Not Really. If they are intact, not a pile of fuzz at the bottom of the bottle, they should be good. The residual flavor of one tetraglycine hydroperiodide 8mg tablet per liter of water can be removed by adding 50mg of vitamin C per liter AFTER treatment. One 1/4 tsp of powdered vitamin C (ascorbic acid) weighs about 1 gram so 50mg is just a pinch. Even if you used an entire gram in a liteby mrcondron - General Discussion
Bears can be hunted in some FS lands so they might be a little more leery about getting close to live people.by mrcondron - General Discussion
1. Don't approach a grizzly. 2. If while hiking you see a grizzly even at a distance of 100 to 200 yards veer away from the bear. 3. If you come across a carcass turn and move directly away from it and especially don't linger to examine it. If you smell it first then move away from the smell. 4. Make noise while hiking in brush. Talk with your partner or talk to yourself if solo. Bells caby mrcondron - General Discussion
My take is that there should be zero attacks, maulings, or killings by bears in any national park. If you follow the rules of proper behavior around bears they will ignore you. The big problem is that we just don't know when an individual bear is going to have a slightly different tolerance level. What may have worked last year may bring a incident like this this year. Stay well outside theby mrcondron - General Discussion
That is a joint with foliage growing along it. It can be hiked too as it is an approach trail to the climb. http://supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=yblisoutby mrcondron - General Discussion
Grizzlies will kill you with little provocation and meat is in their food chain. I've backpacked in Denali NP and was constantly looking over my shoulder especially at meal time. There the rule is 200 feet between food canister storage and your tent and 200 feet from both of those to where you cook, and do not get food odors on the clothes you wear to bed. Next to grizzlies I would worry aboutby mrcondron - General Discussion
Most bears are pretty good about possession being 100% of the law. If you are eating your food they may express an interest but will not come after it. If the bear has a tag on one of its ears then all bets are off. Some bears will lay in wait and when the food is out of the canister they will do a bluff charge causing the people to scurry off leaving the food to the bear. This bear behaviorby mrcondron - General Discussion
Put [ img] infront of the url and [ /img] at the end of the url with no spaces on either end. Don't put the space after the bracket. It has to be in this post so the code will print. [ img]http://yosemitephotos.net/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=4409&g2_serialNumber=2[ /img]by mrcondron - General Discussion
This is a picture of a guy that started up the cable on a wet day and then slipped and lost his grip on the cables. Apparently he slid quite a way and came to a stop as you see in the picture. He is about 60' to the north of the saddle and there was nothing the people standing around could do. Five hours later he was rescued by a ground crew as flying was not an option that day. No injuries bby mrcondron - General Discussion
It takes some time after the exposure for the oils to really get into your skin. Washing the exposed area within an hour or so will really cut down on the reaction. While backpacking the chances of a: knowing that you've been exposed and b: being able to wash yourself and your clothes are remote. Fortunately for me I've thus far been completely immune but I do try to avoid any contact with tby mrcondron - General Discussion
I think the lesson here is to not stand and face a sow with a cub. I would suggest that anyone who runs into a sierra black bear sow with cubs move away from the bears without spending a lot of time looking at them. Facing and looking are threat gestures.by mrcondron - General Discussion
An easy thing to remember is "Leaves of three, leave it be". All poison oak bushes have their leaves in an non-stemmed grouping of three leaves. Another feature but not as sure is that the leaves usually have five scallops on the outer edge.by mrcondron - General Discussion
[ img]http://yosemitephotos.net/main.php?g2_itemId=2980 This is the link I tried without the spaces of course. I'm still trying to get a photo to post. No luck yet. Post Edited (05-24-07 09:11)by mrcondron - General Discussion
I purge my suburban at the trail-head and hide under the seats or cover up anything that doesn't look like part of the car. Things like empty water bottles, the clothes we will change into when we get back form the trek, and any spare gear. Normally we have our packs packed before we leave home and don't have any surplus groceries to worry about while we're gone. I do hide some water under thby mrcondron - General Discussion
Be aware that there could be a $75 deposit for each can rented.by mrcondron - General Discussion
Chris, It sounds like you are planning to go down Lyle Canyon then over to perhaps Ireland Lake, to Evelyn Lake, to Vogelsang, and then out to Tuolumne Meadows. By this weekend there may be some patches of snow but it would be very walkable. The terrain is pretty open in that area so navigation is not a problem. Nighttime temps can get down to freezing but the sun comes up early and if thereby mrcondron - General Discussion
Option two is better from a driving point of view. Day of the 26th drive from Fish Camp to Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point. At Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point I wouldn't worry about bears during the day so much. If you are eating in restaurants then you won't have much of anything but snacks and maybe some soft drinks. Take them with you in day-packs. Wherever there is a bear problem youby mrcondron - General Discussion
There is usually a huge clump of them on the trail by the pond on the way to Tiltill Valley from Rancheria Creek. The aroma will just about knock you over.by mrcondron - General Discussion
You can hide them in some trees just on the north side of the trail before you start up the big hump prior to the cable ascent. Usually there are so many people there that bears are not a problem. Nobody will go through you pack again because there are so many people there and any thief would not know if the owner is about.by mrcondron - General Discussion
According to the NPS Yosemite site everything at the meadow will be open. Horses, store, gas station, etc. I strongly suspect the campgrounds will be open also. There may be a patch of snow here and there though. If you have a reservation for the 26th of May the powers that be have declared the meadow will be fully functional then. Don't worry about it. Become a squatter if need be.by mrcondron - General Discussion
Mike, THAT is a pretty good day hike.by mrcondron - General Discussion
A buddy and I hiked to Dewey Point from Tunnel View last weekend. There were some patches of snow but they were disappearing fast and were all above about 7000'. I doubt you will find any snow below 8000' that would be of any concern. Forget the snowshoes even if you are going higher as the snow will be very firm. Crampons would be a better choice for crossing snow in the higher elevations atby mrcondron - General Discussion
Mixo, I find that the actual physical experience at any location in Yosemite is not conveyed in any picture I've seen. Ansel Adams' pictures stand by themselves as art but do not even begin to approach the real thing. They are sort of a minor teaser to the place itself. Most pictures I've taken and those my friends have taken appear as two dimensional images again that either hint at the realby mrcondron - General Discussion
If you do go up to Glacier Point then you should stop by Taft Point and The Fissures. This area is a one mile hike to the north off Glacier Point Road. The parking area is clearly marked. Hiking to Taft Point would work in very nicely with a hike around the Sentinel Dome area. Minimal elevation variations, breathtaking views, interesting geology, and close proximity to the snack bar at Glacieby mrcondron - General Discussion
I did a little checking and it appears that you can only camp in the designated area in Little Yosemite Valley. You should continue to Lost Valley to camp the first night on the trail.by mrcondron - General Discussion
RTSchmitz, Be aware that if you have a permit reservation for entry into the back-country from Happy Isle then that is the only way you are allowed in using that permit. You cannot say go up the Snow Creek trail to the north rim or start your hike from Tuolumne Meadows. Each of these starting points requires a specific permit. Usually your permit will require that you list the locations of eby mrcondron - General Discussion
On your Half Dome hike I would suggest that if everyone in your party is not able to do a very strenuous hike (13 miles round trip +4800 feet -4800 feet) plus the cable climb that you have a few spots picked for bailout points and a plan on how to get the entire party back together on the way back down to the valley floor. The entire round-trip can easily take 10-12 hours. Anybody that thinks tby mrcondron - General Discussion
r.moore, How did you get the maps to post?by mrcondron - General Discussion
r.moore, Suggested route: (Yellow Route with modifications) Day One - Floor to junction of trail to Clouds Rest and the John Muir Trail. This is right by the little l in Little Yosemite Vally (summer only) text on your map. There is a great campsite there and water close by. about 6 miles and +3000 feet Day Two - Up over Clouds Rest and on to the first of the Sunrise Lakes. Once youby mrcondron - General Discussion
I've been using the Gregory Shasta for the past maybe ten years with good results. Things you need to consider are: Cost (Shasta is about $250) Size of pack Weight of pack Length of trips Bear can inside or outside Do you want to go ultra light http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=48601by mrcondron - General Discussion