Salathe and Ax Nelson's famous climb was of the southwest face of Half Dome, not to be confused with the regular or northwest face by Royal Robins, Mike Sherrick and Jerry Gallwas, which was the first grade VI climb done in the U.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Robbins Some people confuse the Salathe Route on El Cap with John Salathe, thinking that maybe he did it first, when in fact theby mark2 - General Discussion
There have been some who have been known to just walk right on into the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge shower stalls and, believe it or not, simply close the door behind them, take a shower and leave without even so much as announcing their presence there. Also, I don't personally know of anyone, as of yet, ever getting caught; not that I'm suggesting it. Is it a misdemeanor?by mark2 - General Discussion
Who did the first free climb of it, is a good question. The first actual ascent of the North Face of Half Dome was made by Royal Robbins, and it was not a siege. It was first climbed in 1957 by a team consisting of Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_Northwest_Face_of_Half_Dome Post Edited (05-05-08 14:23)by mark2 - General Discussion
Royal Robbins climbed the North Face of Half Dome in the late 1950s. Not sure when. No Siege. The famous siege was of El Cap's Nose, by Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore. Post Edited (05-05-08 10:57)by mark2 - General Discussion
"Yosemite should be a nature center, not a profit." -David Brower (a staunch supporter of Friends of Yosemite Valley and of their efforts to protect the park.) A new quote today from Scott Silver today with Wildwilderness.org: Today's Park Service managers have come to see themselves as just another cog in the global tourism industry. They act as if charged with the task of faciliby mark2 - General Discussion
Comments from Scott Silver from wildwinderness.org regarding the recent San Francisco Appellate Court ruling, posted with permission from Mr. Silver: Yesterday I offered my congratulations to those dedicated, public-spirited activists who insisted that the National Park Service comply with environmental laws and manage Yosemite Valley and the Merced River corridor appropriately. http://www.wiby mark2 - General Discussion
Letter to Fresno Bee Editor from Bridget Kerr, of the Friends of Yosemite Valley: etter to the editor from Fresno Bee Be honest in Yosemite 04/01/08 22:14:31 The appellate court ruling on Yosemite isn't about projects (story March 28), it is about the National Park Service failing for 17 years to adopt a plan protecting the Merced River. It cannot continue to develop the river corridor until itby mark2 - General Discussion
Another article on the subject: Court Halts Yosemite National Park Construction Plans PASEDENA, California, March 28, 2008 (ENS) - The National Park Service cannot proceed with more than $100 million in construction projects now on the drawing board for Yosemite National Park because the developments could illegally ruin the park's sensitive ecosystem, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruby mark2 - General Discussion
Feds' plan for protecting Yosemite river falls short, court rules Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, March 27, 2008 (03-27) 12:23 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The federal government has failed to prepare an adequate plan to manage and protect the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, a federal appeals court ruled today. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a fedby mark2 - General Discussion
Radanovich should learn that the enemy of his enemy may be his friend; though strange bedfellows, as he attempts to power broker his way through this political climate in Mariposa County. He should know that some of the groups referred to as "other environmental groups", i.e. "Friends of Yosemite Valley" and "Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Government&by mark2 - General Discussion
The road issues at Ferguson slide has actually improved my chances of going that way, as per my experience there this last weekend. I was tied up waiting for the light to change, along with everyone else. Once the traffic in our direction started moving, I found that by pulling over after crossing the bridges, letting all the traffic pass, I was able to drive very slowly down the canyon, admby mark2 - General Discussion
Interesting article. He said, and I quote, "Yosemite needs a way to increase the number of visitors to the park and easy access for their large maintenance vehicles." But, I think he meant “tour buses”, not “maintenance vehicles”. After all, Radanovich is from Mariposa and those people are his constituents, and he did seem to lament the fact that they are only getting a smalby mark2 - General Discussion
I understand that many feel the removal of trees to enhance the view of the Lower Fall from the road area was an great enhancement, and some feel that the construction of the massive restroom facilities there with large stones, which matches the equally massive bus stop near by, also known by park employees as the "Halprin Memorial" after its architect, is seen by many Yosemite Fund conby mark2 - General Discussion
Regarding the Yosemite User Capacity Symposium, the park service has already stated that they do not want a carrying capacity, and will find a way around it, as is the case with their faulted V.E.R.P. system, which allows for growth as perspectives change over time. The changes they have made to Yosemite Valley and are making will be to the intended exclusion of average Americans who want to caby mark2 - General Discussion
Lol. Enjoy your motel room, Vince. You'll enjoy all the comforts of home.by mark2 - General Discussion
Forget it Dan. They'd rather talk about less confrontational issues here, and we need to respect that. Thanks, though, for the nice comments on the thread above. Maybe they'll get upset later when the issue of not being able to find a campsite becomes a personal issue for them. Perhaps they'll get mad at the eBay scalpers for the campsites that these people are getting for resale only forby mark2 - General Discussion
Gary, my apologies if contempt was read in my words. It certainly wasn't there when typing it. It is possible to read anything into a post, and believe me, contempt for another way of camping was not it. When referring to “purists”, I stated that I was referring to those who like walk-in camping options only. I don’t think any of you had that position. But, from what you are saying, Garby mark2 - General Discussion
By the way, those long lines of cars on busy weekends are not campers. They're day trippers who drive in for the day. Almost all campers park their vehicles for the duration of their stay, and only drive if and when they need to get another block of ice. The park used to have an Ice Machine in the Lower Pine campground back in the sixties, which kept them from having to drive to the village stoby mark2 - General Discussion
Camping in the valley isn't about the campsite. It's about being outside day and night in a campsite in Yosemite Valley. Those who think walk in sites are more popular need to know that Camp 4, a walk in site, fills last. Yes, it's about convenience. When you have a family of several members, or, simply don't want to spend too much time in the campsite, and instead care to hike the trails, etcby mark2 - General Discussion
A recent post on the petition explains it better than I can: "Beauty is meant to be enjoyed. Let the campers continue to embrace the beauty at Yosemite." Check out the petition, you'll find many more cogent statements from posters about their views for saving North Pines campground. The government is just a little too good at taking things away, but not so good at giving them back.by mark2 - General Discussion
Some of us like to camp there. Indians liked to camp there for over 8K years before us. It's all about a connection with nature.by mark2 - General Discussion
You mean they told a lie? This time they told congress that they would replace the flooded campground with flood recovery money. They received the money that they asked for to repair them, and then they didn't do it. I didn't remember that the Tenaya campground was called Sunrise. I've been to Sunrise Lakes High Sierra Camp years ago. One of the trails to the camp head straight up the hillby mark2 - General Discussion
You make good points. Accidents happen. I do wonder why it's so popular with climbing Half Dome seemingly on the rise in recent years, all while park visitation as a whole has dropped a little.by mark2 - General Discussion
And, yes, now you bring up some old memories. There has been a trend to remove campsites for some time. Remember the old and small Tenaya Lake campground, and the tiny Glacier Point campground? Wouldn't it be fun to camp at Glacier Point and watch the sun rise? To answer your question, Mixolydian, as to what is in it for them, here's my view. If they can turn the valley into a four hour toby mark2 - General Discussion
letterknit: Sorry. I don't think I addressed you comment well. Yes, the park is going to add some walk-in sites, and that can be good. But, there are mitigation issues with that too, as there are with everything. For example, it just means that, like the backpackers parking area where the old dump used to be, these abandoned cars will be targeted by bears. But, walk-in camping can be a grby mark2 - General Discussion
letterknit: The plan says that they will remove 86 sites from North Pines, which just happens to be the total number of sites in that campground.by mark2 - General Discussion
I noticed that when I was there over Memorial Day weekend. The entire Upper Rivers campground is basically a large dumping ground for rocks and dirt. It looks like Upper Rivers is going to be their staging site for other construction that they intend to do in the plan, such as remove Stoneman Bridge, Ahwahnee Bridge, Sugar Pine Bridge; the removal of North Pines campground and more. I keepby mark2 - General Discussion
I agree with your views here, Snorkus, having been up only two times, as compared to someone on this list who has been up (8!!) eight times! Wow. It's all about what kind of shape you're in. I saw someone run all the way to the saddle and back, which by the way is what Galen Rowell was known for. Plus, I do recall the first trip when not that many were on the cables. I thought it was a littleby mark2 - General Discussion
The photo above doesn't look like Half Dome, or Yosemite for that matter. Wrong color granite too. I've climbed Half Dome two times. It was crowded both times. Gloves are pretty important, mostly on the way down. I can totally see how this could happen. All it would take is for someone to get light headed, which happens to sea level people at high altitude. It's a terrible thing to happen.by mark2 - General Discussion
In case anyone is interested, there is a petition to save North Pines Campground from elimination, which is planned to occure, via the Yosemite Valley Plan, please go to this site, and if you're interested, follow the link to the petition and sign it: http://www.yosemitevalleycampers.org Many people aren't aware of this. Campsites are hard enough to get as it is. They've removed too many.by mark2 - General Discussion