I was invited to write an opinion piece for The Guardian about why this is terrible and why people should care. Lets use this unfortunate event to encourage people to protect these lands. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/27/graffiti-national-parks-art-narcissism-crimeby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It was just discovered today thanks to the alert packer, a reddit thread, and some basic internet sleuthing. A Yosemite investigator (and no doubt ones from other parks) are on the job. I expect we'll hear more about this in the future. I wrote about it today.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Buy the pack last. If you buy a pack that has too much space, you'll find things (i.e. unneeded weight) to fill that space. If you buy a pack that's too small, you'll be out of luck. Figure out the rest of your gear and how much space you need, then try on packs with the same amount of weight packed in them, walk around the store for a while, find out what works best.by calipidder - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Well, at least she was stupid enough to sign them. Hopefully someone will find it and report it as related. I have a feeling we'll be hearing more about her. And not in the way she wanted.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Could it have been this one? http://creepytings.tumblr.com/image/97709493447by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
blushby calipidder - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I was browsing the Yosemite subreddit this morning and found a thread posted (was it one of you?) about graffiti near Vernal Falls. It took about 10 seconds of googling the name in the graffiti to find out this 'artist' is one of those geniuses who decides to post everything to the internet. Including her cross-country roadtrip to apparently deface multiple national parks. She's posted pictuby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I think the biggest difference between the two is that the Conness catwalk is more ...scrambly? You're ascending more vertical in the distance than you are on Clouds Rest, which is essentially a flat walk on the narrowest part. It's probably wider than Clouds Rest though. Just keep your eyes on the rock in front of you and under your feet, and it should be okay. Then again, last time I did cloudsby calipidder - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I drive 120 through the park a LOT during the summer. Nearly every weekend. I get annoyed by the slow RVs that weave across lane markers, people passing on dangerous curves, and tourists who think that the 25 cars behind them don't mind if they just slow down to 2 mph every mile to get another picture of the lovely views. But I usually crank the tunes, zone out, and try to enjoy the beautiful couby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I'd argue that the slow drivers are creating a hazard that leads to the other incidents - road rage, illegal and dangerous passing, etc. I am a relatively laid back driver and am happy cruising along at or below the speed limit when I'm not blocking traffic, but put an RV going 20 MPH in front of me on Tioga road and my hulk side comes out. At least I'll just sit behind him and fume, whereas I'veby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
*Happy Dance* If we're going to have a drought, might as well enjoy the open passes! Hoping sonora happens soon.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Mmmmmm calorie bomb. This got me all the way from Bearpaw to Precipice before I needed another snack.by calipidder - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
That's what it says, but a friend of mine called ahead from the east side a couple of hours ago and was told that the gates were closed. She's trying to decide whether to believe that or not, go the longer route around or take her chances with Tioga.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
S: "So, we've all agreed, then, we'll order a pepperoni and a mushroom pizza" H: "Wait, forget what I agreed on before, I want anchovies on everything." S: "No one wants that" H: "Lots of people do!" S: "We're not ordering anchovies, we've already agreed on pepperoni and mushroom" H: "THEN WE'LL SHUT DOWN ALL THE PIZZA HUTS!&quby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Love it! Bear Lakes basin is probably my favorite region of the sierra.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I am a bit ashamed to admit to the number of outdoor socks I own. Having attended the outdoor retailer show for many years, they accumulate quickly since it is an easy giveaway/swag item. I've tried probably 90% of the brands out there and hands down Darn Tough wins both quality and comfort. In the time that other brands have cycled through three or four pairs in my sock drawer, my Darn Toughs arby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Very close to where I grew up and my parent's house. My mom always said I wanted to live with the bears.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Huh, we thought it was a locked outhouse for the vertically challenged.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
That's what I usually do, but last week was so warm that I chose to go with the shorts. No big deal - my legs are normally pretty scratched up and bruised. It's a sign of a good weekend.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I've spent the past couple of weekends tooling around the Tioga Pass region. When I choose hikes I look to peaks as my destinations, though it's not always important that I make the summit. I like how aiming for peaks takes me off trail and gets me to explore areas I might otherwise pass by. Anyways, in the past couple of weekends I've managed to hike Clouds Rest (okay, not off trail and quite buby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I saw a smaller cinnamon bear on the west slope of the summit of Excelsior on sunday. Wandering around the bare (bear?) terrain above 12k. Highest I've ever seen one of those furballs. He was timid, too, ran away when I made too much noise.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yep, I tend to get distracted by the other stuff. Summits are great but sometimes they must be sacrificed in favor of safety, time, or simply enjoyment. I tend to use mountains and their summits as the inspiration for adventures, but once out there I don't care as much about reaching the top. The day after Ragged we headed into Conness Lakes with the rough idea of doing North, but we ended up preby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yeah, I am kicking myself for not making that move after reading other trip reports, but better safe than sorry. Looks completely doable. I definitely don't regret having to go back, though....awesome place.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Finally wrote up my trip report from Ragged a few weeks ago. Super fun peak, but I need to go back for that stupid summit block. I was the best climber of the group and just had that uncomfortable feeling you get when you can't see your next move. Next time I'll bring more beta, or better yet, someone who has done it before. By the way, the meadows along Dingley Creek where you branch off fromby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Fan-freaking-tastic. I have a great trip planned for August but every time I look here I want to change my mind.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Ha! We know where to travel... We did Ragged on Saturday and were half-thinking of doing North on Sunday. But we got a late start and by the time we got to the upper lake we decided we would much prefer lounging around and watching others struggle up the steep slope above. It was a lovely day up there, wasn't it? Until the storms came in, I guess. And that was the fattest, waddliest marmotby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yesterday at upper Conness Lake (lake 10749):by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
That to-do list just keeps getting longer and longer. Thanks!by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I climbed Ragged Peak on Saturday and ended up making a nice loop over to the dome to the southeast and down to Delaney Creek. Does this dome have a name?by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
North and Conness snow conditions from Ten Lakes pass on Sunday:by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion