Oh my goodness the adventures I have had....besides hiking and travel to places like Brooks Falls I probably could not have chosen a more "adventurous" new career...by chicagocwright - General Discussion
I am sorry to say it has been close to nine years since I have posted here! I miss you all and recently have rekindled my love for Yosemite hiking. I never lost it but a career change completely changed my life. Last year my son and I did a sunrise hike up Half Dome. And this year I struck out getting a Half Dome day permit but I did get a September backpacking permit out of Sunrise which wilby chicagocwright - General Discussion
Arguably, whoever the current Administration is has some power to implement the shutdown according to their desires. There were flashpoints in the last go-around and considerable debate on how the shutdown was implemented at Parks and places like the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yea something like that. Just like he and President Obama took a salmon away from a bear... Which by the way would be illegal to take food away from a wild animal. And by the way, the glacier river from Exit Glacier they were at near Seward. There are no salmon. But I'm sure the local grocery store in Seward was fully stocked.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Good enough for a a wedding!by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
In Alaska we have the rainbow effect in the winter quite a bit. We call them "sundogs".by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Happy Birthday and thank you for all the encouraging words, pictures and wisdom. And of course some laughs. And....I'm still thinking about Tenaya Canyon.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thankfully I've never seen a crowd like that here (I'm almost certain that is Skagway) but I've certainly seen that type of trail!by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
This thread has me thinking about the Alaskan trails mindset, while not universally completely true, hold that Alaskans do not know what switchbacks are and trails generally just go straight up (or as the case may be, down.) Like I said it is COMPLETELY true, but it was quite a shock to my system when moving here how freaking steep the trails are and how switchbacks are really rare. The Mt. Mby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Happy Birthday indeed! And wishing many more seasons of enjoyment.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Based on your description of your experience, the length of your trip, I believe the best suggestion is finding a way to camp in the valley and doing day hikes. There are plenty of AWESOME day hikes that you will not have time to finish them all. I would suggest something like one day for Yosemite Falls and another day for 4 Mile Trail and perhaps Panoramic Trail, and finally depending on if yoby chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Ha! I have a similar story with a different ending that I shared here once. I was hiking up Airplane Gully after an aborted Tenaya Canyon trek. We came across a solo guy and I clumsily came up with "Are you Chick-On?" The answer was no, and then I realized he was with a bigger group. If I remember the ending of the story correctly, the one and only passed that group the next day...by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Happy Birthday to you and thank you for all the wonderful pictures and reports!by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Boo!by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I would say that only Curry Pizza Deck matters. And as previously posted, they still do a great job. (Naming issues aside) August 2016by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
For a first time ever trip to Yosemite the best recommendation seems to be setting up base camp in Yosemite Valley (in November I'm guessing Camp 4 should be open) and doing a few day hikes. Since you will be there a full week it sounds like you could cover all the "mandatory" day hikes---Yosemite Falls, 4 Mile Trail, Panoramic Trail, Vernal/Nevada Falls and still have time for a couplby chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Alaska wilderness areas generally say dogs should be on leashes. But NO ONE follows that rule. And generally speaking, it just is not a problem. I've often hiked with others who bring dogs and I've never seen a problem. I've been with dogs as we have encountered moose and perhaps the dogs I've hiked with are all experienced "hikers" but there has never been a problem. Bottom Lineby chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
3:37 or so might be above my pay grade...by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I'd have no problem staying warm. I'm just not sure negative temperatures would cooperate.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
While I was there I was told about (I didn't hear first hand) that charges for Curry Village in the Winter are the dollar amount corresponding to the temperature. Being from Alaska, my first thought was, "Will they pay me to stay there when it is negative temperatures?"by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
My dad, son and I embarked on the Panoramic Trail from Glacier Point while the rest of our family drove down to check in at Curry Village. The hike took us just over 5 hours but we stopped to soak in views and soak in unnamed waters several times. The hike was not as hard as I expected---just 8 miles but the heat didn't bother us Alaskans as much as I was concerned about. Got views of Half Domby chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
This is REAL pizza!!! Love it! (also a warmup to make sure I remembered how to post pictures!) Save Curry Pizza Deck! And my family had fun loudly correcting the tour bus drivers at every stop with the correct names such as Ahwahnee Hotel and Curry Village!by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thanks all for the replies! Back in Fresno now. The pizza was awesome! And the hike was okay also! Thanks for the note on the 700 foot gain. We knew that was there but had not quantified it yet. My 70 year old dad is in great shape and did fine keeping up with me and his grandson. There was plenty of water to cool off in but we ended up carrying all the water we needed. We also did thby chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteOhnivy-Drak Half Dome Village Pizza Deck. LOL. I don't care what they call it. In fact I think they should sell the naming rights and get a bunch of money for it. I would sell the naming rights to my house if someone would be willing to pay. For example everyone I know calls the big building in Chicago the Sears Tower. So I'm calling it Curry Pizza Deck!by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I know there are all kinds of opinions but is Illilouette Creek drinkable without filtering?by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I am coming to Yosemite Monday!!! Very excited to be back. Although I won't have time to do really big things I have a question about Panorama Trail which I have never done! I know it isn't all "downhill". Is there a water source between Glacier Point and Nevada Falls? (Also, anyone willing to drink unfiltered water between the two points---I forgot my filter in Alaska). I'llby chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
BLASPHEMY! Curry Pizza is the BEST! SAVE CURRY PIZZA DECKby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thank you! I almost knew my passive request would be filled by you!by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yea I would love to see a pic of the Sunrise Trailhead/Tenaya Lake trailhead. It's been dry there for so long...by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Anchorage Zoo has an animal rescue program that since we have been here (4 years) has been used for moose, black bears, and polar bears. It is an expensive proposition and the bears are usually shipped to zoos across the country. I'm not sure what happens to the moose because besides Alaska I don't think I have ever seen a moose in a zoo before. Maybe they raise them until they are big enoby chicagocwright - General Discussion