Despite pessimistic weather forecasts late into the week, we decided to take advantage of a brief break in the weather Saturday to check out some new territory and check off some Trail Quest mileage. In fact, the forecast had been wrong with respect to the snow line--it had called for a comparatively warm storm, but the snow level dropped to about 3500' late Friday evening. This wasn't a probleby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Okay, technically there is at least one bear box at Badger Pass/The Yosemite Ski and Snowshoe Center--right where the groomed trail heads towards the road from the parking lot. But it will be buried under the snow, and is thus useless, so everything chick-on said is right, even though he is wrong.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Jacket: red Sign: yellow, despite photoshoppage : on thin ice (and probably claiming it's "boating" )by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It's black and blue... no, while and gold. I'll go with mustard and avocado (yum!)--and poor white balance.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Here's what I think is going on: the maximum group size for off-trail travel within the parks is smaller than the national forests (8 vs. 15), so the system has a specific permit type that enforces this group size restriction. You still need a permit for all overnight trips that enter a wilderness area or park, on-trail or off-trail. You'll generally use the starting trailhead (or closest trailby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I'll be content with reaching one of the fractional domes below Clouds Rest (Quarter, Eight, Sixteenth). When is the Loch Tablae meet-up? And does everyone who attends get one of the infamous limited-edition Chick-on t-shirts?by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I doubt there will be any snow in the valley, unless the upcoming storm is much colder than forecast, so you will need to head up to Badger. You are always required to carry chains while in the mountains during winter, and you may need to install them to drive to Badger--again, depending on how the storm this week goes. If you don't want to drive, there is a free ski shuttle bus that you can taby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Happy Birthday OD! Thank you for all the wonderful trips and memories--and stories about some of Chick-On's less-than-stellar moments! Looking forward to more trips with you. See you soon! Big hugs! Basilbop and JustKeepWalkingby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yes, the Four Mile Trail is closed. Whether or not it is safely passable is a separate question, but as the saying goes, if you have to ask, it's not--there are a few potentially dangerous sections near the top. Was it closed when you did it a month ago? A month or so ago we went down the Yosemite Falls trail and it was slippery from about the base of the upper falls to the top, but my hunchby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The pack-cover-or-umbrella-as-sail technique is still being perfected. And yes: frozen lake = no boating. Not sure why some people struggle with this concept :-)by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I suspect that Avenza is republishing the Motor Vehicle Use Maps that the Forest Service publishes: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5441969by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
World-Famous I-got-the-T-shirt Loch Tablae (a/k/a Table Lake), top, and Merced Lake, bottom. This is Tenaya Lake:by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
We were on the water April 4 in 2015: Those are down jackets, not PFDs. The water + air temperature was probably 70-ish degrees. It snowed two days later. The season ended in late October: (There was a claim of a late-season Mirror Lake float, but... Mirror Lake was frozen solid, so no floating took place there, and what floating did happen was on a body of water that isn't Mirby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
We carry a Snow Claw. I wouldn't use one to build an igloo or other snow shelter, but for making a flat spot for a tent or digging down to the soil for a cathole in the Sierra it's fine. I think it would be hard to dig an effective cathole without one.by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Given the snow we have had to date and upcoming warm weather this weekend/early next week, the odds are good--although fog in the Central Valley could of course impact the sunset itself.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Tuolumne basin is north of the Merced and until recently the north was getting more snow than the south. Also, Yosemite was the southernmost extent of many of the major storms this season--until the most recent one.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I don't think it will matter at all which direction you go: Taft to Dewey or Dewey to Taft. Most of the elevation gain/loss is dropping down to and climbing back out of Bridalveil Creek. Also, the snow itself will have a much bigger impact on the difficulty of the trip than any elevation gain/loss. I think the Glacier Point road is a bit more scenic heading towards Glacier Point since you (eveby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotejvieiram QuoteJustKeepWalking Heck, I'm not nearly a first-timer and I use it with the winter Cross-Country ski/snowshoe maps for Badger Pass and Crane Flat in conjunction with Gaia GPS (a full-blown GPS app) and detailed USGS maps. The USGS maps don't show the winter snow course ski/snowshoe trails which don't always correspond to the trails marked on the USGS map. Using the same Gaia GPby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Just a friendly PSA update for those of you who haven't gotten your comments submitted yet--you have until Friday, January 29.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechick-on O... the answer is ... it's the pre-cooked kind.. Specifically, the pre-cooked bacon that has "Refrigerate after opening" on the package--even though it's in the fridge in most stores.by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The forecast for the three day MLK Jr. weekend was rain/snow, some sun, then more rain/snow. As I waited for the advance party at the parking lot of the new Yosemite Valley Lodge, a fairly steady rain fell on the car. Separately, we all thought Are we really doing this? No one was looking forward to a slog through cold, drizzly rain on both Saturday and Monday. Based on the observation thby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteThe Other Tom ..."And how do travel companies, that cater to foreign tourist campers, get their reservations?" I've always wondered that myself. The only think I can think of is that DNC is/was in cahoots with the travel companies. Maybe that will change now. DNC (or Aramark) are not involved with the campground reservation system. Unlike many national forests, there is notby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Impatient much? :-) The trip report publication schedule usually is: First night after trip: backup and upload raw/unprocessed pictures and video (5-10 GB) Second night: select, process (unless I'm lazy), and upload "curated" pictures to Google/Picasa Third night: write TR, hand off to editors/proofreaders, and publish Fourth night: pack for next trip!by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotehikerchick395 I agree with Dave...the River Campsites area is designated for transient use. What is more transient use than camping? I think one of those campgrounds should be used as a group site. The groups (scouts, churches, etc...) are camping in the regular campground, buying several sites but making one site as their base. Sometimes there are ten tents in one site...how is that allby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
This is in fact one of the government's arguments against the high value that DNC places on the trademarks: the trademark valuation was done using the methodology you would use to evaluate a trademark like "Trump Hotel" or "The Waldorf Astoria", where a lot of value has been created and is maintained around a brand name, and thus you may choose to stay at "The Trump"by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Well done! I like all of these choices!by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Sigh... and I do have to wonder about how most of these were granted... but I think we can do better in renaming these places. The Ahwahnee: I'd go with "Mather Lodge" here--it was his idea to build a signature hotel in Yosemite, and there should be more named for him in the Yosemite area than San Francisco's former lumber camp. "Royal Arch Lodge" also works. Curry Viby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
So, last Thanksgiving we saw a tree that looked like a beaver had gone to work on it. This was maybe 1/2 mile downriver from the Lodge area on the north side valley loop trail. Would an otter have done this? We did some googling and it seems that beaver are known to exist in the Yosemite Valley area from time to time.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I wonder if the NatureBridge folks would be OK with pancakes and bacon every day--this might shorten the "commute" of a certain "local". Nom nom!by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Not Mirror Lake :-). Also, the first one, not boating. Doesn't count!by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra