I am definitely not a hunter..but I don't think that this is necessarily about hunting. I have spent a fair amount of time in the Tahoe basin and can tell you that there are way more bears there than the basin can naturally support. In my admittedly less-than-expert opinion, before human encroachment, bears, and all wildlife, had their population controlled through the vagaries of nature and hadby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteryanmj QuoteBearproof Quoteryanmj Is there cliff jumping at that Yosemite creek swimming hole? I would call it rock jumping...the cliff jumping is about 5 miles downstream...but don't do it there. A local my girlfriend met told her about a cliff jumping spot somewhere along that creek but she didnt get specifics, how tall are the cliffs down stream? The ones I said to not do..... areby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteryanmj Is there cliff jumping at that Yosemite creek swimming hole? I would call it rock jumping...the cliff jumping is about 5 miles downstream...but don't do it there.by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
An easy one to get to...from the Tuolumne Meadows wilderness permit station parking lot, head due south on a use trail, around the west side of Puppy Dome a couple hundred yards, maybe, to the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne. There is a pretty little swimming hole below a 4 or 5 foot drop off in the stream. Another good one is on Yosemite Creek, about a mile south of where the creek crosses the Tiogaby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteChick-on The Clouds Rest Triangle one... that one is not there. Just a nub. That's the problem..I think that some people are willing to risk the $250 fine to take a mountaintop souvenir. A $250 fine...have you ever seen the Geodetic Survey police hanging around summits waiting for benchmark thieves? And nubs don't make for very cool pictures!by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
And to elaborate on chick-on's posting, the NOAA datasheets provide information both on the benchmark itself as well as the reference points. For example, the picture at the start of the thread is technically not the benchmark itself...it is a reference point to the benchmark. According to the datasheets: HR2868| PID Reference Object Distance Geoby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteDavidK42 how far it is from the Mist turnoff to SP? Not far (I would guess less than a mile) buts lots of up (1100 feet or so)!by Bearproof - General Discussion
Quotevdrummer and you can see how far it's leaning I didn't think it was leaning...but maybe that's just me!by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteplawrence So in your opinion, what's the hardest portion of the old Sierra Point Trail to traverse? From a technical perspective or a routefinding perspective? Actually niether are very tough 1. Routefinding: at the starting point on the mist trail (the rockpiles? sign) I tend to want to keep going up and to the right, onto a steep sand slope that obviously a lot of people use to go bby Bearproof - General Discussion
Quotehotrod4x5 Do-able in winter? Absolutely...the viewpoint is at something like 5200 ft elevation, so as long as the snow level is not way down, and so long as it has been somewhat dry and not too, too cold (i.e. no lingering ice) it should be fine. I was up there in both April and May of this year (big snow year..remember?) and had no snow or ice related issues.by Bearproof - General Discussion
I'm a certified nut. Been going for 40 plus years...and fortunately I am only about three hours drive away. Annual backpacking trips with the kids and more Half Dome summits than I know (sunrise and sunset are the best). 6 trips so far this year, including a bucket-list trip over Tioga Pass the morning it opened in a big snow year. Currently I aspire to be another Chick-on when I grow up. Or mby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Rumor (just started by me) has it that the Royals are trying to score Half Dome permits on Craigslist.by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteCalipidder I love poking through threads requesting advice on trips or trip reports to get ideas for my future outings. I couldn't agree more...I have lived vicariuosly through this site quite often while chained to a desk over the past years. Thanks to all for the wonderful posts. "Wherever" had a great post last June titled "Abandoned trails and off-trail hikes near Yosemby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It's a great (and agressive!) trip that you have laid out...I would say that the key would be to be flexible Have an alternative trip planned if you can't get in there due to unplowed roads, and if you can get to Tamarack for the start, and trail conditions don't allow you to complete the trip, be prepared to either return to Tamarack or exit via the Yosemite Falls trail. Its good to know your bby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechicagocwright This may be a stupid question: but may the reason be you can't see as much of the Waterfall is because the trees have grown taller? That's a fair question..one that I have thought about myself, and I don't think so. For example, the wall to the right of Nevada Falls is much more visible in the old photo than the new one from the Sierra Point and I don't think that tree growby Bearproof - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteOn your visit to Sierra Point, did you look to see if the trail might have continued past the current railing upward? Oh yeah, we went up to pretty close to where I think the old picture was taken, and it was a trail-less class 3 scramble to get there with some pretty good exposure...and my guess is that's what the old man did back in the day. I have looked at some historic USGS topo mapsby Bearproof - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Here is the picture from (I think) the railings (it may be from the flat rock just above the railings). It is not cropped (as the other new one was) to try to match the old picture but it matches pretty well nonetheless. Seems to me that you can't see as much of Nevada Falls from this spot.by Bearproof - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Here is another question somewhat related to this thread...at least the Sierra Point portion of it. The question...are the rails at Sierra Point that exist now the at the same spot as Sierra Point has always been? Or has it been moved over time? The reason I ask...I was up there last week to see the place, having never been to it and been thinking about it for way too long...but also to shoot a pby Bearproof - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotemichaelrosso Is it advisable to take pictures? Will the bears approach us? Is it an issue if we run? I found that taking pictures can be quite dangerous. My wife almost killed me when she saw the picture I took of our kids on their first backpacking trip (taken at Glen Aulin).by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Nice!...glad to see that you made it out to the point...and a couple of questions for the bird... when will you have all of the trip pictures on picassa, and I am heading up tomorrow for a few days of valley scrambles, including the diving board. Was checking out your 2009 pictures...I assume that I will need snowshoes to get to the diving board...what do you think?by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
As far as the baby's ears go, check online for solutions for babies on airplanes...the problem is pretty much the same as being on a plane and there are a thousand solutions...from infant decongestants to pacifiers. See what you are comfortable with and be ready to try a few different methods. As far as the other camping irritants being mentioned...they are more than made up for by the surroundinby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteChick-on Nice. Happy to share and to give back a little...I have been enjoying your pics and living vicariously through them for a long time! Have a great weekend up there. I will be back in the valley a week from today for a few days of day hiking...some of the to-do's that have been on the list for a while...Fern Ledge, Diving Board, etc.by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteChick-on Y eye outta! Lookies like you off a couple hundred feets der. I never found no stinking BM up there. What's the GPS coords of this little gem? Yep, you are right...too much snow at the top, found the USGS monument on bare rock down closer to the Watkins Pinnacles. More pics now...at http://www.flickr.com/photos/34390914@N03/sets/72157626529293090/with/5633106599/by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechick-on Where's the Watkins pict? (from the top) http://flic.kr/p/9zM9kzby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yosemite Falls trail to Columbia Rock should be fine...was on the Snow Creek trail up to Mt Watkins this past weekend and the trail was dry on the switchbacks (well, snow free...there were plenty of spots where runoff was flowing down the cliffs and on the trail)...and lots of snow up top.by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
And there is always the infamous view of Half Dome from Turlock. In fact, tomorrow could actually be a good day for that it you brought your big telephoto lens!by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
A nice and easy day hike from the TM Campground is to Elizabeth Lake...very pretty and a nice place to spend a few hours. I would do Cathedral Lake and the suurounding area. And any strolls up or down river can lead to a variety of swimming holes if that is what you are interested in (especially if you like really cold water!) You may also want to check out the swimming hole about 300 yards soutby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteFrank Furter don't suppose you have the coordinates for that spring? I have heard the route described a few times and I found it in 1968 when I spend a month in Yosemite, but have not found it since. I don't have a coordinate for the Half Dome spring, but will by next summer as I plan to spend plenty of time up there. I recall talking to a ranger down in LYV later that day in 2003 abby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
About the spring...I remember as a kid seeing a hand-made sign on the route up to Half Dome pointing to the spring, and there being a use trail over to it. I had seen it shown on my Yosemite Valley topo map (not USGS but an aftermarket map) from the 80's, so I looked for it with my kids on one of my Half Dome hikes (2003)...and found it. Heading up the Half Dome trail, while still in theby Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I am sitting in the office right now living vicariously through your photos and reminiscing about my last trip through Bench Canyon back in the early 90's. I remember sitting between the Twin Island Lakes and marveling at the zen'like scene. Thanks, and please, keep posting!by Bearproof - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion