1. this last monday (in Yosemite Valley floor), i saw a young lady actually sitting (leaning back) right in the road of oncoming traffic to take a photo of her boyfriend. i kept watching the traffic, buses and all, because she wasn't, just in case a car came by. she must have sat there for at least 2 minutes (which is a long time when it's really busy traffic)..

2. and a couple of years ago, i saw a young couple walk close to a mother bear and her cub over by El Capitan (the meadow area by the river)... they kept getting closer and closer to get a picture (i'm guessing about 60 feet away) until i yelled at them to get away...

3. another couple of years ago (winter with snow in the valley) i was just outside of my car just looking around, when a lady (about 65 yrs old) stopped a ways from me... not far off, there was a buck by itself... she got out of her car and got closer than i was comfortable with.... i told her she better get away as a buck can and will gore you if it feels threatened... she scoffed at me (not believing me)... again she walked closer (now about 20 feet away from it), to where i aggressively told her to get away... i think she finally got scared as it turned to look at her and stared... her friend was upset that she got so close.. pretty sure her friend believed me and was embarrassed, but grateful that i got her to get away.

4. about 25 yrs ago, i was at the top of Vernal Falls with 4 other guys my age ( ages 25-30 at the time)... no one was around, we were all by ourselves... we all stood at the railing looking over and all around... a split second later, i turned around to find one of our guys missing... i asked the other 3 where the other guy was... they all looked horrified and pointed to where he was... (and this is no joke!)..... the IDIOT had climbed over the railing, and was purposely hanging over the lower bar on the railing over the falls area!!!! i looked over, made eye contact with him and softly (not wanting to spook him and have him fall), told him "come on now, lets go"... he climbed back up to safety.... i was livid!!!!!! i (verbally) tore into him like you wouldn't believe... i read him the riot act big time!!! we immediately made our way down because we could no longer trust his morons judgement (he was a friend of a friend, i didn't know him at all)... we went right back to the valle floor to spend the rest of the day.

really dumb!!!

Saw half a dozen people approach a buck with full antlers in Stoneman meadow. Got within 10 feet of him.

My favorite line from Yellowstone last year--when a visitor walked into a river chasing a moose (near the Tetons), someone yelled out "you need a better camera--and a bigger lens migth help."

I have one and the proof is still there. Year ago (I guess decades ago) I went up to Tuolumne Meadows and the campground was about full. Peopel back then used to just drive around and kept looking for spots. I was by myself in a little Honda Accord. In loop A on the very last section there is, if you look real closely (especially if you really want a campsite and there are none) what almost appears to be a road dissecting the loop. I went down it and I just kinda asked some people if they didn't mind me sharing their campsite and they said yes. Well, after me comes a motor home and tries the same route. He gets about halfway down and wedges between 2 trees. There was no way he was ever going to go down the same path I went. He went back and forth and the sound of metal ripping filled the air. Each time He went, it got further and further wedged until he just could not move it anymore. The rangers came out finally and by the time he got out, both side of his motor home were completetly ripped open.

The next time I went up there there was a boulder right in the middle of that not quite road. I just got to point to my kids and got to tell them I was kinda involved in getting that boulder there.

I have a great picture of a dad and his son who went under the railing at the top of Yosemite Falls, then proceeded to lay down to look over the edge. I told the guy to come back under, he looked at me like I was the one who was crazy. As soon as I find the picture I'll post it.

Two that really stick with me are:

1. A man was urging his child, about 4 yrs old, to get closer and closer (like a few feet away) to deer that were grazing at Yosemite Lodge so he could get a better picture. I could tell he was a foreign tourist and didn't have a clue about deer not all being Bambi but I finally got so nervous that I tried to tell him what he was doing was dangerous. Thankfully, he got the message and stopped.

