 2010

By Sarah Garlick

Photos by Andrew Burr