Re: Got a camping reservation - whew!

Just gloating out loud -

Well, got us a camping reservation in Yosemite Valley (yippee! - that process is always a nail-biter), Upper Pines at the end of a loop, for 4 nights June 16-20. Never have done a spring reservation before so late (usually April or May) but had to wait for the kids to get out of school, and I never want to do Memorial Day weekend again!

Just a tent, thank goodness - I suppose we'll be surrounded by large smelly noisy things, but that's how it goes...

Think there'll be any water left in the falls this year by then? ;-)

We'll probably try a Tuolumne Meadows trip a little later. Maybe combine with a run down the eastern Sierra.

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Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen

I've been noticing a lot of traffic on http://yosemitecampsites.com/ today. The reservation riots have begun

Bruce,
There should be plenty of water going over all the falls in June this year.

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Old Dude

mrcondron wrote:

> Bruce,
> There should be plenty of water going over all the falls in
> June this year.
>



I agree with mrcondron......lots of water!

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Dan

Bruce, I took this photo of Nevada Fall on June 14, 2004, so I would say you have nothing to worry about.

i got a site April 18th... my brother and a son are going.

Watch the bears.

eeek wrote:

> Watch the bears.
>

We always do! :-)

They have never gotten our food yet, either in the campground or in the backcountry, nor have they removed any hardware from our vehicles. They *have* rummaged through some empty clean pots and pans, though.

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Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen

bpnjensen wrote:

> eeek wrote:
>
> > Watch the bears.
> >
>
> We always do! :-)
>
> They have never gotten our food yet, either in the campground
> or in the backcountry, nor have they removed any hardware from
> our vehicles. They *have* rummaged through some empty clean
> pots and pans, though.

So is bear saliva considered a delicacy? Sort of like Chinese bird's nest soup, which is essentially just bird saliva.

bpnjensen wrote:

> eeek wrote:
>
> > Watch the bears.
> >
>
> We always do! :-)

So do I. But Valley bears are something special.

forrestranger wrote:

> i got a site April 18th... my brother and a son are going.

Be sure to spend at least and hour or two on the Hite Cove Trail. The wildflowers are wondrous! Late morning to early PM is best, as much of the trail is shaded prior to that time and the flowers have not fully opened yet.

Lots of flowering dogwood in the Valley too! Really nice near Pohono Bridge and and along Tenaya Creek.

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Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen

Got 5 spots for july 9th for 4 nights! I'm a happy camper...

Wow! What's the secret? I couldn't even get one campsite for one night for the June15-July 15 period. How do you possibly get 5 sites for four nights???

lmf67 wrote:

> Wow! What's the secret? I couldn't even get one campsite for
> one night for the June15-July 15 period. How do you possibly
> get 5 sites for four nights???

Shoot - I only got one site... :-) I was on the phone *and* the website at 6:57 am PDT on the 15th, and kept at it HARD until I got a response, redialing and retrying the website - and oddly, it was from the website first. Once I had that site locked, I put the phone down.

On the website, you have to pick one site at a time, a limitation from which a phone call doesn't suffer. I carefully picked which site I wanted - even on that first day, there were only a few left, thanks to so many grabbing all the sites for periods *starting* on the 14th of the month from last month.

So, being a tenter I chose one of the few sites left that was tent-only, assuming that the RV sites would have more competition from non-tenters.

Anyway, it takes a strategy and perseverence...and sheer dumb luck, I suppose, which is what finally won the day for me :-/ ;-).

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Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen

Internet only is the secret but that's about it. Calling on the phone is a waste of time. I had about 6 people helping but I got 3 of them myself. I had three computers going at work. Time is very important and every second counts!

tonerone wrote:

> Internet only is the secret but that's about it. Calling on the
> phone is a waste of time. I had about 6 people helping but I
> got 3 of them myself. I had three computers going at work. Time
> is very important and every second counts!

In past years, I have always used the phone - and sometimes spent HOURS until I got service. Up until about 12 years ago, the internet was not an option, and that was the only way (mail was undependable, and you had to wait it out to see if you got a place and by that time, it was too late for anything else too).

I did get a site by phone two years ago on a non-holiday weekend in late May/early June, and it helps that the operators have access to every site available, not just one at a time like the website. Anyway, I figure I got pretty lucky to grab a suitable site within the first 30 seconds. If I waited or had been delayed any longer, I would have been toast.

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Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen

Yeah I have used the phone in the past but now within 3 minutes all sites are gone. The days of spending all day on the phone are over. I guess that good and bad....

There's plenty of room now, as we speak...

http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/image/93443560
and
http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/image/93443558

If you come up, knock on the bear box, I'll be inside.
8^)

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Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

Looked different when I was there:



http://yosemitecampsites.com/upperpines/index.php/28

Somehow I don't quite fathom the allure of "camping" in Downtown Yosemite (at least during the annual tourist flood). You might as well consider pitching a tent in any of the following locations:
1. Union Square (San Francisco)
2. People's Park (Berkeley)
3. MacArthur Park (Los Angeles)
4. Anywhere (Bakersfield)

However, to each his own - this leaves more space in the backcountry.



Post Edited (03-01-08 07:37)

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THE YOSEMITE POST
Voice of the Rocky Marmot Empire

szalkowski wrote:

> Somehow I don't quite fathom the allure of "camping" in
> Downtown Yosemite (at least during the annual tourist flood).
> You might as well consider pitching a tent in any of the
> following locations:
> 1. Union Square (San Francisco)
> 2. People's Park (Berkeley)
> 3. MacArthur Park (Los Angeles)
> 4. Anywhere (Bakersfield)
>
> However, to each his own - this leaves more space in the
> backcountry.

Very simple, really - if you want to see what's *in the Valley*, and you want to do it cheaply as possible, and not rely on someone else to make you food, then you camp there. I agree, hardly ideal, but "them's the breaks." Yes, if you want peace and quiet then you go to the backcountry - but if you want to explore Yosemite valley, then you don't have much choice. Even a curmudgeon has to admit that there *is* a reason why it's crowded there in springtime.

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Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen

bpnjensen wrote:

> Very simple, really - if you want to see what's *in the
> Valley*, and you want to do it cheaply as possible, and not
> rely on someone else to make you food, then you camp there. I
> agree, hardly ideal, but "them's the breaks." Yes, if you want
> peace and quiet then you go to the backcountry - but if you
> want to explore Yosemite valley, then you don't have much
> choice. Even a curmudgeon has to admit that there *is* a
> reason why it's crowded there in springtime.

It could be worse. I remember reading a question asking where it would be possible to get a RV site with full hookup in or around Yosemite. The first phrase that came to mind was "unclear on the concept". That being said, I do enjoy a few creature comforts on my visits, but it's limited to maybe a cold Sierra Nevada at the Yosemite Lodge Mountain Room Bar or a steak at the Mountain Room; I think I deserved it after three nights in the backcountry. I even used my TV at the cabin at Maswik Lodge at Grand Canyon NP, which I haven't seen in other rustic cabins in NPS site.

Anyone has read the SF Chronicle comic strip "Farley"? There was this one character (Velma Melmac) who would visit Yosemite every summer and tried to restore it to civilization by vacuuming campsites and trails with a Dust Buster.

Well, I almost don't want to explain it, because the fewer that go there, the more room there is for those that do. But...

You equate Yosemite Valley to San Francisco, Berkeley, L.A., or Bakersfield? Personally, I'd rather be in Yosemite Valley any day than any of those places (though I enjoy SF at times, it's not even close).

I think some are confusing the situation; folks staying at the campground in the valley don't think they're wilderness camping, that would be ridiculous. But wilderness camping is not all there is to life for some of us. It doesn't have to be "wilderness camping or die". It's possible to enjoy the wilderness, AND to enjoy staying in the valley at another time, no conflict there. I don't see how you can equate the beauty of the valley with those other places...as you said, to each his own.

So I don't think it's going to leave you any more space in the backcountry...it's apples and oranges.

I generally don't go in summer, but I have. And I was able to get up and hike without seeing anyone, or walk/bike around the valley and see only a few folks here and there, just by getting up early, which I like to do anyway.

If your goal is to get away from people, obviously that's not the place to go; but in my off-season visits which are nearly all of them, it's seldom crowded but people invariably smile and say hi, are relaxed and friendly; you don't see that too much in Union square. I've met folks from all over the world, talked to folks from Europe that hike extensively, through the Alps, and others that just appreciate natural beauty and want to enjoy Yosemite on their visit. They're not all tourists that get off buses for ten minutes and snap photos standing in front of things. And though I don't go there to socialize, I do appreciate how it brings out the best qualities of the people there. Now that you mention it though, a lot of times the exception to this are the (usually young) backpackers who pass through thinking very highly of themselves....they're too good to smile and say hi to the unwashed crowd of tourist idiots they're passing among, carrying their $400 sleeping bags and $500 tents.

Backpack camping is fantastic; but a lot of your day is often caught up in taking care of basic needs; Staying in the valley is not a substitute for that, but so what? It's different...basic needs aren't an issue, and you can concentrate on what you like to do...in my case, I grab my camera and head out for a new or old hike, explore a new area, or maybe just browse around the valley for the sights of the season.

So it doesn't need to be your cup of tea...might be someone else's though.

---

Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

Sierrafan wrote:

> I think some are confusing the situation; folks staying at the
> campground in the valley don't think they're wilderness
> camping, that would be ridiculous. But wilderness camping is
> not all there is to life for some of us. It doesn't have to be
> "wilderness camping or die". It's possible to enjoy the
> wilderness, AND to enjoy staying in the valley at another time,
> no conflict there. I don't see how you can equate the beauty
> of the valley with those other places...as you said, to each
> his own.

I've never actually camped in the valley save when I was in the backpackers' campground. That necessitated going through North Pines Campground. Yes - it was crowded and sometimes the behavior of some patrons can be a bit unsettling. However - a quick walk to take in the view of Half Dome would seem to make it worth it.

> I generally don't go in summer, but I have. And I was able to
> get up and hike without seeing anyone, or walk/bike around the
> valley and see only a few folks here and there, just by getting
> up early, which I like to do anyway.

I have been in the Valley on a Summer Saturday, and yeah it can become somewhat of a zoo. That being said, it wasn't that hard to just take in what the place has to offer without worrying about other people.

> Now that you mention it though, a lot of times
> the exception to this are the (usually young) backpackers who
> pass through thinking very highly of themselves....they're too
> good to smile and say hi to the unwashed crowd of tourist
> idiots they're passing among, carrying their $400 sleeping bags
> and $500 tents.

I'm still relatively young (although well past college age). When I rode the shuttle with a fully loaded backpack ("Sorry about the camp cup flying off my daisy chain" I could still point out deer to essentially my fellow tourists. I have heard of the guys who have been out there for a week who sort of revel in the fact that they reek to other people. ;-)

> Backpack camping is fantastic; but a lot of your day is often
> caught up in taking care of basic needs; Staying in the valley
> is not a substitute for that, but so what? It's
> different...basic needs aren't an issue, and you can
> concentrate on what you like to do...in my case, I grab my
> camera and head out for a new or old hike, explore a new area,
> or maybe just browse around the valley for the sights of the
> season.
>
> So it doesn't need to be your cup of tea...might be someone
> else's though.

I certainly have no problems staying in a cabin or even a motel. Whatever gets me close to where I want to be is fine. I'm not going to be elitist, because I really think Yosemite should be available to the masses.