2. Another incident that really made me angry occurred when I had backpacked to Lake Ediza with a friend. The area around the lake was closed to camping so we set up camp on a high spot overlooking the lake - very pretty. As we looked down, a HUGE group of Boy Scouts came hiking in with their leaders and proceeded to set up their camp right at the lakeside! They totally ignored the info on their permit - if they even had one - and the SIGNS posted there. They set up their kitchen area right at the water's edge! We watched as they went to the bathroom all around the area - no attempts to go away from the lake for anything. That night, predictably, they lost their food to a bear - which really made it a clean sweep of "things you can do wrong" - and left in the morning. These kids were learning "wilderness skills" from their "leaders??" Our shame was that we should have reported them but we didn't. As you can probably tell, it still bothers me when I think about it.

At the bridge below Vernal:


http://yosemitephotos.net/main.php/v/misc/cr-dscn5376.jpg.html

You mean today? Because I have a few examples from today alone - like the person who slammed on their brakes in front of us in the pouring rain near Tenaya Lake in order to ....you guessed it...take a picture.

Or all time? My favorite was probably the woman in high heels and a cocktail dress. On the (older) Lower Yosemite Falls trail. On that tiny little paved hill right before the falls. In january. When it was a sheet of ice. Who commented on our snowshoes (we were snowshoeing the valley loop) asking if she could borrow them. Yes, lady, they'll strap perfectly to your high heels but I'm sorry, the orange clashes with your dress. Can't have that.

A close runner up would be the busload of tourists that pulled into the Bridalveil falls parking lot, poured out of the bus, lined up next to the bus, and had everyone take pictures of their group with the bus. Nevermind the fantastic scenery people!

I have a long story about someone trying to hang their food on a tree branch directly over the campfire pit in my campsite. And did I mention it was while I was having a fire? Oh, and they also asked for my help because they'd never done it before. I helped them. By finding them a different tree (this was in Tahoe NF where bagging is fine)

Or how about an example from myself - I once forgot to pack any kind of eating utensil so I had to carve a spoon from a stick. That was fun.

Luckily it's mostly harmless examples of ignorance more than stupidity, but this is just a small subset...

You mean the high heels don't serve as crampons?

I've carved a spoon from a stick once.

Quote
calipidder
Or how about an example from myself - I once forgot to pack any kind of eating utensil so I had to carve a spoon from a stick. That was fun.

But you at least had a knife!

OK. I brought a bottle of water that I thought was fuel. Chick-on saved me though.
(my stove would not light)

---

Old Dude



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2011 08:32PM by mrcondron.

Quote
calipidder

Or how about an example from myself - I once forgot to pack any kind of eating utensil so I had to carve a spoon from a stick. That was fun.

Couldn't you just eat with your hands, or put a bowl directly up to your mouth? I know that's not civilized, but you're out in the wilderness, you know.

Hard to stir up that mountain house that way...

Quote
plawrence

Quote
calipidder

Or how about an example from myself - I once forgot to pack any kind of eating utensil so I had to carve a spoon from a stick. That was fun.

Couldn't you just eat with your hands, or put a bowl directly up to your mouth? I know that's not civilized, but you're out in the wilderness, you know.

So how did you say it goes? Left hand wipe, right hand eat, or was it right hand wipe, left hand eat? Use a spoon or something.

---

Old Dude

Yesterday I saw a guy walking down the JMT in his socks. Said his shoes hurt too much so he just took them off. Stupid thing would probably be getting all the way up to Nevada Falls in shoes that hurt...

Then there were these two guys on some granite near the Merced. We were on the bridge upstream of Vernal, making our way to Nevada.



The river is flowing fast and hard, and you can see the granite is wet - that's because the water is crashing around randomly. That dude was walking around like the river couldn't touch him, almost walking into white water to aim his camera upstream. DUMB.

yeah, its amazing to me why people feel the need to get incredibly close to danger... the guy in your photo just HAD to get at the waters edge??? (as Bugs Bunny says "what a maroon".

A few years ago, at the top of Chilnualna falls, a youth camp consellor had about six of his kids all soaking in the slick granite pools above the falls. At the time, (I was with a large group of hikers myself) I decided not to make a scene...and have felt bad about it ever since.

Next time, I won't be quiet.

---

Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

1. man trying to feed a moose a hotdog in Yellowstone
2. man with two young kids trying to go on the old dam below Mirror Lake while a SAR was going on in the same place.
3. man trying to pet a bison near Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone. I saw this while looking at the web cam that is there.
4. girl climbing over railing at Canyon Overlook in Zion and dancing on the edge of a cliff.
5. people chasing a bull moose in Tetons during breeding season so they could get a close up picture.
6. girl going up the Mist Trail in high heels and a miniskirt.
7. parents watching kid throw rocks over the edge at Bryce Canyon near a sign saying not to do that because there are hikers on the trails below.
8. man going off the boardwalk to get daughter's hat in a thermal area at Norris Basin near sign warning people to stay on the boardwalk.
9. woman chasing a marmot in Rocky Mt. NP near the edge of a huge drop off.

We average around 5 trips to National Parks/year so I could go on and on about this topic.

I bought a t-shirt in Jackson Hole one year that says:

Feed the bears.
Squat with your spurs on.
Let your kids ride the elk.
Picnic in Poison ivy.
Drive fast and pass on curves.
We thank your for your support.
Jackson Hole Paramedics

lololol love it!

Quote
parklover
1. man trying to feed a moose a hotdog in Yellowstone
2. man with two young kids trying to go on the old dam below Mirror Lake while a SAR was going on in the same place.
3. man trying to pet a bison near Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone. I saw this while looking at the web cam that is there.
4. girl climbing over railing at Canyon Overlook in Zion and dancing on the edge of a cliff.
5. people chasing a bull moose in Tetons during breeding season so they could get a close up picture.
6. girl going up the Mist Trail in high heels and a miniskirt.
7. parents watching kid throw rocks over the edge at Bryce Canyon near a sign saying not to do that because there are hikers on the trails below.
8. man going off the boardwalk to get daughter's hat in a thermal area at Norris Basin near sign warning people to stay on the boardwalk.
9. woman chasing a marmot in Rocky Mt. NP near the edge of a huge drop off.

We average around 5 trips to National Parks/year so I could go on and on about this topic.

I bought a t-shirt in Jackson Hole one year that says:

Feed the bears.
Squat with your spurs on.
Let your kids ride the elk.
Picnic in Poison ivy.
Drive fast and pass on curves.
We thank your for your support.
Jackson Hole Paramedics

Chasing marmots is not allowed on this forum.

Not watching your children at the top of a waterfall. A few years back at the top of Vernal we saw a small child, probably five or six, on the inside of the railing ten feet from the edge of the fall. Grabbed the kid and calmly guided him around (railing was not the extended version that is there today and the water flow and level were much less). The parents had no clue about the danger their child had been in and treated it like no big deal. Argh!

Quote
tomdisco
Chasing marmots is not allowed on this forum.

I thought all the marmots here were chaste.

Years ago, with my young family, we came across a bear feeding in a meadow about 200 yards off of Tioga Pass Road near the parking lot for the Sequoia Grove . No one was around and so I pulled into the only safe pullout nearby and got completely off the pavement. We tried to set up in a viewing spot out of sight of the road to no avail. Before long the traffic and craziness began.

People started stopping in the road and getting out of their cars, swerving all around, and scrambling to find parking. One woman, driving an expensive, shiny SUV, drove up an embankment, got a tree limb stuck under her car, then pulled out and drove away, with the tree limb dragging behind her. She caused $1,000's in damage to her "off road" vehicle. It was pretty funny at the time. (Still is, kinda)

From that day forward, I have refused to stop for roadside wildlife viewing. If I had not stopped, I doubt that anyone would have noticed the beautiful creature going about it's business. We were lucky that no one got hurt!

Three drunk guys arrived in developed forest service campground after midnight, mistook the boat launch for campsite and set up tents on it, and decided to celebrate the good life by firing handguns of greater caliber than their intelligence into the air until 4am.

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

Well I was in the valley last week. People in Emerald Pool! People sitting on logs and letting their children play in a "protected" area (just beyond the missing poster for the three people from two weeks ago).. People walking out to boulders and logs under the falls but above the footbridge. I couldn't believe it! Oh and on the way down from Half Dome saw one guy barefoot and two others in flip flops (the cheapest pair imaginable). And at the top of HD one guy had hiked up in a ratty pair of Vans. Did it to tell his story about his hike, take pictures, and try to score a free pair from the company in exchange for rights to his story. I own a couple pairs of Vans and they have no grip or traction. Crazy!!

Quote
robinjayp

Oh and on the way down from Half Dome saw one guy barefoot

I know several people who hike barefoot. I doubt that there's anything really wrong with that if one has conditioned one's feet by walking and hiking a lot of miles barefooted beforehand.

For us tenderfoots, it's another matter, but our feet through evolution had been designed to be perfectly capable for hiking through the wilderness without any form of shoes or sandals.

My only one was the four "kids" (20 something) who hiked HD with 4 liters of water and 1 liter of Gatorade for all four of them! It was 105 in the valley that day. We found them at the top of Nevada Falls on their way down. They saw my wife with her backpack and asked if we could filter water for them. My wife found me and I filled everything they had. I then found my wife tending to one of the girls with the beginnings of heat stroke. Head between her knees, dizzy and not sweating. We got water and a little food in her and then cooled her down with a misting fan my wife had. It took 20 minutes before she could stand. And the rest of her group was pushing her to get moving. We kept her there until she seemed okay to me. I don't think we "boy friend" was terribly found of us, but I didn't really care. They probably pushed her the whole way and cause the problem in the first place.

A 15 hour hike in 100+ degree temperatures and you take a liter of water?!? I realize it is more common than I knew at the time, but I was just amazed. We carried at least that just to make it from stream to stream!

Glad they weren't hiking around Death Valley that day. Every year it seems people die in Death Valley, especially on the sand dunes, because they failed to stay hydrated.

Carrying only a liter of water at a time is fine – IF – you know that there are reliable water sources along your route where you can refill your water bottle/canteen. And while I think it's wise to bring along a water fiter or iodine tablets (just to be on the safe side), if facing severe dehydration or heat stroke, I wouldn't think twice of drinking running water in the high country of the Sierra unfiltered (though I normally would not).

Quote
plawrence
I wouldn't think twice of drinking running water in the high country of the Sierra unfiltered (though I normally would not).

Yes, they would have been WAY better off drinking the water. Odds are nothing bad would have happened. If they did get Guardia, they would have long been home by then. Guardia is far less deadly then dehydration!

i noticed the area that is popular to see bears (across the street in a meadow by Crane Flat) had all kinds of barriers keeping you from parking there. i wasn't sure if it was to keep cars from parking to see wildlife, or if they were about to do some construction.

Hard to separate things that I find stupid, or things that make me cringe at how stupid people can be.



To me, nothing riles my blood more than people trashing our land;

Grand Canyon, I saw a dad having a picnic with his family on a rock along the rim trail, and he was just chucking his discarded chicken bones over the edge like the canyon was a huge friggin trash heap. Yes I said something, and he even got in my face for saying so; but I have no regrets dampening that family picnic. Maybe the kids learned that littering makes you look like a jerk.

In Yosemite; in the middle of Cooks Meadow I found a diaper.

Also this year, on the trail to Feather Falls Overlook, right where the trail turns down to the falls, another diaper stuck in the manzanita a few feet off the trail.

If I ever saw the people that did this, I'd be happy to set them in a rubber raft at the top of the Silver Apron and wish them all a bon voyage! (File under: Ask me how I really feel.)

---

Gary Crabbe
Enlightened Images

"Nearness to Nature keeps the Spirit sensitive to impressions not commonly felt, and in touch with unseen powers." - Oyihesa; Santee Dakota indian, from his book, Soul of the Indian (1911)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2011 01:23PM by enlightphoto.

A seemingly incredibly large portion of the population think it is OK to
leave toilet paper on the side of <trail, road, etc>. They think it
will just disappear in minutes I guess. (file under: Pisses me off)

---

Quote
chick-on

A seemingly incredibly large portion of the population think it is OK to
leave toilet paper on the side of <trail, road, etc>. They think it
will just disappear in minutes I guess. (file under: Pisses me off)

Giving a small benefit of doubt to backpackers, I think most of the TP I see along trails is the result of them thinking that's o.k. to bury the TP, not realizing that many wildland critters will dig up the TP which then ends up on trails, or more often, stuck to bushes off the trail (and near a campsite).

And it's bad enough to go hiking to enjoy some clean mountain air and run into a smoker who's smoking. But it annoys me to no end that many smokers don't consider their cigarettes butts to be litter and think it's perfectly fine to leave them on the ground.

FYI: I have never done anything stupid. I'm the smartest bird in the world!
(I get some bozo to carry me around quite frequently)

---

i saw a special on TV some time ago, about climbers on El Capitan.... they showed one place where tons of garbage had been left by climbers (yes, on El Capitan itself). i was very surprised, i thought people who climbed, had a greater respect for the outdoors, i guess its not always true.

There's a very effective warning sign near the door to the Visitor's Center at the Grand Canyon North Rim.

It says "Can you run the Boston Marathon?' The poster then tells the story of a 24 year old marathon runner who took the North Kaibab Trail into the canyon, a 23 mile round trip with only 1 liter of water, an apple and an energy bar.

She died.

I have always wondered how people make it up trails in flip flops. I wear them around the pool but never would think of wearing them on a trail. Growing up, most of the time I did not wear shoes in the summer so I could hike barefoot. However, my foot bottoms had calluses almost a 1/2 an inch thick and I could walk on broken glass and gravel without a problem. Can't do that anymore since I don't walk barefoot enough now.

Why do people think that it is OK to leave orange peels around? It is not like they breakdown easily and their color really stands out. Don't even get me started on cigarette butts and candy wrappers. As for icky things found, in addition to diapers I have found used tampons on the side of trails and a used condom in the Indian Caves. Yewwwwwww!!!!!!

Quote
parklover

Why do people think that it is OK to leave orange peels around?

Simple, because they think that because an orange peel is natural and biodegradable, it's perfectly fine to toss it out. Probably the same the thought process of the man that was tossing chicken bones over the side of the Grand Canyon: it's biodegradable, so why bother throwing it in the trash?

those dang Indians!

There's a stupid blind intersection @ Big Oak Rd/HWY140. I believe it's right after you finish exiting the 3 tunnels (if you're entering the park from the Bay Area).
You reach the stop sign, creep forward, stick your face against the windshield, turn your head rapidly in both directions...coast seems clear, then you make your left turn and a car comes from your right. Oh, cars also come from the left.
That's pretty stupid.

I have only been to the park a few times, so my worst doesn't compare, lol. The first day I had ever set foot in Yosemite I hiked up to Nevada Fall and had a couple of people headed to Half Dome with 20oz bottles trying to bum water from me over by the bridge. I told them I still had to walk down, and thus couldn't give away my water, so they just continued on.

Over 30 years, I have seen countless monstrously stupid things, many of them revolving around day hiking Half Dome. On the Half Dome trail, I have seen:

1. Men hiking in 100 degree weather wearing nothing but Speedos and carrying no water. Not one ounce. These guys are usually southern Europeans.
2. Barefoot hikers, hobbling and limping with bleedy feet by the time of Little Yosemite Valley.
3. People flagrantly littering all over the trail, throwing away toilet paper, candy wrappers, even a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket (who eats fried chicken on a hike?)

I have encountered many people who will not allow me to pass on the road, even in straight-aways that are designated as legal passing zones. Just last month, some moron in front of me (going 15 MPH for 20 miles in a 40 MPH zone), moved his car over so I could not pass, then slammed on his breaks and narrowly avoided a head-on collison. He did this 4 more times until I finally had enough and blew by him. Behind him were at least 40 cars, all forced to drive at 15 MPH through the Crane Flat-TM area.

I've seen parents in Curry Village have their tiny children approach bears with outstretched hands full of food. Seen a woman pick up a squirrel near Sentinel Dome and put the poor thing in her purse.

That's the tip of the iceberg, but will suffice for now.

lol you reminded me of a guy (an older man, who looked about 65 yrs old, and from an Arab country) hiking down from Nevada Falls, to Vernal Falls... he was about 1/2 way to Vernal Falls when i ran into him.. get this.... the guy was wearing a suit !!!! a black suit of all things! yes, a suit coat and slacks... it was soooo friggin' hot that day, i was dressed properly, and was sweatin' like a bad boy s it ws!!!

my buddy and i asked him why he dressed that way on a hike, and he said that's how he always dresses in his country... he said he was dressed "relaxed"... relaxed meaning, no tie (seriously! lol).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2011 04:14AM by forrestranger.

lots of great stories guys!! lolol i appreciate all those who contributed.. i had a number of good laughs reading all of these.

Quote
forrestranger
lol you reminded me of a guy (an older man, who looked about 65 yrs old, and from an Arab country) hiking down from Nevada Falls, to Vernal Falls... he was about 1/2 way to Vernal Falls when i ran into him.. get this.... the guy was wearing a suit !!!! a black suit of all things! yes, a suit coat and slacks... it was soooo friggin' hot that day, i was dressed properly, and was sweatin' like a bad boy s it ws!!!

my buddy and i asked him why he dressed that way on a hike, and he said that's how he always dresses in his country... he said he was dressed "relaxed"... relaxed meaning, no tie (seriously! lol).

If he was from Arabia, then a hot day in Yosemite might have been like a normal (or even a mild) day for him.

---

Leave No Trace

Like everyone else here, I have seen too many ignorant things to count. The one thing that really erks me though is peoples' insistence to feed the squirrels. I know there are far more pressing issues in the park, but I would love to see people get ticketed for it. Their is always a moron or two, happy to oblige. I tend to avoid confrontation in my day to day whenever possible, but as soon as I see someone feeding the squirrells, or any other wildlife for that matter, I just can't help myself.

Could write a short book haha. One that I see frequently each early July in the Sierra during peak mosquito season is hikers setting out wearing only shorts, t-shirt, and cap. Of course many probably have some DEET juice but a surprising number do not and that is way STUPID without excuse even for newbies. But even those that do have bug juice are soon to find mosquitoes readily stick their probosci right through cotton t-shirts. Especially sweaty wet t-shirts that have such a heavenly aroma to squeets. To make matters worse they often plan to hike several miles back and forth and have no sunscreen. So hours later not only are they grubby and itchy all over but have a very cherry glow of sunburn. Instead of finding a way to clean off the trail dirt, sweat, and grime, like showering or jumping into a cool lake or stream, they instead buy into "Camping is about being grubby and bearing it isn't it?" Of course the group returns to some public campground and since only one of them had a tent, they get to enjoy communal grubby sleeping with friends, one of which SNORES while another has certain gastrointestinal issues.

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2011 07:48PM by DavidSenesac.

Quote
DavidSenesac
one of which SNORES

That's the one we sacrifice to the mosquito god!

Oh Yeah, this was near the end of my own 'adventure' 20 years back following a day hike to Half Dome. (The adventure has its own special name, given to us by a Ranger in Little Yosemite, but the name isn't suitable for mixed polite company) Readers Digest, I twisted an popped my knee out below the subdome. Still, I managed to hike out on my own, but my progress kept the four of us friends moving slow down the JMT. The one flashlight burned out about a mile past Nevada Falls. We held hands with the leader giving a warning saying "Rock. Root. Step." that would be repeated to each person by the one in front. It was nearly 11 pm and we were all very exhausted.& tired as we approached Happy Isles. About 1/2 mile up from the old bridge, we see a young guy, maybe 18-20 hiking alone, heading up the trail holding a flashlight in one hand, and a case of beer on his shoulder. We asked him where he was going, and he said he was gonna meet up with his friend who were camping at Little Yosemite. We tried to convince him that wasn't a good idea. As he walked on up the trail, it was all we could do to offer to relieve him of some of his burden. Frankly, we thought leaving half a dozen beers with us sounded like a very reasonable offer of assistance.

---

Gary Crabbe
Enlightened Images

"Nearness to Nature keeps the Spirit sensitive to impressions not commonly felt, and in touch with unseen powers." - Oyihesa; Santee Dakota indian, from his book, Soul of the Indian (1911)

Hmmm...20 years ago you say...

That may have been a guy I know. He suffered bad, but the beer sure tasted good. He never made it to the top of HD by the way. Drank a few in the AM and was out of it for the rest of the day!

This May, I'm arranging my art supplies in the back of my van in the parking lot nearest the Art Center. You can't see through the windows. Chick parks next to me, stands between the cars, chain smokes two cigarets and throws the butts on the ground.

Bad me, I picked them up and stuck them in the seam of her window.

Even a butt is disrespectful to our land.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2011 10:53AM by lovechris.

One more irksome thing.... Last May, camping riverside in Lower Pines. People next to me have two beautiful, BIG dogs, tied to a tree next to their huge motorhome. Mostly, the dogs slept near the RV. But on at lease FIVE occasions both dogs agressively lunged, (teeth bared, barking, snarling) and charged after people walking along side the river. Dogs were on probably a 35 foot lead, which stopped them before actually attacking. But several children and walkers were terrified! All they saw were dogs attacking! The Campers repeatedly just said "Bozo, no." and kept on eating/drinking/whatever. I wanted to say something, but they were already mad at me for asking them to shut their generators down.

Quote
lovechris
This May, I'm arranging my art supplies in the back of my van in the parking lot nearest the Art Center. You can't see through the windows. Chick parks next to me, stands between the cars, chain smokes two cigarets and throws the butts on the ground.

Bad me, I picked them up and stuck them in the seam of her window.

Even a butt is disrespectful to our land.

Love it! It is something I would have done (or at least wished I would have done in my mind)!!!!

And "good you" not bad you!

Quote
lovechris
This May, I'm arranging my art supplies in the back of my van in the parking lot nearest the Art Center. You can't see through the windows. Chick parks next to me, stands between the cars, chain smokes two cigarets and throws the butts on the ground.

Bad me, I picked them up and stuck them in the seam of her window.

Even a butt is disrespectful to our land.

Good for you!!!!! I would have been tempted to put them somewhere else if you know what I mean.

People cramming themselves into Downtown Yosemite during the summer months.
(ViewedFromFarAbovely Yours)
The Marmots

P.S. Mistakenly posted as a reply to parklover's post. Should be indented over to the left as a reply to the original post.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2011 10:00AM by szalkowski.

Without too much self-incrimination, I think a more interesting question would be about that stupid things have you done and lived to tell about later.

It's one thing to be ignorant, but another to know something is wrong or a bad idea, but do it anyways. Take for instance the guys who were swept off the bridge at Wapama Falls.

Quote
y_p_w
Without too much self-incrimination, I think a more interesting question would be about that stupid things have you done and lived to tell about later.

Hiking dehydrated to the point of no brain, past three creeks to the car, crying and limping all the way. Was so out of it that it did not occur to me to just stop and have a drink of water. I learned a lot about choosing the right shoes and drinking more water that trip. Also about ticks. (Hate ticks.) But that wasn't in Yosemite.

Also dumb - moonless night, in LYV, I wandered around for an hour looking for my campsite. I found the restroom about four times, the fire rings a few more times, and probably bugged the heck out of the other campers with my headlamp. I have since gotten a keychain LED to hang on my shelter and gotten in the habit of walking around some and exploring before settling in for the night so I have a mental map of the surroundings.

My first (and so far only) backpacking trip in Yosemite. It was myself and my wife. We come to a trail junction, and without looking at the map(I had a GPS with maps loaded also), I say “turn left here”. As we are hiking down the hill we both comment that we are glad we don’t have to hike up this part of the trail. Get to the bottom and stop for lunch. My wife is at the river with her feet in and I decide to check the map. “Hey honey, you know that hill we just came down? Yes, I screwed up, we have to go back up it!”.

Dehydration. Extreme dehydration. Not carrying enough water for the trip up, and "saving" it for the hike down. On that trip, I learned firsthand how dehydration affects your perception, and often manifests as belligerence. Now I can spot it more easily in others and, hopefully, in myself if I find myself in that situation again.

I'm one of those who buried her TP. It was supposed to be a very short afternoon hike, and I hadn't planned on needing the TP (which was really our used paper napkins from our picnic) or thought about bringing a plastic bag to carry-out used TP in. But nature's call cannot be ignored. At least I went off trail and away from water as best as I could. Sorry. I now know better than to trust my "gut" when it tells me "nope, don't need to go" when I'm at the bathroom at the trail head.

OK - since I asked the question, it's only fair that I join in.

Once at LYV, I woke up in the middle of the night needing to pee. I walked to the outhouse and went upstairs. I tried opening each door, but couldn't get any to open. I thought they were all locked with people using them. I then went off a few hundred feet off trail and did my business. I came back in the morning, and then pulled a little harder. I realized that I just didn't pull too hard on those doors with stiff return springs. I actually used the outhouse the day before, but I guess in the middle of night I wasn't thinking too well.

I also somehow ended up stuffing extra food in my pack that I didn't intend on bringing with me. By then I had no room in my bear can. I ended up taking some non-food items out until I had enough room in the can.

When I got lost off-trail once hiking solo, I went across a rather steep incline to try to get back to the marked trail. It could have been pretty nasty for me if I fell with little chance of anyone finding me.

I would note that years ago we were staying in a cabin in the Sierra with a free-standing cabinet on the front porch for non-food supplies. Someone in my group decided to place food in there, including a bag of sliced bread. We got back to the area after a long day, and had flashlights. I had my flashlight out and noticed what looked like a moving silhouette of a bear with a plastic bag hanging from its mouth. We got back to the cabin and found what must have been what happened after that bear slashed open the cabinet door. Strangely enough, we weren't fined and weren't even asked to pay for the repair to the cabinet.

Quote
y_p_w
Without too much self-incrimination, I think a more interesting question would be about that stupid things have you done and lived to tell about later.

Camped at Boothe Lake.

This was up the top of Vernal Falls back in April.

Quote
Echidna
This was up the top of Vernal Falls back in April.

Better cell phone reception out there.

I have to say, this is quite the winner...lol

More wierd than stupid....Henry Coe State Park, in my one man tent, middle of the night a big creature rubbing up on me, probably a big racoon. I just laid there frozen in a combination of fear and amusement. Was I really that sexy?? I couldn't beleive my incessant snoring didn't scare it away! Maybe my snoring was a mating call!

---

'I gots to get this pack lighter!!'

Quote
rroland
More wierd than stupid....Henry Coe State Park, in my one man tent, middle of the night a big creature rubbing up on me, probably a big racoon. I just laid there frozen in a combination of fear and amusement. Was I really that sexy?? I couldn't beleive my incessant snoring didn't scare it away! Maybe my snoring was a mating call!

In Coe it could have been a feral pig. The place is full of them and they come out at night. Snoring is pretty close to their mating call. I presume all you orifices are still pristene.

---

Old Dude

Quote
mrcondron

Quote
rroland
More wierd than stupid....Henry Coe State Park, in my one man tent, middle of the night a big creature rubbing up on me, probably a big racoon. I just laid there frozen in a combination of fear and amusement. Was I really that sexy?? I couldn't beleive my incessant snoring didn't scare it away! Maybe my snoring was a mating call!

In Coe it could have been a feral pig. The place is full of them and they come out at night. Snoring is pretty close to their mating call. I presume all you orifices are still pristene.

Yes, OMG I survived a feral pig mating! I am now truly one with nature!

While at Nevada Falls on Friday I saw people swimming above the falls. I took some video and then went to ask them if maybe they thought they were better swimmers that the people that died while back. They explained that they died on Vernal falls etc. I saw lots of kids in bathing suits. I was thinking that it must be pretty common.

I had no idea that Nevada Fall was safe! Let's all get a raucous game of Marco Polo going. Those folks above Vernal are fools :p

Youtube has plenty of video footage of people swimming in the Emerald Pool.