If you're not a trail runner, don't hike at a consistent 3-4 miles per hour, or don't like hiking in the dark... hmmm.... Sure it's possible. I hike with folks who've done 30 miles in a day (I don't do that myself if I can help it). Do you want quantity or quality? Take a headlamp. There's some very tempting napping spots. I wouldn't even bother with Half Dome, myself. The tourists wilby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Ok, good to hear you aren't going out blind... thanks. As for group size - I run a large (two, actually) hiking group. We go backpacking a lot. The way it works - I post a trip description and people sign up. Then there is a waiting list. I often have 8 people on the permit and then a waiting list of 20+ people. By the day of the event I have five people going, no waiting list. And then at theby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The search by the park was suspended. Hikers in another forum where Larry frequently posted have gone up in pairs and threes over the past week, and mention in trip reports that there are still Inyo searchers out and about. But he's been gone too long and there has been no trace.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
There's no public transportation from Fresno. Probably should be, but there isn't. The closest you will get is a bus that takes people from Oakhurst to Badger Pass in winter.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
A guess, but I suspect they put it where feeding happens the most. Of course, it happens everywhere - I was stuck in a deer jam near the junction of 120 and 140 trying to get out of the park, where a guy was standing in the middle of the road hand feeding a buck. We honked but the deer don't startle easy.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteprey4mojo I am a bit surprised that there are folks on here that think this type of behavior is OK. Whether you be a parent or not, please do not approach or feed the animals!!! A desire for accuracy isn't condoning anything. And if you think that the parents don't feel properly chastised ALREADY for the child slipping away from them, have another think about that. (You don't sound likby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I take all newspaper articles with fifty grains of salt these days. Every article published about any search I've been on has gotten major facts wrong. Whether that is a communication breakdown or what, it remains true.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
... and 4k is still not 4,000 feet....by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Before you crucify nitwit parents, you should read the whole story. The family was having a picnic at Wawona and did not notice the kid wander off toward the deer. The deer was a spike buck, and was not aggressive - it was grazing while the child approached, and when startled, jerked its head up and caught the child under the shoulder in a major artery, causing damage that combined with the longby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
But if you're not really paying attention, you click on one, not the other, you get more inaccurate information than you would have. Which is all most people do - glance at the screen, go for it. I had a hiker assuming he would get by with a 40 degree bag cause he's a warm sleeper - reminding him of the 20 degree forecast at the other end of the lake probably increased the margin of safety as heby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The ends of the lake are at the same elevation. I've been there...by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I was using NOAA's website, the source of all weather reports. search up Three Rivers, CA. Using the map, crawl your way east and somewhat north to Moose Lake. Click on one end of the lake, and it will consistently be 10 degrees different than the other end of the lake. I suspect the one end is predicted using the weather station on the ridge over Pear Lake, and the other end of the lake iby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteCalaveras You have to watch the elevation used in the forecast. In mountainous areas the elevation can be very different from the exact point on the map you clicked on. Low temperature forecasts are likely to be more inaccurate than highs because of local temperature inversions and pooling of cold air in low spots. I'm pretty sure the west end of the lake was at the same elevation as the eby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
One of the things to remember about weather forecasts is that they are always approximate. I went to Moose Lake a week ago. The NOAA website map showed a low in the low 20s if you clicked on one end of the lake, and a low in the 30s if you clicked on the other. We went ready for the low 20s and it was in the low 30s. I would believe the forecast for the 20s for the 7000-8000 elevation range iby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
If you mean you are a complete newbie at backpacking, you seriously need to start with short trips before doing the JMT, and do some thinking about gear and pack weight. There is nothing more miserable than carrying 20 lbs more than you have to over high elevation passes repeatedly. You'll increase your enjoyment and chance of doing the whole trail without blisters, pain, etc. if you start witby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I was at the top of Vernal Falls going down. I gave instructions to a young man from another country who was turning around at dusk going back up the trail - his stated destination was Camp 4. He had the handout map from the gate instead of a real map showing the Mist Trail and could not figure out where to go from the railing. It was not immediately obvious to him to go up the rock to the top ofby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Whatever you do, don't fall for "the trail of the ancient dwarves" unless you like dinky short dayhikes on paved trail and... not a lot to look at. (The dwarves are tiny pine trees growing in cracks in the rock.) If you have a high clearance vehicle ask at the ranger station about the largest juniper tree in the world. It's not really a hike so much as a place to go, but along the saby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Since SAR ends up pulling people who blindly follow GPS units off ledges, not recommended. You NEED map skills BEFORE you try to rely on a GPS. It's not going to help them at all to have a tiny screen instead of a big square of paper. Figuring out where you are is a job for a real map.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
With often incorrect mileages on them.... I've had better luck with Tom Harrison. Same map with more accurate notations. For actual land navigation I print 1:24000 scaled topos. Trying to talk people into using maps while hiking is difficult. If they have a set idea that it's like calculus they won't even give it a look - too hard, can't do it, I'll just follow the trail. But time and timeby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I'm very fortunate that I have never needed Diamox - I am allergic to sulfa based drugs. The NOLS Wilderness Medicine book on high elevation issues is quite illuminating - acclimation actually takes 10 days, and will go away when you leave for lower elevation. The problem has to do with how your body responds in general - staying hydrated helps. Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills will inby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Why would Guitar Lake be safe? Isn't it above treeline? If you are the tallest object on the landscape, you are not safe. Reading the NOLS lightning safety brief, there are no truly safe places, just more safe than some, and one should avoid treeless open places, as well as caves and ridge tops. The protocol is to drop all metal and separate yourself at least 50 ft from other members of your gby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
All the info you need is at http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/backpacking.htm What you should do depends on whether you have been backpacking before, and what you want to do. There are a lot of choices to make. If you are wanting to see a lot of Yosemite classic sites, I recommend skipping backpacking and being a tourist instead - you can camp or stay at the lodge and day hike to many awesby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Since I don't know him, I'll have to take your word for that. I generally warn people where I think it is worth warning. I got back from a nine day backpack trip that pretty much proved to me that 80% of everyone you find out there is clueless about hypothermia or decent footwear.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It's a pretty typical weather pattern this time of year. In some areas it will sprinkle lightly, in others it can be crack of thunder, pouring rain, then hail, then rain, then hail, then rain... lightning and more thunder.... We watched water streaming off granite through our campsite for an hour and a half a couple weeks back. Today it barely wet the hat I was wearing. In Tenaya Canyon you'dby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
There are rivers that are catch and release only - the Tuolumne and the Merced mainly. You will need a California fishing license and to review the regulations for the waterways you will be fishing, since there are also bag limits that vary from one location to another. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/Fishing/by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
This would be the reason I plan 12 mile days when on trail, and half that (or less) when off. You just don't know. Might be crawling over downed trees, might be clear sailing.... but cross country usually doubles the time you spend hiking.by AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotembear QuoteAlmostThere Quotembear Anyone ever sent themselves a package at the Mammoth Lakes post office? Since there's public transportation into town, maybe that'd also be a convenient way to go with food re-ups. Especially since I wouldn't be hiking down to Red's Meadow anyways. Curious why you wouldn't send the resupply to the Reds Meadow Store. They don't charge as much in realityby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Waterfalls will be trickling, but there are lots of other reasons to visit Yosemite. You'll see when you get there. This has been a pretty low key year - fewer visitors than usual. I drove by one of the campgrounds (Bridalveil) on Glacier Point Road last Friday and there was still sites available at 7 pm. Check the recreation.gov reservation site for open campsites in the park, and grab 2 (youby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotesnorkus Example: Saturday I am going on maybe an 8-10 hour hike(round trip) to Mt Lukens in the LA area. Planning on bringing a sandwich, 3 'Clif' bars, some nuts, lots of water. I am preparing for hiking Half Dome on July 26. I don't buy Clif bars. They sit in my stomach like a rock. Can't eat them. Unless you are talking about the crunchy ones, I like those. I will get Lara bars, Lunby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotembear Anyone ever sent themselves a package at the Mammoth Lakes post office? Since there's public transportation into town, maybe that'd also be a convenient way to go with food re-ups. Especially since I wouldn't be hiking down to Red's Meadow anyways. Curious why you wouldn't send the resupply to the Reds Meadow Store. They don't charge as much in reality as they do on paper... we wby AlmostThere - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion