I presume the Chick-on is a male bird.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks for the information. After reading your post, I think my problem was that I didn't head far enough east from the former comfort station location before I started to look for the way down towards Agassiz Column. Next time, I'll travel a bit more east through the shrubbery to find where the old trail turns north. Again, thanks for the info. Much appreciated.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotebalzaccom This is not the Highway Patrol--they are not responsible for maintaining the safety of everyone on the trails. The trails are to allow you to access wilderness. If you don't know what that means, you shouldn't be there. And asking rangers to stand out in the wilderness in a storm just because some yahoo thinks it might be a good idea to climb Half Dome is a true waste ofby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechick-on To get to it from Union Pt... just zig almost due east from the big open area (old comfort station location). Then what, may I ask? I ask, because on one my trips this past July, that's exactly what I did. But then I could not see how to get down the rockwall to the rest of the old trail without bushwacking through the thickly grown manzanita. (At times, I can be really clby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteChick-on Fantastic photograph! Love it!by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotehotrod4x5 I didn't know you could access the history. Where do you do that? Here are two archives of Yosemite's webcams: http://halfdome.net/ and http://cams.outel.org/by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I would presume they would move to lower and safer ground, but still stay near the trail to warn people and give advice to the weather conditions (and of course, to continue to check for the permits).by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
What an odd title for that article. That article had nothing really to do about learning to live in mountain lion country at all. It spent more time describing the pilot project of Stanford's Woods Institute: Rising Environmental Leaders Network. By the title I thought it would have touched more on the encroachment of housing subdivisions on what has been historically prime mountain lion terby plawrence - General Discussion
Quoteeeek Quoteplawrence (Another indirect way to get the message across that climbing the cables of Half Dome is highly risky during bad weather would be for the ranger that is checking the permits at the base of the Half Dome to have a clipboard with paper and asked each person who decides to attempt to summit Half Dome in marginal weather for the name and contact information of their next ofby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Park Service could word it a bit more precise, and honestly state that in bad weather – including lighting storms – that rescue attempts are usually delayed so the rescuers' lives are not put in unneeded risk. (Another indirect way to get the message across that climbing the cables of Half Dome is highly risky during bad weather would be for the ranger that is checking the permits at tby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Beautiful photographs. Thanks for sharing. (And I'm happy for you that these photos weren't lost when your computer had crashed.)by plawrence - Photography advice, critiques and tutorials
Quotedqniel "After the fact I realized it's the wilderness and they're not supposed to do anything, but I did go in expecting a little more of a warning," said Castillo Seriously? More of a warning? There are signs everywhere warning about paying attention to the weather. Between that and common sense, you'd think that would be warning enough. I think he was probably referringby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Does anyone know why someone changed the view of the Turtleback Dome webcam? Right now it is zoomed in for an extreme close-up of El Capitan and nothing else. Can the webcam's zoom be controlled remotely, or did someone go up to the webcam and manually changed the position and the the focal length of the webcam's lens?by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotettilley Thanks! I'm losing hope of being able to cross the Sierra south of Carson Pass tomorrow for my east-side trip, and have a hotel offering to refund my non-refundable pre-paid reservation, but can't get past "I'm doing it anyway". Just leave your home earlier to account for the extra miles you'll need to travel. If you're traveling from the Bay Area to Bishop, I've fouby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Like many of us who visit this forum, Steve Jobs had a great love for Yosemite. He married his wife, Laurence, at the Ahwahnee in 1991: Here's a small except from the book The Second Coming of Steve Jobs by Alan Deutschmanvia (via Google Books) about Steve and Laurence's wedding at the Ahwahnee: Google Books: The Second Coming of Steve Jobs May he rest in peace.by plawrence - General Discussion
Quotehotrod4x5 Quoteplawrence And what about park visitors who enter Yosemite through Hwy 140? I hope they find a new operator for the service station before the heavy snows arrive. It's a pretty far drive to the next gas station on Hwy 140. The country store in Midpines has gas, not too far to drive. It's 22 additional miles, and up an extended steep grade after Briceburg – not too cby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
A Los Angeles Times article about new pressure to start mining gold again around Bodie: As Gold Prices Soar, Bodie Is Thrust From the Past Mining interests see profits in the hills near the Eastern Sierra ghost town, but others say wilderness has value too. The issue divides local residents. By Mike Anton, Los Angeles Times October 1, 2011 Reporting from Bodie, Calif.— On a day whby plawrence - General Discussion
QuoteUlysses61 And this weekend will be the peak for fall colors on 395. Then just book a room in Bishop! I'm sure there are some rooms still available even at this late date.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteUlysses61 As for cancelling my hotel reservations, I go to Yosemite every weekend in the summer and fall, so it's not a big deal. I am cancelling. Well, you won't be going to Yosemite THIS fall weekend.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yes, I meant to say the Merced Grove. Thanks for catching my error.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteUlysses61 I was planning on hiking Clouds Rest Saturday and Ten Lakes on Sunday. I have to cancel my hotel reservations by Thursday night for a refund. Is the snow too much, do you think? There are no webcams in the high country. Even if hiking Clouds Rest isn't advisable on Saturday due to weather conditions, as long as heavy rain and snow aren't in the forecast for that weekend, thereby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
If you're looking only for a place to crash at night, why don't you just stay at Housekeeping Camp, or if you need heated accommodations, at a heated canvas tent cabin at Curry Village? Also, as someone else had already recommended, the Yosemite Bug in Midpines would be a good place (and an affordable place) to crash for one night. And regards to seeing a Sequoia grove, remember Yosemite hasby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Staying either at Sonora or Oakhurst is still a quite a bit driving based on your tentative itinerary. Why spend hours (and it will be hours) on the road traveling to and from your lodging, if there are closer accommodations available? If there are suitable accommodations available inside Yosemite, or outside of the park in El Portal, Midpines, Mariposa, Buck Meadows, Groveland, or Fish Camp, aby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteparklover I just looked up that date and there are heated and non heated tent cabins at Curry and housekeeping camp has some units in Yosemite valley. However, those are not "inside" lodging. If choosing between those two options, it's a no brainer, the camping units at Housekeeping Camp are MUCH NICER than the canvas tent cabins at Curry Village. Each camping unit at Houby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteOhnivy-Drak QuoteDave Sounds like they should close Tioga too. If so, hopefully it's just temporary until the official shutdown date of Oct 15th. Oct 15th isn't the official shutdown date as far I know. It's just the date when they will no longer permit overnight parking on Tioga Road (and Glacier Point Road). The road could still be open for travel and day-use parking after that dateby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Living dinosaurs = birds http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/avians.htmlby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
For those who wonder how the Chick-on supports his Yosemite addiction – the Chick-on's day job: (He makes a cameo appearance at the 18-second mark of this commercial)by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteCaltrans, District 9: California Department of Transportation District 9 — In preparation of predicted incoming storm, Sonora Pass will close tomorrow (10/4/11) @ 1700 hrs.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks for sharing the videos! QuoteOhnivy-Drak -Pothole: underrated, better than Lembert. For views of Tuolumne Meadows and environs, I agree.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
That's great news to hear. Any explanation about the reason for the extra days in the wilderness?by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion