Re: Feb. 20-22 '09

I have lots of photos that turned out not too bad despite crummy weather. No firefall, so high-tailed it squirrel style to Upper Pines, where I saved lots of motel money by putting up with a little bit of snow.

I'm going to resize and edit these photos some for tonight, here's a teaser, will reply to this thread with more, and give you the links to the full-size photos on my web page probably tomorrow (I have some 3D pics).

No firefall this weekend, when I arrived in the valley around 5 p.m. on Friday 2/20 I found blue sky above but a giant cloudbank moving in from the west that killed off the sun on Horsetail. Oh well, now I'm 0-for-3 on the firefall.

At Upper Pines, I was met with this:


This was at a little after 6. I had been in the campground a while, went to the third loop to camp (the gate was open), the campground host was on me like a new suit saying only loops 1 and 2 were open, so I found space 7 in loop 1 to my liking.

More in a bit, could be a long night

Just warm enough at 8:23 p.m.

Big Oak Flat entrance station Friday afternoon about quarter to five:



(note the air conditioner, LOL)

Also, what is that number 6111? Is that the date of the end of the world?



Post Edited (02-23-09 00:45)

Gary, about the avalanche/rockfall sounds, on Saturday night I killed off the March issue of Sky and Telescope, with pauses to listen to the nature while reading about other worlds.

And then, it was time to sleep before the rain started.

I managed to get the tent up Friday night, the hammock inside turned out handy since the tent was sitting on snow and not bare ground. That catalytic heater was handy too.

Snowblower on Big Oak Flat Rd:

Yosemite Falls around 5:30 p.m. Friday 20th. I didn't hike over to Lower Fall, but by the looks of this picture, I don't think there was a lower fall? Am I wrong about this?

Nice pictures. There was a nice flow lower Yosemite Falls. I have a nice picture but am having problems uploading it to this website.



Post Edited (02-23-09 19:13)

lisa1 wrote:

> I have a nice picture but am having problems uploading it to this
> website.

To post a picture you need its URL (the URL of the image, not the page it's on). Then use

This sign will be in my 3D pictures later. I hiked to Vernal Fall bridge. Some people were hiking up there in jeans and tennis shoes, for chrissake...but not me.

Massive Glacier Point, from the JMT about 2/3 of the way to Vernal Fall, with upper Yosemite Fall off in the distance.

Here's what I noticed about camping in Upper Pines. Every minute to five minutes, you can hear ice/snow/rock avalanche+landslides. Most were ice slippage with snow and maybe smaller boulders, but about 8 p.m. on Saturday night, one big chunk of something came off of Glacier Point and make a crack, crack, crack, bang, bang, bang, obviously falling all 3,000 feet and I'm saying this was LOUD, finally a THUD somewhere on the backside of Curry or maybe up the canyon a little, and for a half minute or so a lot of "shhhhhh" like a rainstorm of little pebbles behind.

This went on every few minutes from all sides, mainly from Glacier, but also from Half Dome's side of the campground as well.

The Vernal Fall bridge had about 6 inches of snow on it. The fall was flowing kinda low but not bad.

Frosty and his children are, well, pretty much everywhere. This lil guy was near Happy Isles bridge. Also will make my 3D web page tomorrow.

Here is the Merced River from the Happy Isles bridge on Saturday 2/21, with Illouette in the distance. I did not notice any waterfalls up the Illouette watershed, I'm sure water was flowing, just couldn't see it. I think a lot of the icefall/avalanche noise I heard was from up there.

I heard the avalanches, too. It was surreal at times.

B

Does this bridge have a name? It's between Upper and North Pines campgrounds. A name is not on the Yosemite gratis map and I could not find a placard stating it's name. I'm sure it has one.

Vince:<<I don't think there was a lower fall? Am I wrong about this?>>

I went by Yosemite falls at least four different times, and while admiring the great white snowpile at the foot of it, I also noted that there was no lower falls.

B

OK, if I did this right, the thumbnail 3D picture (GET YOUR SUPERBOWL RED-BLUE GLASSES) the smaller photo should appear here and when you click on it you'll get a large version. The technology is not perfect...!!!

Bee said:

>>I went by Yosemite falls at least four different times, and while admiring the great white snowpile at the foot of it, I also noted that there was no lower falls.

Wow would I love to be there when that ice dam breaks!

Thanks for the pics, I'm glad to see the snow is still intact, since we're heading up in the morning. Hoping for some fresh overnight snows instead of rain.

The rockfall and avalanche sounds in Upper Pines can be pretty relaxing when you get used to them. That, rain on the tent, and the coyotes sure beat listening to late night partiers...haven't heard any of those in a while and I don't miss them.

Sounds like the 19th was the night for the firefall; I noticed some talk about it on the Whitney board and followed a link out of curiosity. Sounds like it's become quite a large event...it was nothing like that a few years back when I last went. I'm allergic to tripods and lens talk anyway...8^).

Still don't know if Vince's 3-D works...I tried some cellophane but it only worked on one side. Having never seen a Superbowl with no plans to ever see one, I don't have the glasses...8^).

---

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

Sierrafan:>>Sounds like it's become quite a large event<<

It was HUGE (I took a pic of the lens crowd for fun) It was like a 3-ring circus, complete with some guy trying to hock his photos from the 19th(which only irritated the rest of us as we watched the sun fade...

B

Bee wrote:
> It was HUGE (I took a pic of the lens crowd for fun) It was
> like a 3-ring circus, complete with some guy trying to hock his
> photos from the 19th(which only irritated the rest of us as we
> watched the sun fade...


Somebody might have asked him if he had a permit, just to deflate his bag 8^). Or said "No, I have a print of the REAL, original photo, thanks anyway...8^).

I heard it's so outrageous that you are advised to park at El Cap meadow to avoid the traffic jam afterward. Though I'd certainly go see it (from somewhere) and take a photo if conditions are right and I was there, hearing this makes me sort of glad I wasn't.

That (Vince's) Sentinel Bridge pic is another place they gather at times in droves, all lookinig for the same photo, usually Half Dome in evening red, and staking out their "spot" early.

---

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

Here's another 3D image you can click on for bigger. Like I said, the technology is not perfect but you can see the crow in the tree, kinda jumps out at you.

Three of these suckers were circling my backpack as I got ready for the hike Saturday. If they had been able to get close, they've got some dry salami, cheddar cheese and ranch david&sons. But they didn't get close.

Bee The V:

VInce:>>Three of these suckers were circling my backpack<<

Musta been the ones I chased off earlier....quite bold they are.

B

Bee wrote:

> VInce:>>Three of these suckers were circling my backpack<<
>
> Musta been the ones I chased off earlier....quite bold they
> are.


... and smarter than the average human.

My favorite book "discovery" of 2008 was "Bird Brains" by Candace Savage (love the close-up cover photo):
http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Brains-Intelligence-Ravens-Magpies/dp/0871569566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235378791&sr=1-1

Also, great photos and anecdotes throughout the book:
A raven that heard repeated explosions being set off by a highway crew is reported afterwards to have shouted out, "Three, two, one, kaboom!"

Here is the end of the space mountain ride at Disneyland:

Here is what Donner Pass looked like eastbound at 5:25 p.m. on Sunday evening. I drove from YV to Mariposa then followed Hwy 49 all the way to Auburn and then up and over the hill back home.

Bee, did the Horsetail camera monkeys look anything like this?

Vince: >>Bee, did the Horsetail camera monkeys look anything like this?<<

Much worse! There was an intensity -- a territorial vigor -- that permeated the place, so that I would bust out laughing about every 5 minutes. These folks look casual in comparison. At one point I yelled out "The UFO landing has been cancelled for this evening" and sorta broke the place up.

B

I live closer to Area 51 than you do LOL

Last one tonight. It is exceedingly difficult to get a good picture of Half Dome from the valley floor when snow is on the ground and snow is capping the dome. Here's my best shot from the North Pines bridge (or whatever that bridge is called)

Lower Yosemite was quite impressive on the 19th.
No firefall though... bummage.

---

Everything I know I learned from

Vince;

how was the hike to Vernal? was the snow deep on the trail?

A picture of upper and lower Yose Falls is posted above.

Here is Vernal Falls bridge on Feb. 20th also.
The entire trail was in about 6-12 inches of snow/ice/slush.

I would say the trail averaged less than a foot the whole way. It was pretty well trampled. The bridge had maybe nine inches on it max. I did not take a picture of the bridge. However I did make a movie from the bridge.

I wasn't able to get a picture, but those gray squirrels with the bottle-cleaner tails were running around Upper Pines.

Oh, and another thing, Upper Pines is about 1/2 Cedar...

Oh yeah Gary, that "Sentinel Bridge" photo was actually Tunnel View almost four years ago.

Here are a couple photos. One is the JMT mileage sign, the next the same sign in red-blue 3D.

Here are a couple videos from the aforementioned weekend.

Yosemite Movies