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avatar Ledge Trail??
August 02, 2007 12:48PM
I'm looking to hike the Ledge trail in the near future. For anyone who's hiked it before, any tips or suggestions?

Thanks.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
August 02, 2007 01:16PM
Uzumati,

Maybe you've seen this site but here it is anyway:


http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/~davea/yosemite_6_05.php




Old Dude
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
August 02, 2007 02:28PM
Yes, thank you, I have seen that, pretty good description.
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bpnjensen
Re: Ledge Trail??
August 03, 2007 12:29PM
My son and I went up there in January. Some reasonable hard work will get you to the trail at the base of the cliff/top of the talus below Glacier Point, but I won't kid you - after walking/scrambling up about another 1/4 mile to the sign that says to go back, you see a cliff face that looks soberingly unstable. I would not go under it in the winter when the ice can crack off rocks, and I am not sure I would chance it in the summer. One small rock can ruin your whole day (life!).




Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 24, 2009 11:19AM
Quote
bpnjensen
My son and I went up there in January. Some reasonable hard work will get you to the trail at the base of the cliff/top of the talus below Glacier Point, but I won't kid you - after walking/scrambling up about another 1/4 mile to the sign that says to go back, you see a cliff face that looks soberingly unstable. I would not go under it in the winter when the ice can crack off rocks, and I am not sure I would chance it in the summer. One small rock can ruin your whole day (life!).

It seemed to me that last fall's rockfall into Curry Village came from that area of the Glacier Point face.


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
August 03, 2007 02:43PM
^^ Thanks.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
April 15, 2009 09:51PM
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UZUMATI
^^ Thanks.

So did you do it?
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bpnjensen
Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 11:14PM
Quote
eeek
Quote
UZUMATI
^^ Thanks.

So did you do it?

Nope - at that sign, we turned back and got hot chocolate at Curry Village :-)
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
August 13, 2007 09:41AM
According to the "Death in Yosemite" book the Ledge Trail is the 3rd Deadliest Geographic Entity in the park behind El Cap and The Merced River.
If you attempt it can you please report back your experience.
Good luck




Everything I know I learned from Chick-on is looking at you!
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Sierrafan
Re: Ledge Trail??
August 16, 2007 05:05PM
bill-e-g wrote:

> According to the "Death in Yosemite" book the Ledge Trail is
> the 3rd Deadliest Geographic Entity in the park behind El Cap
> and The Merced River.
> If you attempt it can you please report back your experience.
> Good luck
>
I heard of this trail a year or so ago, and thought it would be a good one to add to my "want to" list. After reading about it in "Death in Yosemite", it's off my list, I have no interest in even trying it.

It was a dangerous trail when it was really a trail. Now it's deteriorated significantly from there, so please use all the wise precautions and be willing to turn back if your instinct tells you to. Or forget it...there are lots of other places to go off the beaten path in the valley.




Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo
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Richard Poulsen
Re: Ledge Trail??
September 21, 2007 06:01PM
I worked for Curry Company from 1962 to 1967 during the summers and
climbed the ledge trail one time after work with a buddy. It was unmarked then and certain portions had very loose sand and granite
where for each step forward you slid back two steps. The last portion
was not as overgrown as pictured on the website. We got dinner at
the Glacier Point Hotel and watched the firefall that night. We caught
a ride down to the valley with some tourists and were back to work
the next morning.

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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
April 16, 2009 08:38AM
You can probably imagine that it has intrigued me to no ends.
I'm nearly 100% sure this is the route:



I think UZIMATI went AWOL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2012 08:46AM by chick-on.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
April 16, 2009 08:43AM
Quote
bill-e-g
You can probably imagine that it has intrigued me to no ends.
I'm nearly 100% sure this is the route:



Larger overview is here:
<http://picasaweb.google.com/dale.dekeyser/Misc#5325312884080668002>;

I think UZIMATI went AWOL

Seems unlikely that he has been waiting since Sept 2007 to be asked about trip. Possibly didn't make it.
Is that photo since the 2008 Curry rockfall?


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
April 16, 2009 10:18AM
>Seems unlikely that he has been waiting since Sept 2007 to be asked about trip. Possibly didn't make it.
Yup .. AWOL smiling smiley

>Is that photo since the 2008 Curry rockfall?
photo was taken this last Sunday.. I tried spying it from various places (snow crk. trl) (mt. watkins) last year...
but this is the best view I've seen showing it to my knowledge...
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shanthala
Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 05:22PM
Hi!

My boyfriend and I looking to hike this trail. I am incredibly intrigued by it. The picture you posted is not accessible without access. Please could you repost it. Also, the part near the staircase falls is a little scary, seems like a part of the trail was affected by the rockfall. Not sure.


Thanks!
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bpnjensen
Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 11:11PM
Quote
shanthala
Hi!

My boyfriend and I looking to hike this trail. I am incredibly intrigued by it. The picture you posted is not accessible without access. Please could you repost it. Also, the part near the staircase falls is a little scary, seems like a part of the trail was affected by the rockfall. Not sure.


Thanks!

My son and I tried it a couple years ago. Going up past the existing rockslide east and south of Curry Village, there is a point along the trail shortly after you reach the Glacier Point sheer cliff where there is literally a yellow DANGER sign and it looks like a million tons of rock is a microsecond away from falling on your head. You get the impression that one false move, one badly placed footstep, one inadvertant cough or sneeze, would set off geological Armageddon. It looks like death is imminent. As intriguing as it is, we will never go up that way again. I would not recommend it to anyone. Stick with something easy and fairly safe and still thrilling, like Mt. Dana or Half Dome or Sierra Point. Forget the Ledge Trail.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 05:49PM




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2012 08:51AM by chick-on.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 05:54PM
One from top of Yosemite Falls:




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2012 08:51AM by chick-on.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 06:07PM
Additional Ledge Trail anecdotal info.

http://www.summitpost.org/route/158060/ledge-trail.html

As I recall, the recommendation, when the trail was open, was to do the trail uphill and NOT down.
More than a few hikers were rescued when they were heard at Camp Curry calling for help from the trail.


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 06:17PM
It was up only when it was open. Up Ledge. Down 4 Mile.

Or follow me up Smith Peak the Goatineer Route.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 23, 2009 06:28PM
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bill-e-g
Or follow me up Smith Peak the Goatineer Route.

But only if you can dance on the tops of the manzanita?
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 24, 2009 08:21AM
If the boulder field on this ledge trail is anything like the left side approach to Dana, I would probably have to start a month ahead of when I wanted to finish..wink

Do I understand that this was once a maintained trail, but has since been closed?

Are there any views unique to this trail, or is it The Call of Death that lures people to do it?Confused
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 24, 2009 11:05AM
Quote
Bee
If the boulder field on this ledge trail is anything like the left side approach to Dana, I would probably have to start a month ahead of when I wanted to finish..wink

Do I understand that this was once a maintained trail, but has since been closed?

Are there any views unique to this trail, or is it The Call of Death that lures people to do it?Confused

I think the view is of one's impending demise.


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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TicTacToe
Re: Ledge Trail??
July 13, 2009 11:06AM
I'm considering to hike the Ledge Trail too. Does anybody know if the rockfall in 2008 had any impact on the trail? If you hiked the trail after the rockfall, would you help to share your experience?

And for the trail itself, is it more dangerous/difficult than Mount Whitney MR?
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
July 13, 2009 07:31PM
Quote
TicTacToe
I'm considering to hike the Ledge Trail too. Does anybody know if the rockfall in 2008 had any impact on the trail? If you hiked the trail after the rockfall, would you help to share your experience?

And for the trail itself, is it more dangerous/difficult than Mount Whitney MR?

I have done a lot of reading up on both trails that you mention, and I think that you will find per capita, more people have died/injured on the Ledge Trail than MR. I believe that the rewards are far greater on the MR and the odds are more reasonable for a positive outcome, too. (if I knew you, I would say more, but I will leave it at this)(one of the nicest expressions of friendship was when a dear friend talked me out of doing Half Dome in the Winter with the cables down, I hope that you have such a friend)

Busy Bee
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krusovice
Re: Ledge Trail??
March 07, 2010 01:13AM
I've always been fascinated about this trail. There's little chance I'd hike it without someone that has done it before, however. And only in the "up" direction. Found a neat panorama from a vista point on The Ledge.

http://www.worldwidepanorama.org/worldwidepanorama/wwp608/html/JoelBaldwin.html

For those that have been on the trail, is this near the gully where you make the final ascent?
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 07, 2010 05:07AM
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krusovice
I've always been fascinated about this trail. There's little chance I'd hike it without someone that has done it before, however. And only in the "up" direction. Found a neat panorama from a vista point on The Ledge.

http://www.worldwidepanorama.org/worldwidepanorama/wwp608/html/JoelBaldwin.html

For those that have been on the trail, is this near the gully where you make the final ascent?

For your first time go up it, not down. I believe most of the deaths were from people who took it down on their first time. There's a place right after you come down out of the gully where you have do a sharp right turn to cross the creek so you can stay close to the cliffs above you as you go down the ledge. If you miss this turn, or don't know better, you end up going down the cliffs that Staircase Falls is tumbling down ( which is what I imagine the bodies did also ). sad smiley

The trail finding going up it is pretty simple. You keep going up, don't expect to find a trail because it's almost entirely gone, stay away from the cliff drop off on your right, hug the cliff going up to your left. The conditions are pretty bad, loose stuff where you slip downhill 1' for every 2' up, lose rocks that'll turn underfoot and twist your ankles, steep slopes to tumble down if you slip.

Last time I was up there all the landmarks I remembered were gone. The rock falls had wiped areas out. There's been more falls since.

As you're going up the ledge you get to a point where you cross the creek, do a sharp left, and start up the gully. The Pano was taken just after this. As you keep going up you quickly get surrounded by the cliffs so you no longer have any view.

