Wow I had not read that article yet. "embedding nails and spikes in window and door frames".---Really??? I have never heard of this and been out in Bush Alaska a couple times. "rarely step outside without a rifle"---This is ridiculous. I will admit to buying a rifle recently but it rarely leaves my house. The closest thing to this sentiment I have heard is in polar beby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Love the mountains rising from sea level... And people wondered why I had a hard time acclimating for Mt. Whitney a couple years ago. "Why not use the high elevation mountains in Alaska?" Well because I regularly climb 4-5,000 foot elevation gain mountains but rarely, if ever, go over 6,000 feet. Anything over that and it is no longer "hiking" but instead real "mountaby chicagocwright - General Discussion
Unfortunately I don't have a picture but the beaver that surprised and scared me ran up through brush and stopped just a couple feet away from me. And he was HUGE. 3-4 feet long, I would guess 50-60 pounds. I was on a narrow sidehill path in his downhill hill path to the water and he EASILY could have run right into me, and knocked me 20 feet down an embankment into the lake. As it happened,by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Bear spray, after expelled, is actually a bear attractant. They like to come and lick it. Or, as the joke goes: The Park Ranger at Denali park is advising hikers to be alert for bears and to take extra precautions to avoid an encounter. Park visitors are advised to wear little bells on their clothes to make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows the bears to hear the hiker coming from a diby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I don't think it is necessary but what is the stated, or unstated, reason for the ban against bear spray in Yosemite? You know, besides a human has never been attacked by a bear. What about other parks or bigger JMT type trips? The worst misuse of bear spray I see hear in Alaska is improper access----too many folks carry it in their packs or otherwise inaccessible spot where it might as well bby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotesnorkus Dogs aren't allowed "on" the trails in National Parks.by chicagocwright - General Discussion
QuoteJpsfirstresponse I enjoy backpacking in the middle of Yosemite alone without worrying of being mauled by a grizzly ** Why would you be worried about being mauled by a grizzly in Yosemite?by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Anyone use EveryTrail Pro?by chicagocwright - General Discussion
Well I have finally entered the world of smartphones (my blackberry went Salmon fishing last week) and looking for suggestions from you all for the best GPS, map, hiking, picture apps, etc. What say you all?by chicagocwright - General Discussion
I wonder if the trail closures were due to a specific incident. In the Anchorage area, the policy is to close a trail for one week after a bear attack. But those are only "enforced" with a sign at the trailhead with notice of the previous bear attack.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
So 23 years of operating this scheme. At profit of $9,500 a year this guy made almost a quarter of a million dollars and gets off with a $500 fine, 50 hours, and $2,000 pledge. I wonder what the $37,500 of expenses were. His webpage at rerez.com is taken down but the Facebook page with comments is still up. https://www.facebook.com/CactusCrossFit/posts/182431658469592by chicagocwright - General Discussion
QuoteParis92 I thought bear spray is not allowed in the parks? Yosemite: no bear spray allowed. Not sure about Yellowstone and other Lower 48 parks. Alaskan Parks (especially parks like Denali where fish are not readily available and the bears are more predatory hunters): Bear spray is strongly encouraged.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechicagocwright Quotephantum Based on comments about the griz's nature and concerns for human interaction, maybe there are locations better suited to conduct this little experiment. The Middle East, for example . . . Anchorage, AK, population 300,000, already experiences this. We seem to have at least one brown bear mauling a year. The latest incident was a runner who happened to runby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteeeek Quotechicagocwrightwhat about those near the Arctic Circle? Wear a jacket! "Near" is a relative term but this past winter many in the Lower 48 needed jackets just as much as I did. But in another 6 weeks or so we will begin sending our ducks south!by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteDave QuotemythumpaNever underestimate the arrogance of the uneducated. They are NOT ducks, they are inuksuit. ......We are not above the Arctic Circle so those damn things have no place here. Educate yourself about leave no trace. Wait a sec...what about those near the Arctic Circle?by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yogi Bear and Yosemite Black bears living in Yosemite National Park in California are shunning human food and returning to their natural diets, research has found. Unlike Yogi Bear, the cartoon character famously known for his fondness for 'pic-a-nic baskets', the black bears are turning away from raiding visitor’s supplies and going back to a natural diet, after years of dangerously high cby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotephantum Based on comments about the griz's nature and concerns for human interaction, maybe there are locations better suited to conduct this little experiment. The Middle East, for example . . . Anchorage, AK, population 300,000, already experiences this. We seem to have at least one brown bear mauling a year. The latest incident was a runner who happened to run by a brown bear andby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
As with most things, location is key. The grizzlies, or brown bears, are not the same in every location. The Brooks Falls brown bears have such a bountiful food source of salmon that people are able to be around with "little" danger. I would be much more suspect in Denali where the large amounts of fish are not present and the bears have to hunt things such as moose. A canoe trip onby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Hmm, I vaguely heard of this as I was out on a 20 year anniversary weekend near Denali and heard reports from some tourists. I'm amazed on how informed this forum is!by chicagocwright - General Discussion
Quotechick-on * 1.5 miles from the Curry Village Pizzer Deck ... not on any Too-pay I'll post a picture later...but how fast do you think you could get down to that pizza joint if it had a trail like Mt. Marathon in Seward, AK? I am running the Mt. Marathon July 4th and this past weekend completed my practice trip. The race is 3-3.5 miles--3,000 ft. climb. Winners take just over 30 minutby chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Sigh. Populous California and uneducated hikers mixing with grizzly bears? Oh boy! In Alaska and Anchorage specifically it is accepted that every once in a while someone is going to get mauled and perhaps even killed. When that happens, there is no outcry to go and hunt down the bear to kill it. I can't imagine that being acceptable in many places. As far as carrying guns...nevermind. Plby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Full Album: Facebook Picture Album Amazingly the day began in a rain soaked parking lot and a discussion on whether we call the hike off. The five of us decided to push forward. The beginning of the hike about an hour later was in light rain. After about a 3000 foot climb we found ourselves in windy, snowy conditions! I love this shot with Raven Glacier on the left of the piby chicagocwright - General Discussion
My problem is I have so many albums, trips, trip reports, pictures, and even different forums that everything is spread out.by chicagocwright - General Discussion
Headed to Crow Pass tomorrow. I hope to post a Crow Pass 2014. My mother asked me a question a couple days regarding keeping a journal of my hikes and adventures. I do not but realized my trip reports on forums could serve as my journal. What do others do?by chicagocwright - General Discussion
QuoteBearproof Maybe not the moral of the story...but the result of eating all of that ice cream would be that you were even more sluggish heading up to Clouds Rest. If you had that much ice cream you could just stack it and climb straight up the face of Clouds Rest.by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I'm disappointed that they included a Hawaiian hike but nothing in Alaska!by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Campsites in Alaska specifically tell you to make sure and leave food locked up in cars.by chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I hide the keys in/near the car...by chicagocwright - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteDave Apparently some here don't understand the position I am putting forth. All I can say is that if you make an unsafe pass; you are the one creating the dangerous situation. That's not my opinion, it's the law. No, ANY law enforcement unit, local, park, state, will NOT pass 20 cars to pull over one slow driver. It's just not safe. I don't disagree with your first point. I've found myby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteDave So, you want LE to risk their lives because you have been inconvenienced for a few minutes? It's the speeders than kill, not the slow drivers. Drunk drivers kill, not slow ones. Those passing slow drivers on corners and passing on the double yellow are the ones creating the danger, not the slow driver. They made the choice to do something dangerous, not the slow driver. The fast driversby chicagocwright - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion