Re: Of Cameras and Granite

My record with cameras while on granite slabs is now 0-2 in favor of the granite. The first such instance was 2 years ago on Mt. Whitney's Mountaineer's Route, and the results were nowhere as severe and final as the second instance, mentioned below (minus the details).

So as to the second instance, during the coming weeks, if anyone finds themselves (deliberately or by accident) wandering along the bottom of the south face of Half Dome (approx. below the saddle and the bottom end of the cables)



and you happen upon a bright red Casio Exilim "card" camera, in whole, or more likely in pieces, which looks like this (front view only),



and if either the tiny blue 2Gig SD chip or the part of the camera still holding the SD chip is found, I would be more than grateful if you could retrieve the chip (I have full replacement coverage for the camera, so I don't really care about retrieving the camera itself) and contact me here so I can arrange to have the chip mailed to me.

In short, absent the highly unlikely event that someone actually finds the camera/chip while wandering in this rarely frequented area, the 2 weeks of vacation pictures that I took with this camera are lost (most notably, my first summit of Mt. Whitney, and my Tenaya Lake-Cloud's Rest-Half Dome-Happy Isles dayhike -- it was while descending the Half Dome cables during the latter that the camera met its demise). I realize that the chances of someone finding the camera/chip are slim to none, but ya never know...

I was also just thinking that if any of you who live in the area want an excuse to do a day hike in Yosemite before the weather degrades (oops, too late for that for a few days anyway!), and would be open to doing a "camera SAR" hike to try and locate my camera (see picture of camera at top of thread), or at least the piece with the little blue chip in it, in the area below the cables noted on the picture also at the top of this thread, I'd pay your (1) round trip gas, (2) Natl Park entry fee (if you don't already have a pass, etc.), (3) reasonable meal costs for the trip, and of course (4) mailing costs to mail the chip to me, if it is found in the camera or in a piece of the camera. This offer would be more for folks who already live closer to Yosemite than, say, for those who live in L.A., but if someone from the L.A. area is already up there anyway, the same offer would apply.

If interested, post to this thread.

California-Trailwalker (CaT)



Post Edited (11-03-07 20:04)

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

Good luck finding your camera but have you contacted the ranger's office to find out if there is a lost and found? Wouldn't hurt. There are still people out there who will try to return property they found to the owner.

I doubt the chip got ejected from the camera . I bet you could have found it easily if you'd walked the base that day , but this (post) is a good idea anyway . . . someone might like the challenge of finding it and they will help you out .

Lisa - I filed a lost and found report before I left the valley the next morning.

Lucrativ - Had I not taken on the responsibility (moments before losing the camera) to take an ill-prepared couple (no water, no food, no light, husband with leg cramps, discovered their plight @ 3:30-4pm while on the summit of Half Dome with them) back down to Curry Village with me from the summit, I would have certainly foraged along the bottom of the portion of the Dome where my camera had fallen (I would have had the time had it not been for this ill-prepared couple I happened upon). But they obviously took priority over the camera. What had been a planned arrival time back to Curry Village of between 5-6pm (absent looking for the camera) turned into an arrival time of 9pm (with the couple safely delivered back to the valley).

Also, see additional paragraphs added to the end of my original post above.

CaT



Post Edited (09-20-07 11:46)

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

Stranger things have happened. During my Half Dome hike a few years ago, I spotted a CF card like the one my camera uses. It was all alone by itself, laying on a rock. I took it home and put it in my computer to look at the pictures, to see if I could somehow find the owner. It had the normal family pictures but a few that stood out were of a parade with a high school band. There were several pictures of a particular band member, who I assumed was the owner's son. The only clues I had were the first letter of the high school that were emblazoned on the band uniform, and a few cars with California tags. So I assumed the owner was from California. I participate in a couple of other forums similar to this one, so I posted my dilema. One person suggested a couple of high schools in CA that it could be, so I called the band director of those schools. One of the band directors just happened to know the story of a student that lost his camera on Half Dome, and shortly thereafter, I got a call from his dad. He explained his son had dropped the camera and it "exploded" into a thousand pieces. Of course he was glad I found the memory card and returned it to him. It took me about a year to track the owner down, but I was persistent and it paid off. So, good luck, maybe someone will take the time to help you as well.

Thanks for the encouraging story.

I originally posted this same topic on the Mt. Whitney Message Board, of which I am long time member. I already have heard from several people there who have expressed varying degrees of interest in taking a look around for my camera (or at least the piece with the chip in it) while they are at Half Dome hiking/climbing in the near future. I am still hopeful that one of them may yet locate it and that the chip will survive any weather in the meantime.

CaT

CaT:

My wife and I will be in Yosemite in 2 or 3 weeks, and will spend some time in TM, and some time in YV.

My heart goes out to you, especially in view of your priority in caring for two humans instead of looking for your camera.

Weather permitting I'll go take a look. Can you confirm: from your illustration it looks as if you're sure it fell past the saddle/shoulder? Also, is the back of the camera red as well?

P.S. We're going to be there anyway, and mailing costs would be next to nil. So don't worry about any expenses.



Post Edited (09-25-07 12:57)

Sierranomad,

Unfortunately, I can't confirm exactly how far it fell -- whether it went all the way to the ground beneath the base of the dome or whether it got caught on one of two ledges others have mentioned are along the fall line on the way down. It was still tumbling with increasing speed when it disappeared out of my sight. I wish I could be more concrete in my answer, but I just don't know where it landed. My initial scan of the immediate saddle area on the side it tumbled down didn't turn up anything; so I'm pretty sure it fell further down than that; but just how far, I don't know.

The entire camera is the same shiny red (which, thankfully, should make it easier to spot if it's anywhere out in the open), although come to think of it, most of the back side of the camera consists of the viewing screen; so there's not a lot of color on the back side of it.

I'm unsure of where the initials TM in your post refer to. I know YV = Yosemite Valley.

I know you'll be there anyway, but would still be willing to pay your reasonable costs for the day should you elect to look for the camera.

Thanks very much for your willingness to try.

Best wishes,

CaT

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

Regarding the ledges along the fall line: earlier this year a young man fell off the cables. If I got the account right, his body stopped on one of those ledges. It seems somewhat likely to me that a smaller item like your camera would also stop there; but you never know. I enjoy that hike anyway (even though the cables will probably be down and no trip to the top) and it will give me an excuse to go.

I really do hope to find it. I know how much pictures can mean.

TM is for Tuolumne Meadows.

Best,

Sierra Nomad



Post Edited (09-25-07 18:24)

SM,

Tuolumne Meandows ... I should have been able to get that one! Duh...!

Re: the tourist fatality earlier -- yes, the same fall line. I read about this when it was posted on the Whitney Message Board, of which I am a member. So, it does seem very likely that one of those ledges may have caught my camera first. Not yet being a rock climber, however, I would personally have no way to safely descend to either one of them myself.

Let me know if you decide to do this. Those pictures do mean a great deal to me, since they include, among other things my first Whitney and Cloud's rest summits. My photographer wife got most of the rest of our trip, but in an unusual turn of events, many of her pictures turned out poorly this trip (which is very unusual for her), in part due to unnatural coloring in some of the pictures, but mostly due to the fact that her lens had some spots on it, without her knowing it, and these spots turned up in the top (sky) half of virtually every picture. It will take her hours to Photoshop those out of all the pictures she took. So my pictures (which I thought had turned out pretty well at the time I took them) take on even more significance given the turn of events with my wife's photos of some of the same stuff.

Gotta go work out. Again, let me know if anything comes of this. Thanks!

CaT

CaT:

Yes, I'll give it a try. I too, am not a rock climber, so will go on the assumption that it fell past the ledges - don't want to be another fatality.

We'll be getting back Oct 13, so I'll post my results that day or the next.

And of course, please let me know if someone else comes up with it before then.

SM,

When's the last time you'll be checking this message string before you leave, so I know how late I can post something here in case the camera turns up before you leave?

CaT

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

yeah . it's cool to want to help find the camera / card but everybody stay safe . we used to brouse that [fatality] ledge for water bottles etc every trip to half dome , but i'm sure the rangers would have a fit with the idea of people off trail in such a remote area and complex terrain .

Agreed. The last thing I would want would be for someone to get injured (or worse) looking for something as relatively inconsequential as a camera. Know what your limits are, and stay within them.

CaT

Yes, thanks for your concern. But don't worry, I won't take any chances.

Last I'll be looking at this thread is 10/7.

sierranomad

OK. Thanks.

CaT

CaT wrote:

My photographer wife got most of the rest of our trip, but in an unusual turn of events, many of her pictures turned out poorly this trip (which is very unusual for her), in part due to unnatural coloring in some of the pictures, but mostly due to the fact that her lens had some spots on it, without her knowing it, and these spots turned up in the top (sky) half of virtually every picture. It will take her hours to Photoshop those out of all the pictures she took.

[/wrote]

Are you sure its on the lens? When we were at Saddlebag earlier this season, I had terrible spots on the sky, just like your wife's photos. After some research, I found that the problem was not on the lens, but on the sensor! Very different problem (only found on SLR's because the lens can be removed).

It took me quite a while to photoshop the best photos, too. At least the sky is fairly easy to fix. When the spots are visible in other areas, it's more involved to fix.

Rob,

You might have a good point here. She has a Nikon D70, with a number of interchangeable lenses (and I'm sure she changed them out now and then during our trip). I'll read your post to her and see what she thinks. It sounds like a very real possibility. Thanks!

CaT

It took me a while to figure out that it was the sensor and not the lens.

The reason is that in a film camera, dust on the film causes a well-defined spot with sharp edges.

In a digital SLR camera, there is a piece of glass over the sensor. This moves the dust/dirt away from the focal plane, so it looks like a dark blur spot. Dust on lenses also cause dark blur spots.

The easy way to tell is to compare photos from different lenses. If the spots are the same, it must be on the sensor.

Be very careful cleaning the sensor. Do your research before you try it. Special tools, chemicals, and techniques are required. You can permanently damage your sensor (ie. the damage costs more to repair than a new camera body). If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, you may want to have it done professionally.

Google "D70 sensor cleaning kit" and you will get more info than you want. I've cleaned a D70 sensor with the specially made swabs and cleaning solution and it is a snap but scary until you get into it..

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Old Dude

I ran this by my wife, who said she knows how to clean the sensor, but said that it was one of her lenses, not the sensor. Thanks.

On a note related to my original post, apparently on Friday 9/28, there was an annual volunteer clean-up in Yosemite Valley and Half Dome (to name two I heard about). They helicoptered off an entire large "bag" of trash from the saddle area of Half Dome. Hopefully, if cameras and/or chips were found, they were not discarded. So there may be hope yet.

CaT

UPDATE - See my parallel (but more current) thread (see URL below) for continual updates on the camera situation.

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/41413/page/1?PHPSESSID=620c323d5c83c84c908951e26f7e19d7#Post41413



Post Edited (10-04-07 10:57)

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

CaT:

We just got back from Yosemite. Sorry to say, I can't report that I found your camera etc.

Actually, due to circumstances beyond my control, I wasn't able to look for them. Let me explain. I had scheduled the Half Dome hike/search for our last full day there (Friday). Thursday night I got up to heed natures' call. I felt a little nauseated as I got up, but didn't think much of it. I got outside and things just got worse. I put my hand against a tree to steady myself, and the next thing I know I'm on the ground with a mouth full of dirt and a bleeding lip. Getting up the next day, I felt pretty lousy and had no energy. There was no way I was going to be able to get to Half Dome.

Sorry, CaT, I'd hoped to find it...at least give a good look see.

Jon,

Welcome back.
Sorry you didn't feel well in Yosemite and your that trip there didn't go as planned. I hope you are feeling better after returning home. We almost never have a trip (Yosemite or elsewhere) go precisely as planned, so I can sure relate.

Thanks very much again for thinking of me and my camera. I appreciate it very much. At this point, it will probably be some time next year before I have the chance to go look for it on my own. I will be amazed if anything that is still useful turns up by then.

Other than being sick, I hope you had a great vacation!

David (CaT)

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

David:

Thanks for the wishes for my good health. I feel almost normal today (Sunday). Friday all I could do was a little walking in the Valley. Saturday a little better and some very slight exertion.

I'm not a fainter, so I'm a little perplexed. The only thing that I can think of is that I was sleeping with my head lower than my feet (I know, easily remedied, but long story) for the first couple of hours Thursday night.

All - One final happy and amazing post to end this thread!

I thought you all might be interested to know that one of the moderators from the other board made a day trip to Yosemite last week, and aside from picking up a large bag full of trash beneath the saddle of Half Dome below the south face (which was part of why he was there), he also looked for my camera (and/or its chip). About an hour into looking for it (while picking up trash), he found a little blue camera memory chip laying in plain view on top of a rock (but no camera or pieces thereof anywhere in the area). At the end of the day, he took the chip back home with him, discovered it was still good, uploaded all the pictures from the chip to his computer, and voila!! -- it was indeed MY chip!!!

He said it was miraculous that he found this chip in the rugged location in which it came to rest, in part because nothing of the camera was anywhere near the chip, and also because the chip had come to rest on the top of a rock in plain view, almost like someone had set it there (which I'm sure no one actually did, given the remote location of where it was found)! Talk about finding a needle in a haystack!!

He will be mailing my chip to me this week, and in the meantime, went to the trouble of uploading the whole chip onto his smugmug account for my temporary viewing until the chip gets to me. Truly wonderful in so many ways!!

The link to the ongoing account of this on the other board is still posted a few posts earlier on this thread if you're interested in any more of the details.

Many thanks again to those here who had a part in trying to help find this over the past weeks.

CaT

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

Wow, that' s just plain amazing.

When I first read the post on the other board by the person who found it (he included a couple of unmistakable identifying pictures, such as my Whitney summit shot, as evidence of his find), my wife was with me at the computer.

Understand that the guy who found it, first said that he had not found the camera (which is true), but he never mentioned the chip, and left that to my imagination (and I dutifully assumed that the chip was no way found if the camera hadn't been found either).

So, a day later (during which he had been secretly uploading my pictures to his web site for my viewing), when he finally posted the fact that he had found my chip, as mentioned above, and I first read about it with my wife nearby, my reaction was almost like a wild cat on steroids. "Ecstatic" just scratches the surface!!

An added plus was that all the pictures (with one or two minor exceptions) came out very well, too.

CaT

Kinda off topic but does anyone know a small point and shoot camera
that also has full manual controls? Something the size of the Canon Powershots?
I love the Powershot SD400 but would really like to manually control
the shutter AND aperature!
I know there is LOADS of reviews/etc out there but my head just hurts
looking... already spent hours ...
I am going to do some trails out of Wawona next weekend though.

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Everything I know I learned from

no way!!! lolol that is crazy! wow, that really is amazing.. hat's off to internet forums.

I can see it now CT, endorsements, commercials, free cameras, free flash chips for life!

>>I can see it now CT, endorsements, commercials, free cameras, free flash chips for life!<<

Nah...

>>After you recover your photos, ever thought of maybe just encasing the card in plastic?<<

Interesting thought, although I'll probably just reuse it since it still works OK.

CaT

That's great news, CaT! Glad to hear it ended "happily ever after".

So am I.

I'll post a link to my much belated TR here when I get the pictures uploaded to my site, etc.

I've been waiting for a final outcome with the camera (found or not found) before composing a TR, since I knew a couple of people were still planning to look for it. Now I can proceed with the TR, even though 2 months after-the-fact.

CaT

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

Cool. Actually SD cards are pretty durable. I'm guessing the camera came flying apart and scattered its pieces all around the area. The card was likely ejected in the chaos and landed far, far away from the other camera parts.

Great story, and nice to see it turned out with a happy ending. After you recover your photos, ever thought of maybe just encasing the card in plastic?

What an amazing story. That's awesome. I'm glad you came back to tell us of the great news.

There's more.

Steve, the guy who found my chip, recovered my pictures, and mailed the chip back to me, also called the Fresno Bee to let them know about this whole story. Their outdoor section reporter decided to do a write-up on it, and his boss decided to run it as the lead story in the Local section of Sunday's edition! Here is a link to the "printer friendly" (whole-story-on-one-page) online version with only one of the photos used in the story:

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/v-printerfriendly/story/222385.html

OR, here is a PDF of each of the two pages from the print version (with all the pictures):

Page 1 - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/2191583102_a671009070_o.jpg
Page 2 - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2305/2190798253_97334f6077_o.jpg

NOTE: If you click on either of the "Page 1" or "Page 2" links above, and your browser does auto resizing, you'll want to undo the auto resizing so that the image is viewed in its full original size in order to read it.

CaT



Post Edited (03-27-08 15:14)

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If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology.
We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)