Quoteeeek And some people just don't know how to pack: Clearly the elephant was uncomfortable riding uncovered in the truck....by AlmostThere - General Discussion
Now I want a new job - bear sighting re-enactment specialist.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
What a great wedding present. Seizures, embarrassment in the newspapers and local tv news, and standing in front of a judge to explain why. Yay! Thanks honey!by AlmostThere - General Discussion
I remember my mom taking me there when I was 12-13. I laughed my butt off - half a mile and some little trees growing out of rocks, like there weren't a whole bunch of those all over the mountains. I was such a cynical little thing. They filmed Little House all over town - including down the street from my high school. We talked every teacher into going down to watch them film, just to get outby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The bugnet on the hammock is nanoseeum netting.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
Warbonnet Blackbird, MacCat Deluxe hanging from large pines and cedars in the Rancheria Creek campground near Hetch Hetchy. I hadn't finished tightening the tarp down but wasn't intending to - when it's not cloudy I usually throw the tarp back so I can watch the moon rise. One tree hang in an oak at Henry Coe State Park. I didn't even put the tarp up - beautiful cold night. The green iby AlmostThere - General Discussion
Quotebill-e-g QuoteAlmostThere I for one don't use a tent. What do you do in Dec.? I'm curious because I don't use a tent much either anymore... but come late Nov./ Dec. I'm bringing a tent... I hammock, always. And if I can't I pitch the tarp on the ground.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
Poor housekeeping staff. I cleaned rooms in a motel for a summer, you get to open doors on some serious ick... found a room once where someone tore the mirror off the wall and used it to snort cocaine.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteszalkowski Never happened to me in 40 years of backpacking...AND my coolant hoses have never been chewed on in Mineral King either. (Another reason to cultivate friendships with furry friends instead of feathered food.) The campground host at Courtright Reservoir (nowhere near Mineral King) said that marmots chewed his hoses and wire insulation.... He hung dryer sheets around his engiby AlmostThere - General Discussion
Cherry is great - camped there a lot as a kid. But it's not going to be a short drive to the park, and no flush toilets may be an issue. There is a trail from the other side of the dam (Okay, it's a road, but then there's a trail) to Lake Eleanor and if you go past Eleanor to Kibbie Ridge you are actually hiking into Yosemite. Pine Mountain Lake... never been there, as camping in the middleby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotebill-e-g Why post?: - To share (chick-on haters out there have pared down my enthusiasm about this though) - To let others know there is more to it than flippin HD Did a night hike to half dome. First of our group got there around 6:30 am - there was a righteous kegger happening up there, people imbibing right and left, sprawled out in sleeping bags all over the place. As the rest of oby AlmostThere - General Discussion
There are campgrounds just outside the park in all directions but you are out of luck for RV-less camping. And the wilderness areas I suggested are at least a four hour drive - there is no easy route from other areas to Yosemite, you are going to be on narrow two lane roads winding in and out of the mountains to town, and then back into the mountains in another direction. Jennie Lakes is in Sequoby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Was reading about this in another forum. I'm very sad that they felt they had to do this. I suppose she would have raised the cubs to behave the same way.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
Dinkey and Kaiser Wilderness are beautiful dog friendly areas to hike. My hiking group will be backpacking into Dinkey over labor day.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I download topos from the usgs site and trim them down.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
That's funny, I was catching only brook trout out of the river. Going down Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne pays off - I didn't catch anything near the campground, but heading upstream you find the fish chasing your lure every cast. Many are too small to keep but smash the barbs on the hooks and throw them back. One of my group caught a 12 inch brook - she thought it was a brown, it was so big, butby AlmostThere - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w Again - I remember when fee avoidance involved people claiming that they merely wanted to go to the post office. Those were the good 'ol days. In Yosemite you could make the case that you're just driving through to Bishop or Mammoth.... I know folks who buy passes just for that reason, to go visit relatives or whatever.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
Yosemite or not, it's pretty pathetic.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
I haven't done it, but I've seen it done. I agree that it's marginally legal and not at all ethical. People frequently deviate from permits - we had to, when one of our party was injured and went back to the trailhead rather than complete a four pass itinerary with a bad knee. I wish the park had a less clogged, less byzantine system than it does, and that people could figure it out far enoughby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotebbb Thanks everyone. I am going to look into the wilderness permit today. I am guessing that 'day before' means that I would have to get into Yosemite a full 24 hours before my evening snooze, so my plan will most likely be to try and get a parking/sleeping spot at Porcupine Creek, White Wolf, or Yosemite Creek. Just to be clear: If you have a wilderness permit, there are backpackerby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I dunno, there's also the guy who fell near tokopah falls in Sequoia, and the gal lost near Wishon Reservoir after walking out of camp... not exclusive to Yosemite.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
Quoteeeek Quotey_p_wQuoteAlmostThereYou could also pull out before you enter the park and snooze. Just make sure your car is entirely off the pavement. There are NF campgrounds at Saddlebag and Ellery lakes as well. But that's a long drive from the valley. Isn't snoozing in your car off the pavement in most national forest lands considered legal "dispersed camping"? Yes, but the areby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
As has been mentioned, you can legally sleep in your car at a campground. If you get a wilderness permit it will likely be for the following day (the first come first serve permits are available 24 hours in advance at the wilderness centers, valley office has priority) and you will be allowed to pay five bucks for a spot in the backpacker campground which is a walkin behind North Pines campgroundby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Clouds Rest, Sierra Point, Bunnell Cascades... I like to sit at the top of Nevada Falls and watch people. There's also the little side trip down to the overlook alongside Nevada Falls - look for the handrail to the right along the dropoff. The biggest way to avoid crowds is to camp at the junction of the Clouds Rest spur trail or to camp up the valley from LYV campground. That place is alwaysby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
They were working on the septic system at the end of last week... down to one lane along the road between the lodge and campground.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteszalkowski QuoteAlmostThere Please please please take a navigation class at a local sport shop if you are not familiar with map and compass use. Our early knee issue backpacker got lost in a maze of use trails within two miles of the campground .... The rest was bad enough, but this is (really)n sad. Especially when you consider how very very badly this gent wanted to make this hike, aby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I'm going to guess the girl is a Caucasian, and the little yellow eyed dude is a burrowing owl.by AlmostThere - General Discussion
If it's not on the SIBBG list of approved storage containers, it'll get you a fine whether it's bearproof or not...by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Last week I took eight people out Lyell, over Donahue, through to Reds Meadow. Except I didn't. Only two of us made the entire journey. Seriously, if you are going out there take rain gear and be able to pitch your shelter in 50 mph winds. The weatherman lied. Had it not been for a "returning to backpacking after X years" gentleman who wore cotton T shirt and shorts, plus a windbreaby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
First thought: Huell has fans? WOOOOOWWWWWWW.by AlmostThere - General Discussion