I'd consider this trail easier for the first timer than the Sierra Point trail. Now there's a trail you need someone that knows their way. My first time on Ledge Trail I just kept going up. My first time on Sierra Point I didn't know where to start so I ended up doing some killer bushwacking. I then missed a turn and got ledged. Rock climbing up to the trail isn't the way it's supposed to be.
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ThursN
Re: Ledge Trail??
July 24, 2009 10:48AM
Went up it July 18 2009, Wonderful trail and not too hard, I wouldn't do it with other people unless I could really count on them being very careful about not disturbing loose rocks and starting rockslides for yourselves and the folks below (and being careful even though you're all tired puffing up that hill!) . There was one ~50 yard section of sloping rock with loose material on top where not being slow and deliberate and careful would be quite dangerous. The stream was beautiful but try not to trample the streamside vegetation too much.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
June 24, 2009 08:27AM
Here it is on an old Map...

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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
July 13, 2009 11:37AM
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 11, 2010 07:59PM
What about skiing the trail?
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 11, 2010 09:02PM
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eeek
What about skiing the trail?

I believe that there is still time to put in a bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
(It could be really interesting if this was the final downhill leg to the finish line of the cross-country races.)
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 11, 2010 09:08PM
Somewhere there's a picture of someone sking down the gully, I don't think they went down the ledge to the east, I think they went down the gully to the west, Le Conte Gully?
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 11, 2010 09:18PM
I've heard the Ledge Trail has been used quite a bit as a winter ski route to Glacier Point. It's faster than coming in from Badger. But there is an avalanche issue.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 12, 2010 03:31PM
Quote
eeek
I've heard the Ledge Trail has been used quite a bit as a winter ski route to Glacier Point. It's faster than coming in from Badger. But there is an avalanche issue.

Riding the crest of an avalanche would definitely make it even faster.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 12, 2010 05:22PM
Quote
Bee
Quote
eeek
I've heard the Ledge Trail has been used quite a bit as a winter ski route to Glacier Point. It's faster than coming in from Badger. But there is an avalanche issue.

Riding the crest of an avalanche would definitely make it even faster.

A Ride On An Avalanche


Few Yosemite visitors ever see snow avalanches and fewer still know the exhilaration of riding on them. In all my mountaineering I have enjoyed only one avalanche ride, and the start was so sudden and the end came so soon I had but little time to think of the danger that attends this sort of travel, though at such times one thinks fast. One fine Yosemite morning after a heavy snowfall, being eager to see as many avalanches as possible and wide views of the forest and summit peaks in their new white robes before the sunshine had time to change them, I set out early to climb by a side cañon to the top of a commanding ridge a little over three thousand feet above the Valley. On account of the looseness of the snow that blocked the cañon I knew the climb would require a long time, some three or four hours as I estimated; but it proved far more difficult than I had anticipated. Most of the way I sank waist deep, almost out of sight in some places. After spending the whole day to within half an hour or so of sundown, I was still several hundred feet below the summit. Then my hopes were reduced to getting up in time to see the sunset. But I was not to get summit views of any sort that day, for deep trampling near the cañon head, where the snow was strained, started an avalanche, and I was swished down to the foot of the cañon as if by enchantment. The wallowing ascent had taken nearly all day, the descent only about a minute. When the avalanche started I threw myself on my back and spread my arms to try to keep from sinking. Fortunately, though the grade of the cañon is very steep, it is not interrupted by precipices large enough to cause outbounding or free plunging. On no part of the rush was I buried. I was only moderately imbedded on the surface or at times a little below it, and covered with a veil of back-streaming dust particles; and as the whole mass beneath and about me joined in the flight there was no friction, though I was tossed here and there and lurched from side to side. When the avalanche swedged and came to rest I found myself on top of the crumpled pile without bruise or scar. This was a fine experience. Hawthorne says somewhere that steam has spiritualized travel; though unspiritual smells, smoke, etc., still attend steam travel. This flight in what might be called a milky way of snow-stars was the most spiritual and exhilarating of all the modes of motion I have ever experienced. Elijah's flight in a chariot of fire could hardly have been more gloriously exciting.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 12, 2010 05:39PM
Very nice! Was this from The Yosemite?
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 12, 2010 05:40PM
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Bee
Very nice! Was this from The Yosemite?

Yep.
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
March 11, 2010 08:12PM
Why not? If yer gonna die, ya might as well have fun on the way out.....
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Ohnivy-Drak
Re: Ledge Trail??
July 25, 2011 11:05PM
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Bee
Why not? If yer gonna die, ya might as well have fun on the way out.....

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2IYwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x9wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6797,2060375&dq=yosemite+ledge+trail&hl=en
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avatar Re: Ledge Trail??
July 26, 2011 12:02AM
Quote
Ohnivy-Drak
Quote
Bee
Why not? If yer gonna die, ya might as well have fun on the way out.....

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2IYwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x9wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6797,2060375&dq=yosemite+ledge+trail&hl=en


Note the date of that newspaper article about the snow avalanche on the Ledge Trail : July 21, 1922!

July 21st!

That must have been a TRULY heavy snow year, even more so than this year! On July 21st of this year, there was no more snow anywhere on or above the Ledge Trail.
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